Sydney FC keep A-League finals hopes alive

An injury-time strike from new Finnish striker Juho Makela salvaged a point for Sydney FC against Melbourne Victory in Saturday’s A-League clash at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The 1-1 draw kept alive Sydney’s slim finals hopes, with Makela sidefooting home in the 93rd minute after Danny Allsop had given fifth-placed Melbourne the lead six minutes into the second half.

Vitezslav Lavicka’s side are six points adrift of the top-six and now must win their remaining five games if they are to have any genuine hope of defending their title.

A rejuvenated Sydney, who went into the game on the back of two consecutive wins, came out looking to create chances and take advantage of a Victory side missing strikers Robbie Kruse and Archie Thompson as well as suspended skipper Kevin Muscat.

Sung-Hwan Byun kicked off an explosive 10 minutes for Sydney that saw a flurry of chances, his powerful 29th minute shot forcing a diving save from Victory gloveman Michael Petkovic.

Petkovic was again called into action when he saved Bruno Cazarine’s header.

Young gun Petratos, 18, who has just signed a new two-year deal with the Sky Blues, had another impressive display causing all sorts of trouble for the Victory backline.

Japanese import Hirofumi Moriyasu almost put Sydney in front only for his well-struck effort to strike the base of the post just before the break.

The visitors looked a different side after the interval, and their pressure paid off when Allsopp, who has returned to the club following a spell overseas, latched onto a neat pass from Carlos Hernandez and rolled the ball past Liam Reddy.

The Melbourne supporters celebrated their lead by lighting flares in the stands, and their side continued to press with Marvin Anglo and Hernandez both going close.

Sydney replied with long range efforts from Shannon Cole and marquee man Nicky Carle, and Petratos squandered a great one-on-one opportunity 10 minutes from time.

However, with Sydney’s season looking dead and buried, Makela, who was the Finnish league’s top scorer last season with HJK Helsinki, scored in front of The Cove for the second successive week after being set up by Carle.

Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka, who’s future at the club is still in doubt, was happy to have secured a point but lamented the many squandered opportunities his men had in the first stanza.

“We played a great first half, with lots of effort and good qaulity, we created chances,” Lavicka said.

“But we just didn’t score the goals.

“We started the second half a bit shaky and Victory pinished us.

“My feelings are mixed tonight.”

Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick agreed the hosts dominated the opening half and parised Costa Rican import Hernandez, who played despite being injured, for his crucial goal-producing pass.

“It’s a cliche but there’s no doubt it was a game of two halves tonight,” Merrick said.

“That pass that Carlos played, he’s got tremendous vision and he’s a great passer of the ball.

“It was touch-and-go actually whether he was going to play.

“But he played with a calf injury and (Grant) Brebner played with vision in only one eye for most of the second half.

“So given all that and I thought it was a tremendous performace.”