The Western Sydney Wanderers slaughtered Sydney FC to a 4-0 defeat in what head coach Marko Rudan has labelled their “best win this year”.
It was a derby spectacle unlike any other, and it was clear from the beginning that there was only one team who were truly in it to win it.
The two Sydney sides met before a roaring crowd of almost 30,000 at Allianz Stadium, but it only took up to the 13th minute for the Wanderers to find their opening goal, and the tone became set for the remainder of the match.
A boastful Marko Rudan had nothing but praise for his players’ performance following the match.
“When you look at the circumstances, we’re away from home in a derby with our biggest rival, our biggest enemy,” Rudan explained.
“And it wasn’t the fact we won, but the manner in which we did it that was the most pleasing thing.”
Western Sydney were only up 2-0 at half time, a scoreline that can usually be seen with leeway on either end. However, it was already evident at this point that Sydney FC were being outplayed and were stretched across the park.
It simply seemed that the Sky Blues brought no urgency, and their visiting side were full of nothing but feist, fire and desperation, which spoke for itself when the Wanderers secured their win in the second half.
Rudan believes that this dynamic may have been developed well before the match kicked off.
“There was a lot said, but not by us. I think they got in a little bit deep,” Rudan said in regard to the pre-match chatter.
He claims that his club’s lack of response to Sydney FC’s snide remarks during the build-up to the derby was all a part of their strategy to come out on top.
“There was a lot of talk on their side about us, we knew they took their focus off themselves,” Rudan said.
“I told my players not to worry or get caught up in that sort of stuff, we were so secure with what we were doing which brought us the confidence we needed.
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The Western Sydney Wanderers are now sitting in a comfortable third place on the table, a position that has opened up a clear pathway towards the finals rounds.
Rudan says that this massive derby victory has instilled his squad’s self-belief and will set the standard for their homerun of the season.
Feature Image Credit: Alen Delic
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