The Sydney derby wasn’t just the most exhilarating game of the season to date, it was one of the best games we’ve seen in the A-League in recent memory.
Talk about your smash and grab raids.
If we ever wanted proof that the atmosphere at Bankwest Stadium would help Western Sydney Wanderers pick up points, we got it in spades on Saturday night.
Sydney FC simply battered the home team from start to finish, dominating every statistic we care to mention except for the one that matters most.
And didn’t the Wanderers fans make the most of their victory?
After 980 barren days without a derby win, they fully deserved their celebrations following a pulsating night out in Parramatta.
And a handful of their players deserve singling out for some full-blooded praise.
One is Daniel Lopar. The Swiss shot-stopper might not look like the safest of goalkeepers around but he stood up when it counted with a match-winning performance.
So too did his Swiss compatriot Pirmin Schwegler. The box-to-box midfielder is Mr Nice Guy off the park, but on it he practiced the dark art of destruction to perfection.
Schwegler was simply everywhere on the night, harassing the Sydney midfield with Bundesliga-like precision and clipping the heels of his opponents whenever they threatened to break away.
Meanwhile, Mitch Duke is the best signing the Wanderers have made in years, Alex Meier fired over the cross for Duke’s goal and Daniel Georgievski never stopped running.
It was a massive team effort from the entire team on the night, but watching from inside the stadium it felt like those five were prepared to do whatever it took to win.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
As for the controversy, it was difficult to tell from my vantage point whether Kosta Barbarouses’ header crossed the line.
Did it? I don’t think VAR proved conclusively that it did, although it was hard to tell from that camera angle and goal-line technology is evidently too expensive.
The Sky Blues were in with more of a shout for a handball from Keanu Baccus on the hour mark, but apparently VAR didn’t see it that way.
Sydney FC should have equalised regardless, and it took another Lopar save to deny Barbarouses when the Kiwi striker was through on goal.
How much will that display have dented Barbarouses’ confidence?
Adam Le Fondre was blowing up deluxe at his strike partner at one stage on a frustrating night for Sydney FC’s front duo.
It just wasn’t to be for the Sky Blues, although you’d be hard-pressed to find too many neutrals who weren’t delighted to see the Wanderers win.
And you know what the best thing of all about the derby was? It gave us so much to talk about there’s barely enough column inches to do the game justice.
Which brings us to the rest of the A-League round. Or, more specifically, some of the less helpful attitudes around it.
I was at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, just as I was at Bankwest Stadium some 24 hours later. The difference in atmospheres was stark.
And it didn’t take long – to no one’s surprise – for the familiar complaints to ratchet up on social media about the Suncorp Stadium experience.
But here’s the thing. There’s nothing stopping 50,000 football fans filling Suncorp Stadium and creating the sort of atmosphere we see at games in Europe.
Just as there’s nothing stopping fans in Newcastle and Wellington and Geelong from doing the same thing.
And the majority of fans who complain endlessly on social media about every single facet of the A-League usually do so from the comfort of their living rooms.
Why do we listen to them?
The Sydney derby was as exciting as any game we saw in Europe this weekend.
But the key is to create that sort of atmosphere at more A-League fixtures, instead of always relying on one-off events.
Randy
Roar Rookie
haha and the Eels average after 2 games was 26k, lets see the wanderers after the season is finished
clipper
Roar Rookie
I go out often enough to have seen the changes noted by many others here. The Wanderers have an average at Bankwest so far of nearly 23k, which if I'm correct, is 5k more than 18k
Randy
Roar Rookie
how would you even know if you don't go to the west often? your anti-league agenda is pathetic and unhinged. Lets see if the Wanderers with all their jersey sales can average more than 18k at Bankwest, which is what the Eels average was. East Sydney probably has more backpackers and tourists than locals anyway so it's not an area the NRL is too concerned about.
rolland
Guest
best derby best sports event of any football code in the country without doubt but don't you think that next season when the campbeltown team come into the league it will diminish the sydney derby and its exclusivity of a wanderers and sydney fc derby which is what makes it great .next year you can't call it THE sydney derby as there will be three, campbelltown v sydney v WSW for me it will dilute it as there will be the other sydney derby which will be nowhere near as WOW as this current sydney derby .it will be a let down lets face it .FFA stuffed up allowing a 2nd team in western suburbs of sydney there was no need for it.its a market that already has a team .
