A-League: Western Sydney Wanderers beat Adelaide United 5-2
It’s been a long time coming but the Western Sydney Wanderers have finally got among the goals in the big way as they seek to force a top six spot.
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The solution to the A-League’s troubles has been staring us in the face all along – just ban defending, and let teams score at will.
The pilot for this new policy came at Bankwest Stadium on Friday night and finally brought joy to the Wanderers, putting Adelaide United to the sword 5-2 and almost startling their long-suffering fans in the process.
It was a result that few saw coming – in one fell swoop, Western Sydney increased their goals tally for the season by almost 28 per cent, and put some pressure on the teams immediately above them.
What was only the home side’s third win since late October came against a side that had won four of its past five, and set a record for goals scored by Western Sydney in the first half of a game. Go figure.
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Back-four blues
On a night to give rearguard coaches a nervous breakdown, a pact seemed to have been struck by the defenders’ union to sit back and watch.
The slapstick tone was set by Pirmin Schwegler’s early freekick that looped in off the back of Ryan McGowan’s head, and continued with Western Sydney’s second. Nicolai Muller couldn’t miss from a metre out after Paul Izzo’s save hit teammate Michael Jakobsen and flew back into the goalmouth.
Mitch Duke then helped himself to a double with a sumptuous volley and a cleverly placed header, but both were accommodated by an Adelaide defence whose members had apparently gone sight-seeing.
Not that Western Sydney’s own defending was remotely convincing, especially in the first half.
Forward thinking
Credit to Western Sydney, though – for all Adelaide were at sea, this was arguably the Wanderers’ most compelling attacking display of the season.
For the first time there were signs of a forward line in sync with itself, players anticipating correctly with passes and movement.
Simon Cox offers so much more than Alex Meier it almost isn’t funny, with movement and awareness of those around him. His was the pass to release Duke for his first, and Cox himself got a richly deserved fifth for his side –and his own first in Australia - with an athletic scissor kick.
Just as good was the approach play, a barnstorming run forward by Bruce Kamau before slipping Cox clear for a shot initially saved by Izzo but spectacularly followed up.
Minutes earlier Kamau had run even further and set up Muller to score, only for the offside flag to intervene.
Halloran’s hopes
The United winger must be one of the players Graham Arnold is scouting for this year’s pile-up of Socceroos games, thanks to his ebullient form in white this year.
His speed and close control give him the tools to prosper both on the run and in tight spaces. It was the former that produced Adelaide’s first goal out of nothing, fastening onto a loose ball and getting a shot away so quickly that Daniel Georgievski was still coming into tackle.
The heel clip was an obvious penalty and Riley McGree dispatched it, before Halloran gave Adelaide the lead (briefly) with a sweet turn and shot from the edge of the box.
Sadly for Halloran, his defenders were rather more influential on the outcome.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS 5 (Pirmin Schwegler 5m, Nicolai Muller 25m, Mitchell Duke 27m, 38m, Simon Cox 73m) ADELAIDE UNITED 2 (Riley McGree 13m pen, Ben Halloran 22m) at Bankwest Stadium. Crowd: 9,231. Referee: Alex King.