The weekend started with an upset in Campbelltown, Patrick Kisnorbo got one over his old side in a derby demolition and Auckland snatched a late win over Sydney as Juan Mata made his first start in the red and black jersey.
Here are your A-League Round 2 talking points.
Late goal sinks Sydney as Talay sweats on injuries
When Hayden Matthews ostensibly scored his first goal in professional football, it looked like Sydney FC would escape Mount Smart Stadium with all three points. A VAR check would, however, rule out the centre-back’s redirection and Auckland would grab a scrappy goal of their own in injury time to go top of the A-League ladder for the first time.
An entertaining game to watch, it was a wonder the clash almost produced two clean sheets. You can understand the Sky Blues feeling hard done by after a difficult week, flying to two different countries after the Sydney Derby triumph. Ufuk Talay’s men put in a gritty performance but sometimes football can be cruel, as a point each would have been a fair result from the contest in New Zealand’s largest city.
Resolute defensively, there’s also plenty of attacking quality at Steve Corica’s disposal. Despite Bill Foley’s almost infinitely deep pockets, they didn’t go out for a big fish like Douglas Costa or Juan Mata.
The expansion side have started perfectly and the locals’ reception of the new club has been more pleasing than perhaps even the most optimistic A-League fan could have hoped for.
Auckland FC players celebrate their win over Sydney. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Already missing their star import Costa due to a hamstring problem, the Sky Blues lost Joe Lolley in the first half of Sunday’s loss with what looked like a groin injury, then midfielder Corey Holman was also forced from the field. Lolley is a crucial part of Sydney’s attack and one of the best players in the league, so Talay and Sydney fans will anxiously await updates on the Englishman’s condition.
City stunned by first-half blitz
Patrick Kisnorbo had an impressive Melbourne Derby record in his Melbourne City tenure, and that success has carried over to his new club after a 3-1 triumph that was sealed within a quarter of the game.
Goals from Ryan Teague, Nikos Vergos and Nishan Velupillay saw Victory take an imperious 3-0 advantage after just 25 minutes, and a Jack Duncan howler was the only thing separating the Vuck from a clean sheet to rub even more salt into the wounds. He was unable to do anything about Vergos’ close-range strike, but Patrick Beach could’ve stopped Velupillay’s opener and was clearly at fault for the third goal.
That’s not to lay all the blame on the young goalkeeper, of course. Aurelio Vidmar’s side were terrible defensively and struggled to create much until late in the game.
Wanderers held by United in Mata’s full debut
Juan Mata started his first A-League game as Western Sydney played out a 1-1 stalemate with Western United. Brandon Borrello bounced off Tomoki Imai way too easily then unleashed a powerful strike past Tristan Vidackovic to open the scoring, before Hiroshi Ibusuki got a slice of luck when his close range shot pinballed into the net.
It was a tight contest at Ironbark Fields, with both sides unable to make the most of multiple opportunities to go ahead in the second half. The hosts were well on top in the latter part of the 90 minutes but could not make their home field advantage count, and have started their campaign with two draws.
There were glimpses of his creative talents, with Mata solid if unspectacular on his full Wanderers debut. He showed signs of a budding combination with Bozhidar Kraev and the rest of the side, and Western Sydney fans would perhaps be most pleased that he made it through 62 minutes, after speculation on his fitness following a disappointing spell with Vissel Kobe.
If he can stay on the park throughout the 2024-25 campaign, there’s no doubting Mata will contribute plenty of goal involvements. At 36 years of age, however, it’ll be easier said than done.
Adams impresses in boilover
With his side a goal down away to a Macarthur side that ran rampant in their opening game, Newcastle flyer Eli Adams took it upon himself to reverse the Jets’ fortunes. His first goal was a pure solo effort, deceiving defenders before unleashing a terrific strike past Filip Kurto. Ryan Scott’s quick release started the move for the second goal but Adams still had much to do, hitting another classy shot.
Of course, Scott later made a huge contribution to preserving three important away points, denying Bulls skipper Valere Germain from the penalty spot. Germain hit his penalty pretty sweetly and it was heading for the bottom corner so it was no regulation save for the 28-year-old late bloomer.
It was a little disappointing to see fewer than 4000 punters through the Campbelltown Stadium gates once again on a clear night in Sydney, in fact it was a smaller gallery than in Round 1.
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From everything I’ve seen, the Bulls are active in their local community and they’ve delivered two trophies already in their short existence. Sam Kroslovic and brass must be wondering what else they can do to boost crowds.
Quick hits
- A professional performance from Wellington in the Distance Derby, but some early danger signs for David Zdrilic in his new role. Nix supporters had a cheeky message for their new rivals ahead of next week’s inaugural Kiwi Clasico.
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— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) October 27, 2024“Look at this! Wellington Phoenix have crashed the party… shots fired!”
How about this for a message ahead of next week’s first ever New Zealand Derby!
Watch Auckland FC v Sydney FC live NOW on Paramount+.#AKLvSYD pic.twitter.com/vuUcUgtXXk
- Central Coast and Adelaide couldn’t be separated with an ugly goal at either end. Another slow start by the Mariners.
- The ground staff at Campbelltown Stadium may be taking Macarthur’s nickname a bit too literally.
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