AxeMaster
Roar Rookie
As a Victory man, I have to agree that this is the number 1 derby in the A-League. While I was watching I thought that the atmosphere looks electric just like a top Euro' game.
chris
Guest
Zoran thanks for your advice but I'm good. Not sure if you spend too much time on here but if you did, you would recognise the AFL fanboys (AR being one of them). Whether he makes a good point or not is immaterial to me as his agenda has been set and is clear to see. I will take on board comments from people on here that have at least a basic interest in football and not out and out hatred for it like AR, Anon and a few others. Cheers
David V
Guest
Political borders don't necessarily correspond to cultural borders, whether in Australia or elsewhere. Australian Rules has strongholds in southern NSW, Broken Hill and has also a long tradition in Canberra. These cultural factors may also affect their A-League football allegiances!
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Didn't the Wanderers literally play an English "first division" side in the off-season? Leeds United beat them 2-1.
Zoran
Guest
AR made a good point about Kayo. The thing is for whatever reason we don't have Kayo viewing figures which I can only assume aren't being released for some reason. When you consider that other streaming services (catch up TV) release their figures Even Facebook released that 1.9million people streamed a recent NBL game worldwide The point he was making was logic would reason that if Foxtel STB sports viewing was dominated by AFL and NRL that you could assume the same would be the case for Kayo. He was not slagging off the A League, just trying to keep things in perspective. Keep an open mind here Chris otherwise you'll just go around calling everyone AFL fanboys when you have difficultly in understanding the point they are trying to make.
chris
Guest
Show me where AR has said anything positive about football ever? One thing about you AFL fanboys is that you love to criticise other sports then cry like collective babies when its dished out to you.
clipper
Roar Rookie
Yes, I've noted before that there was a distinct lack of interest in either GF in Sydney this year.
Nemesis
Guest
That's why hypothesising about and Eng Div 1 side coming here not for a holiday is an utterly ridiculous proposition. But, I'd be willing to wager someone, like yourself, will spend hundreds of dollars to watch sokkah players on holiday kicking a ball around, playing crap ALeague clubs, also on holday. There's a timeless adage about "A f@@l and his money"
Zoran
Guest
Chris, you show me where AR said how good the AFL is and how bad sukkah is. He didn't.
chris
Guest
What point are you trying to make? Its hard to decipher what you're trying to say? English 1st sides here for holidays smashing NPL side? Is that your point?
chris
Guest
Sydneysider its hard for Vics to believe that north of the Murray we dont give a r*ts about AFL. Apart from the paid up MSM literally no one talked about or cared about GWS being in the GF. I doubt any Sydney sider would be able to name one gws player.
chris
Guest
No Zoran there is no need to comply with the herd as you say. But at least come on here and comment for any other reason apart from telling us how good AFL is and how bad sokkah is. Clearly the rest of the world outside of Vic and SA think AFL is rubbish.
normalozperson
Roar Rookie
Do you think a 1st side comes out here to play an NSL side are serious there here for a break they come here in the off season for them
Nemesis
Guest
Why would any English 1st Division side be in Australia "not for a holiday"? Ridiculous comment. I saw Southampton in the Enlgish Premier League got 9 goals smashed past them over the weekend.
normalozperson
Roar Rookie
Don't kid your yourself mate a 1st division UK side who were not here for a holiday would beat the Western Sydney Wanderers by 10 goals maybe more Put them up against one of the top European clubs you would be looking at 15 maybe 20 Christ get real your not even in the same park in OZ
Sydneysider
Guest
'In the east, you would hardly have know this years NRL GF was on' You could say the same thing about the west for the AFL GF. GWS Giants had about 500 people supporting them from western Sydney.