Sydney FC have put in an improved performance in their second Asian Champions League match of 2018, earning a 2-2 draw away from home with Shanghai Shenhua.
Sydney FC made life tough for themselves last time out in their Asian Champions League campaign and will now need to find a way to beat Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua away from home. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 11pm (AEDT).
Sydney might be at the top of the A-League table, but they have had some patchy performances in the lead-up to the ACL.
A one-all draw against the Central Coast Mariners was cause for concern, although they were convincing in their next three A-League wins against the Melbourne Victory, Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne City.
They were showed up in their first ACL outing though, beaten soundly by South Korean club the Suwon Bluewings.
A 2-0 beatdown at home wasn’t an ideal way for Sydney to start their campaign it’s made things difficult for them with five games to go in the group stage, three of which they will have to play on the road.
If they are to improve, it’s going to take a better passing game and more opportunities for their front men, with their strikers having little to no impact against Suwon.
The same issues they faced in the opener will be present against the Chinese giants who are still in their Super League pre-season.
Despite that, they have recently taken out the Chinese FA Cup, beating cross-town rivals Shanghai East Asia on away goals in the final and will play the CFA Super final next week against Guangzhou Evergrande FC.
They started the Champions League on the road against the Kashima Antlers and came away with a solid one-all draw, their defence keeping them in the game as they struggled to retain possession.
Despite having to do a lot of work in defence, their fitness was strong for this early point of the season and they made their opportunities – which were few and far between – count.
The key for the Chinese club is captain Giovanni Moreno, who was their only scorer against the Antlers after scoring 15 goals during the 2017 CSL season.
Prediction
Away from home, the best Sydney might be able to do is come away with a draw. However, even that looks like it’ll be a step beyond them given the way they were tactically outplayed in their Champions League opener.
Shanghai 2-1 Sydney.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the Asian Champions League from 11pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment below.
Michael Mills
Guest
I agree. I’m reasonably satisfied with a point away, but pretty disappointed that (a) we couldn’t score a third after creating a host of quality chances and (b) that we even needed to score a third to win the game. The defensive lapses for their goals were just poor. I don’t want to be too hard on Calver after only two games, but the move to leave Jordy out of the squad is looking a bit dicey at this point.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Should have won, had the better chances in the last quarter of the match. Ninkovic!
shirtpants
Roar Guru
Of course it is. No other Asian teams boast anywhere near the talent of Oscar and Hulk in particular. Oscar is only 26 and should be entering his prime. He was one of Brazil's best players in the 2014 World Cup and Hulk has also been capped quite a lot. No doubt their moves have hindered their inclusion in the national team set up though. Can't blame them though, they're earning ridiculous amounts of money.
Kangajets
Guest
Wasn’t able to watch it , but an away draw is usually a good result in the group stages . If Sydney can win their home games and draw away , they will likely go through .
Onside
Guest
Ground in good condition.
punter
Guest
I think the quality of Oscar, Hulk & Elkeson are probably up there with the best foreigners in Asia.
That A-League Fan
Roar Guru
Very fair result. Sydney played much better this game. Still don't have high hopes for them getting out of the group stage.
Nemesis
Guest
Very well contested match. Both teams had chances to score the winner or winners, at many stages. Sydney FC huge improvement on the rubbish they dished out last week. Have to wonder what happened for them to be so poor last week. Shanghai Shenhua were far better opponent than Suwon, plus playing in China far more difficult than at home. Will be interesting to see how some of the older SydFC players recover for the Derby on Sunday. Already they've lost Zullo, would assume for a couple of matches at very least. Will probably have a bit more interest in CSL this season after watching these ACL matches past 2 nights. Was extremely impressed with Shenhua's Chinese players. Foreigners were also excellent, but probably not as classy as Oscar, Hulk, Elkeson.
Buddy
Guest
It will be interesting to see what improvement there is in the Shanghai side as they move into their new season. Their use of the long ball, often losing the first tackle and picking up the second was like watching the old english division one 20-30 years ago when long balls to target players was the “in thing”.
Lionheart
Guest
Great call Scott. Thanks. Sounds like a fair result with both sides lacking that edge in the second half to put the winning goal in the net. I'll get my head back to the UEFA matches, great game last night with Chelsea and Barca.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for joining me this evening on The Roar for our live coverage of the 2018 Asian Champions League. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage. There is plenty of A-League coming your way this weekend on The Roar, as welll as countless other sports, so be sure to park yourself on the couch for all of that. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Good sum up Buddy. First half was equally entertaining, but looked more like the first 25 minutes of the first half, rather than the second 20 which was nuts.
Scott Pryde
Expert
So, Sydney and Shanghai split the points. Both teams are going to need to come out firing in both Round 13 and the quarter-final if they want to stay in this competition. Thoughts on the match Roarers?
Buddy
Guest
No shortage of goalmouth action in the second half but lack of quality finishing by both sides. Certainly SFC could and maybe should have been more clinical in front of goal. Good to see such contrasting styles of play too.
Scott Pryde
Expert
FULLTIME Last chance play for Shanghai here, but that's no good and with the referee sounding in the background, this one will finish with a draw. The Shangai imports just weren't good enough to lead their side tonight. They came away with a point, but at home, you want to be getting more than a single point. Plenty of goals in the first half, but the second half was reasonably entertaining as well. No more goals, but there was still plenty of quality in an end to end sort of game. Shanghai Shenhua 2 Sydney FC 2
Scott Pryde
Expert
90 + 4' Here is the chance! Ball into the path of Ninkovic who fires, but he was off balance and the ball was dragged up and over the crossbar. Shanghai Shenhua 2 Sydney FC 2
Scott Pryde
Expert
90 + 3' Sydney now trying to find some space on the right. Brillante and Adrian available again, but they eventually turn it over once again. They get the ball back, but it doesn't help. Shanghai Shenhua 2 Sydney FC 2
Scott Pryde
Expert
92' - Danger! Lovely pass from the ground by Moreno, but they are back-pedalling and couldn't assist in any way. Shanghai Shenhua 2 Sydney FC 2
Scott Pryde
Expert
90 + 2' Well, this is going to come down to the wire. Guarin hangs the free kick in the air for as long as possible, but it was still an offside situation.
Scott Pryde
Expert
90 + 1' Four minutes added on Meanwhile, there are turnovers both ways at the moment before it's a free kick. Martins taken to ground right there by the looks of it. Shanghai Shenhua 2 Sydney FC 2