Sydney FC have claimed their sixth win of the season in spectacular fashion, rolling premiership contenders Western United in a upset 3-0 victory on Saturday night.
The Sky Blues remarkably brought Western United’s nine-game unbeaten run to an end courtesy of goals from midfielder Milos Ninkovic and new signings Luciano Narsingh and Mustafa Amini.
Despite the eventual result, United almost got off to a perfect start on the night as Aleksandar Prijovic found the back of the net from a clever long ball, but the striker was called offside.
The ebb and flow of the next 20 minutes saw an even spread of possession between the two sides, but little in the way of big opportunities on goal.
With the first shot of the game, however, Serbian talisman Ninkovic opened the scoring for the home side after getting on the end of Rhyan Grant’s well measured cross with a tidy volley off the post.
United were left to feel the frustration of going behind early as both Leo Lacroix and head coach John Aloisi were sanctioned by referee Daniel Elder at the half-hour mark.
A brilliant hustle from Grant caused the United backline to cough up possession in the 35th minute before the resulting shot from Dutchman Narsingh was sprayed wide.
The first half came to a close with the away side mustering just one opportunity on goal, courtesy of Josh Risdon from a late corner, compared to the Sky Blues’ four attempts.
United came out strong in the second half as Connor Pain’s header in the 50th minute forced Socceroo Andrew Redmayne into an excellent fingertip save.
However, United’s run of attack would once again be short lived as Narsingh successfully chipped Jamie Young for his first goal in the A-League Men, thanks to an expertly timed through ball from fellow goalscorer Ninkovic to make it 2-0.
As the Sydneysiders looked to capitalise on their momentum and shore up the three points, Amini drilled a right-footed shot on goal three minutes later but the effort just missed the bottom corner.
The miss was not a worry for the Sky Blues, however, as Jerry Skotadis’ first touch off the bench fatefully landed to the feet of Amini, who slotted home.
The flurry of late chances would continue for the home side including a couple of attempts from striker Bobo, making his impact felt in his short time on the field.
The surprise victory for the Sky Blues elevated them to fifth position on the ALM ladder after Wellington Phoenix’s 4-0 loss the night before, whilst the away side will have to wait for their two games in hand over league leaders Melbourne City to reclaim the top spot.
Sydney FC: 3 (Ninkovic 23′, Narsingh 58′, Amini 68′)
Western United: 0
Stadium: Netsrata Jubilee Stadium
Referee: Daniel ELDER
Assistant Referees: Owen GOLDRICK, Adam POWERS
Fourth Official: Adam BAVCAR
Sydney FC: Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), Rhyan GRANT, James DONACHIE, Alexander WILKINSON (C) [Ben WARLAND 84′], Callum TALBOT (Connor O’TOOLE 84′), Paulo RETRE, Mustafa AMINI, Milos NINKOVIC (Max BURGESS 74′), Anthony CACERES, Adam LE FONDRE (BOBÔ 74′), Luciano NARSINGH (Trent BUHAGIAR 68′)
Unused Subs:Â Tom HEWARD-BELLE (GK), Harry VAN DER SAAG
Western United: Jamie YOUNG (GK), Joshua RISDON (C) [Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY 73′], Tomoki IMAI, Leo LACROIX, Benjamin GARUCCIO, Rene KRHIN (Jerry SKOTADIS 67′), Steven LUSTICA, Lachlan WALES, Dylan PIERIAS (Adisu BAYEW 82′), Connor PAIN (Dylan WENZEL-HALLS 68′), Aleksandar PRIJOVIC (Noah BOTIC 82′)
Unused subs: Ryan SCOTT (GK), Rhys BOZINOVSKI
Feature Image Credit: Jaime Castaneda
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