Five moments that have shaped fierce Adelaide United v Syndey FC rivalry ahead of FFA Cup final
THERE will be no shortage of bad blood when last year’s FFA Cup finalists Adelaide United and Sydney FC resume hostilities in this year’s title decider later this month. We look at why they have become such bitter rivals.
- United deserves to host FFA Cup final: Kurz
- Reds storm into FFA Cup final
- No trophy limits for Elsey
- Reds recruit thrives in quest for Cup glory
SYDNEY FC once were Adelaide United’s FFA Cup bunnies — until last season.
History proves it.
During Adelaide’s 2014 run to claim the nation’s first FFA Cup, United beat Sydney FC 3-1 in the quarterfinal in extra-time away.
Adelaide then put former Sydney coach Graham Arnold’s side to bed again in extra-time 2-1 in the round of 16 at Hindmarsh in 2015.
But two years later the now Socceroos coach had his sweet retribution, albeit controversially.
Although Adelaide’s FFA Cup history at home suggests Sydney will continue to be the Reds patsy when the clubs meet in an FFA Cup final blockbuster at Hindmarsh on October 30, these two clubs have had a tense history since day one of the A-League.
Revenge is a word Adelaide’s squad or indeed coach Marco Kurz will probably never roll out before the FFA Cup final but bad blood is brewing after last year’s final.
A Sky Blues’ ball boy keeping the leather in extra-time saw Adelaide’s Michael Marrone expelled in a final which had mayhem written all over it at the Sydney Football Stadium changed the FFA Cup storyline.
The youngster cheekily turned his back on Marrone before hitting the deck when the Reds right back grabbed him in a bear hug in an attempt to retrieve the ball.
Sydney’s Matt Simon jumped in, an ugly melee erupted before Marrone was expelled in the 115th minute, four minutes after Bobo wasn’t clowning around when he leapt high to nod the winner home.
That flashpoint’s embers reignited during the FFA Cup presentation when Sydney’s former Adelaide defender Michael Zullo draped a winner’s medal around the neck of the ball boy.
The tongue in cheek gesture privately infuriated some Reds before Marrone — one of the most humble players in the A-League — served one match of a two-game suspension with two suspended after the send off.
The red card off also changed the course of Marrone’s career.
Until that point Marrone, 31, was Kurz’s preferred right back during the German’s first season in charge but Ryan Strain is now holding down that spot.
Adelaide has never lost an FFA Cup match at home since the tournament’s inception in 2014 but after what transpired during last year’s cup final, the early scorn aimed at each other in the infant years of the A-League has returned.
Sydney was sarcastically nicknamed ‘Bling’ when the club rolled out a marquee coach — 1990 West German FIFA World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski in 2005 and a marquee player Dwight Yorke.
In those days Sydney’s Sasho Petrovski was the original villain — a mantra which legendary striker Besart Berisha took on board — and Sydney was the club Adelaide loved to hate and beat, even more so than Melbourne Victory.
We take a look back at five matches which has defined the Adelaide and Sydney rivalry.
Adelaide fans see ‘Bling’ in the flesh.
November 27, 2005: Adelaide 3 (Fernando Rech 2, Carl Veart) Sydney FC 2 (Kazuyoshi Miura 2) at Hindmarsh Stadium — Crowd: 14,068.
Former Adelaide coach John Kosmina talked this clash up and it drew the biggest crowd of the early days of the A-League at Hindmarsh. Legendary Tobagonian forward Dwight Yorke was the A-League’s poster boy and Japanese legend Kazu scored his first A-League goals at Hindmarsh. Hostilities peaked in front of more than 14,000 fans as the Kosmina and Littbarski battles had already become legendary. There was a siege mentality settling in at Adelaide before the A-League’s oldest side claimed the inaugural premiership.
Italian Benito Carbone burns Adelaide
October 2, 2006: Adelaide United 1 (Nathan Burns) Sydney FC 4 (Ruben Zadkovich, TOG, Sasho Petrovski, Benito Carbone) at Hindmarsh Stadium — Crowd: 15,119
Kosmina was infuriated when asked — post match — whether Benito Carbone’s best-on-ground performance was ever going to be bettered.
After admitting the then 35-year-old Carbone was offered to Adelaide as a guest player Kosmina reiterated the fact that the A-League shouldn’t be a haven for ‘has-beens’ just before the Reds signed 40-year-old Brazilian legend Romario.
The little Italian proved he was far from a spent force when he shredded Adelaide throughout the entire match.
Adelaide Oval sets a record
December 28,2007: Adelaide United 1 (Kristian Sarkies) Sydney FC 3 (Brendon Santalab, Steve Corica, Robbie Middleby) at Adelaide Oval — Crowd: 25,039
This clash drew a then record SA soccer crowd. The idea was the brainchild of former Adelaide United chairman Dario Fontanarosa. The game had not been played at the Oval since the 1990s during the defunct NSL. The clash wasn’t a classic as Adelaide United legend Aurelio Vidmar was up against his former Reds mentor Kosmina on the bench. The vibe, however, was positive at Adelaide Oval but the clash ended on a sour note for former Reds midfielder Kristian Sarkies after he scored his first Reds goal just before Robert Cornthwaite was sent off. Sarkies was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis after the clash and was sidelined for four months.
Loss that cost Reds the Premier’s Plate
September 20, 2008: Sydney FC 3 (Terry McFlynn, Alex Brosque, Brendon Santalab) Adelaide United 0 at Sydney Football Stadium — Crowd: 12,462
It was the height of stupidity emanating from a decision made in the comfort of an office. As Adelaide was in the midst of a brilliant AFC Champions League campaign, holding Japanese giant Kashima Antlers to a 1-1 draw in the quarter-final, they had just 24 hours respite before facing Sydney in a crunch match at Sydney Football Stadium. The side landed in Sydney from Tokyo in the early hours of Friday morning, slept on the floor of a function room of the team hotel because their rooms weren’t ready and faced Sydney on Saturday night totally fatigued. Adelaide later lost the Premier’s Plate to Melbourne Victory on goal difference — they were equal with plus 12 goals each but the Victorians had scored more.
Ball boy gate
November 21, 2017: FFA Cup final: Sydney 2 (Milos Ninkovic, Bobo) Adelaide United 1 (Nikola Mileusnic) after extra time at Sydney Football Stadium — Crowd: 13,452
It was a classic final and the best one yet as two of the competition’s best coaches — Adelaide’s Marco Kurz faced then Sydney boss Graham Arnold. It was a tactical delight as the bosses masterminded moves off the bench to nullify each other. A brilliant opening goal from Milos Ninkovic was cancelled out by an equally brilliant equaliser from Nikola Mileusnic in normal time. Then the ball boy etched his name in Australian soccer folklore after Bobo scored the winner.