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In a fixture where tensions rise and heroes are made, two of the A-League’s fiercest rivals went head to head as the Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in front of an intense crowd of 25,000 at Etihad Stadium.
In a clash not short of controversy and passion, this game not only met the expectations of footballing fans, but had supporters on both sides on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
The Melbourne Victory were hoping to continue their unbeaten run, despite the absences of star playmaker Gui Finkler and defender Daniel Georgevski, whereas Sydney FC welcomed the return of the inform Marc Janko and the return of Seb Ryall from suspension, who always rises to the occasion when playing his former side.
However, the battle between these two heavyweights had the veterans on both teams stealing the spotlight, in what was a thrilling contest where the old dogs showed that they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
The match started in an intense fashion as the Melbourne Victory drew first blood after a gut busting run by Ben Khalfallah saw Besart Berisha’s shot saved by Vedran Janjetovic, setting up Archie Thompson perfectly in the 12th minute.
Going a goal down resulted in Sydney lifting their intensity, with the Sky Blues equalising five minutes later through Austrian captain Marc Janko. Shane Smeltz produced a great assist for Janko to find the back of the net in a composed fashion, despite claims of the goal having been offside.
However, the controversy did not stop there, as a collision saw Terry Antonis come off second best as he received an elbow to the temple from Victory captain Mark Milligan. Tensions rose among Sydney players and staff as Milligan was quite fortunate in not receiving a red card, with the referee Peter Green indicating that he did not see the incident.
Sydney FC continuously pressed, and a perfect lay off for striker Alex Brosque hit the woodwork, in what would have given Sydney the lead. Instead, it led to the Melbourne Victory again gaining the lead in the closing moments of the half as Archie Thompson struck a low ball into the bottom corner. Etihad Stadium erupted as the Victory went into half time with a 2-1 lead.
The second half commenced with Sydney being rewarded for their persistence. An unmarked Smeltz headed home a corner from Alex Gersbach and then Smeltz doubled his money through a well-placed goal. It was his 80th A-League goal and it gave Sydney FC the lead for the first time in the match as they looked to end the Victory’s unbeaten run.
However no Big Blue derby is never complete without some Archie Thompson magic. The 36-year-old completed his hat-trick, scoring his 84th A-League goal and his 34th against the Sky Blues, which led to a frantic finale as Victory striker Besart Berisha was denied a goal in the final moments of the match due to a great save by Janjetovic.
The result was one which left both managers scratching their heads as both would argue that their team deserved the three points. I’m sure all the fans would have enjoyed two of the league’s great strikers in Thompson and Smeltz turn it on in a high profile match.
The draw sees the Victory remain in second place, three points behind league leaders Perth. Sydney remain in fourth place with the Wellington Phoenix one point behind them in fifth, whom they play next week in what shapes up to be another thrilling contest for the Sky Blues.
Victory also face another challenging contest as they face cross town rivals Melbourne City in the pre-Christmas derby in what shapes up to another exciting round in the A-League.
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