Sydney FC loss to Melbourne City loosens grip on second place as attack continues to flounder
After a day-long downpour Sydney FC found their drought continuing at Leichhardt Oval, and their grip on second place is a little weaker after going down 2-0 to Melbourne City.
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After a day-long downpour Sydney FC found their drought continuing at Leichhardt Oval, and their grip on second place is a little weaker after going down 2-0 to Melbourne City.
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For all that City’s second-half goals were largely against the run of play, Sydney could hardly make a convincing argument for being hard done by. This was their third consecutive game without a goal.
A fixture that had been under threat during the day from hours of torrential rain instead became bogged down in a footballing quagmire. The pitch was fine, the football played on it too often less so.
The net effect after a deflating week for Sydney is that Melbourne Victory now sit just a point behind the Sky Blues and hold a slightly stronger goal difference.
Victory’s trip to face Sydney in three weeks’ time is taking on monumental significance.
Coming on the back of a 1-0 loss to Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday, Sydney now have a fortnight to dwell on this setback thanks to the international break next weekend.
One fact in particular tells a tale — in the past nine games Sydney have scored more than one goal only twice.
Though the defeat to City was their first blank outing of the A-League season, Sydney’s attack has fallen away significantly — scoring 23 goals in the first 11 games of the domestic season, and 13 in the second 11.
“We were lacking in the final third,” admitted Sydney boss Steve Corica afterwards. “I thought in the first half we were good and created some half chances, you have to take those when you can.
“The field was heavy and with the travel back from Japan the boys got tired and began doing some silly things. We gave the ball away for their first goal and the second was a deflection — we should have finished them off in the first half.”
In the City goal, Eugene Galekovic enjoyed an evening of far too much comfort from Sydney’s point of view, shielded by a well-marshalled defensive structure.
On the odd occasion when Sydney could break free of the shackles, such as the first half move that swept across the pitch and included more than half the home team, Rostyn Griffiths was able to produce a brilliant interception.
City’s attack is hardly prolific, the second lowest in the top six, but here they found clinical touches at the key moments.
Just past the hour Paulo Retre dallied on the ball in his own half and was dispossessed by Kearyn Baccus, who strode forward and slipped the ball to Harrison.
The on-loan youngster had been a peripheral figure until then, but shot home unerringly.
He was involved in the second, too, on 79 minutes, meeting Harrison Delbridge’s deep cross with an errant volley that the unfortunate Retre deflected in.
When Milos Ninkovic swept an inviting chance wide in injury time, Sydney knew this was not to be their night.
They urgently need to break the drought if they are not to be dragged into the finals pack.