Sydney FC
1
Match Complete
Wellington Phoenix
3
| M. Zullo |  | 89' | ||
| M. Zullo |  | 61' | ||
| A. Brosque | | 41' | ||
| J. Brillante | | 40' | ||
| 38' | | S. Taylor | ||
| 30' | | R. Krishna | ||
| 21' | | R. Krishna |
| 15 | Shots | 14 | ||
| 4 | On Target | 7 | ||
| 13 | Fouls | 15 | ||
| 9 | Corners | 4 | ||
| 1 | Offsides | 1 | ||
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 | ||
| 3 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
Match result:
Sydney coach Steve Corica has promised changes while ruing lapses of concentration, with Wellington’s perfectly executed game plan carrying them to a 3-1 A-League boilover away win.
» Click here for the full match report
Final score
Sydney FC 1
Wellington Phoenix 3
Match preview:
Sydney FC hosts Wellington Phoenix at Jubilee Stadium in Round 7 A-League action. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 5:35pm (AEDT).
Wellington make the trip to Sydney off the back of an improved performance against Perth last week where the points seemed likely to go their way before late controversy struck.
Mark Rudan’s men will be looking for a continuation of the defensive effort that was the standout in their performance; denying what appears to be one of the best attacks in the competition until with ten men, they eventually cracked.
Sydney also had their fare share of difficulties in a 2-1 win over the Mariners that was anything but comfortable.
Central Coast led early and Sydney were forced to impose themselves on the contest and gradually clawed their way back into the match.
Steve Corica will be well pleased that they did yet there are still signs that the Sky Blues are far from peak form and concerns still ruminate around their ability to create and convert chances.
In a huge boost for the home side, both Siem de Jong and Daniel De Silva come back into the squad for this clash with de Jong likely to start on the bench after the minor hamstring strain that halted his positive start to the season.
Mitch Nicholls and Tom Doyle come back into the squad for the visitors and 43-year-old Ante Covic comes in as an injury replacement.
Sydney will be hoping for another bumper crowd at Jubilee after a terrific turn out against Victory a fortnight back.
On what appears to be an excellent surface, the match looms as a potentially intriguing affair, as Wellington strive to move into the six with a win and the home side looks to keep pace with Perth at the head of the ladder.
Prediction
It is hard to see anything other than a Sydney win in this one. Despite concerns over their attacking potency, they should have the quality to sneak at least a goal past the Phoenix.
The visitors will potentially look for a defensive shutout, something they had well within their grasp before a ridiculous VAR intervention cost them all three points last week.
Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 0
Catch all the action on The Roar live coverage from 5:35pm (AEDT).
Where: Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
When: Saturday 8th December 2018, 5:35pm (AEDT)
TV: Fox Sports
Betting: Sydney FC $1.36, Draw $5, Wellington Phoenix $8.50
Sydney FC
1.Andrew Redmayne (Gk), 2.Aaron Calver, 4.Alex Wilkinson, 5.Jop Van Der Linden, 6.Josh Brillante, 7.Michael Zullo, 8.Paulo Retre, 9.Adam Le Fondre, 10.Milos Ninkovic, 11.Daniel De Silva, 13.Brandon O’Neill, 14.Alex Brosque (C), 20.Alex Cisak (Gk), 21.Charles Lokoli-Ngoy, 22.Siem De Jong, 23.Rhyan Grant, 24.Cam Devlin, 31. Luke Ivanovic.
Wellington Phoenix
4.Mandi Sosa, 6.Dylan Fox, 8.Mitch Nichols, 9.Nathan Burns, 11.David Williams, 13.Liberato Cacace, 14.Alex Rufer, 15.Michal Kopzcynski, 16.Louis Fenton, 18.Sarpreet Singh, 19.Tom Doyle, 20.Oliver Sail (Gk), 21.Roy Krishna, 22.Andrew Durante (C), 23.Max Burgess, 27.Steven Taylor, 30.Zac Jones (Gk) 40.Ante Covic (Gk)
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Pre-match, Steve Corica said "we expect to win". Not a Phoenix fan however enjoyed the result. Always good to see arrogance rewarded with a loss.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
What a win! Wife is happy too. She gets a new handbag!
Stuart Thomas
Expert
The Wellington Phoenix have flown into Sydney, bussed it to Kogarah and taken all three points against the locals in a glorious three goals to one victory. As obvious as many may have seen the result of this match, it was nothing of the sort. The Phoenix were the better team from the opening minute and Sydney never really found a consistent pattern of play to threaten the visitors. Roy Krishna found the net twice in the first half off the back of long balls through the centre of defence. His goals in the 21st and 30th minutes had the Phoenix in an unexpected yet deserved lead and when Steven Taylor headed home in the 38th minute, the deal was well and truly done. It was a perfect replica of the high press that the Phoenix used against Perth Glory last week. This time around, they were given their just deserts of all three points, after being robbed by a ridiculous VAR intervention last week. Sydney were awful from the opening kick and this may well be the moment where the reality of the post Graham Arnold era kicks in. Whilst much discussion has centred around the injury to Trent Buhagiar and the brief absence of Siem de Jong, the reality is that the Sky Blues look awful in attack and disjointed through midfield. Those injuries have been an inconvenience, yet the strength elsewhere in the squad should have coped more effectively with their absence. Wellington will not give two hoots and nor should they. After a rugged week where they felt aggrieved after the chaos against Perth, they have refocused and out muscled one of the supposed favourites in the competition. Despite the late consolation goal to Michael Zullo, the match was played well and truly on the Phoenix's terms. With a huge opportunity to nab a further three points at home to the Mariners in Round 8, the future looks potentially bright for Wellington. A spot in the six is a realistic expectation come Sunday night and Mark Rudan will be aiming to extend his squad further and cement a finals birth come April. For Steve Corica, it will be an entirely different tone throughout the week. Sydney FC look to be in a world of pain and after their loss today and a lucky escape against the Mariners, the entire competition will be eyeing them off as a weakened opponent in the coming months. Final Score Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Excellent win by Nix, got to be honest, got sick of the SFC shouting for a pen every couple of minutes in that second half, but what an insane final 5 minutes.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Be sure to stick around for the two matches upcoming.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Thanks for being on board for the game and I will post the match report in five minutes. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
A brilliant performance from the visitors as Mark Rudan leads his team to a glorious victory. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Well done Stuart. You kept it together in the face of adversity :) How good is Rudan? How poor is Sydney and Corica?
Stuart Thomas
Expert
FULL-TIME Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
94' Wellington clear for one last time. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
94' Sydney go forward and Sail clears well. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
94' Final minute of scrappy play....I think. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
93' That was bizarre. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
93' Now that's professional? Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
92' The referee has blown full-time with 2 and a half minutes remaining in added time??????? Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
92' Zullo has scored with 2 minutes of the extra four remaining. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
91' GOAL. Bloody hell. Sydney FC 1 Wellington Phoenix 3
Stuart Thomas
Expert
91' VAR is checking.........whats going on out there. Is it a goal or not?
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Boring :)
89'