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A late equaliser from star forward Adam Le Fondre helped Sydney FC salvage a 1-1 draw away to an impressive sell-out crowd in Adelaide on Good Friday.
Adelaide arrived on the back of an 11-match unbeaten streak and looked to keep within touching distance of league leaders Melbourne City, with the Sky Blues needing a result to maintain their top-six place.
Steve Corica named an unchanged starting XI from last week’s 3-3 draw with Western United, while the home side opted for just one rotation as Jay Barnett replaced Spanish veteran Isaías in midfield.
The early momentum was with the Reds who managed to exploit spaces in behind, forcing a few opportunities from set pieces that required Sydney shot-stopper Andrew Redmayne to be called into action.
Adelaide’s great football resulted in Craig Goodwin and Zach Clough coming within inches of giving Adelaide the lead a few minutes separate from each other to have alarm bells ringing for Sydney.
That didn’t provide a big enough warning, with Clough causing havoc once again down the right-hand side to set up Goodwin, only to be denied by an incredible goal-line clearance from Jack Rodwell after 15 minutes.
It took 25 minutes for the match to open up, allowing Sydney to create a glorious opportunity from the run of play which allowed Joe Lolley to find room inside the area and take on a couple of defenders, only to spray his shot just wide of the target.
Corica’s men successfully stung the life out of the contest for a 15-minute spell, managing to silence the home support.
Besides a few half-chances in a physically demanding half, both teams went into the sheds goalless at the break.
Just three minutes from the restart, the crowd found their voices again, as Craig Goodwin converted at the back-post for his 11th goal of the campaign despite another Rodwell clearance attempt off the line to give Adelaide a deserved lead.
Rain bucketing down after an hour of proceedings didn’t help Sydney with their passing and build-up play, failing to execute the final ball with crucial minutes ticking down to find an equaliser.
Frustrations grew for the away side the longer the match progressed by taking the initiative on the attack but lacking the spark and creativity to produce anything clear-cut. That soon changed in the 72nd minute, as Joe Gauci denied Lolley from close range in what was Sydney’s best chance of the evening thus far.
A quality passage of play allowed substitute Adam Le Fondre to guide the ball past Gauci to level the scores which on the balance of play seemed warranted.
A frantic final five minutes followed suit, witnessing end-to-end action with the likes of teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda and Max Burgess offering an attacking threat.
Both teams were forced to settle for a share of the spoils in front of over 14,000 fans, marking Adelaide’s biggest crowd in seven years.
The Reds stay put and host Western United next Sunday, while Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory do battle in two days’ time in an attempt to close the gap on Sydney FC in a dramatic race for finals action.
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