Leeds United grab late winner to spoil Western Sydney Wanderers first game at Bankwest Stadium

Western Sydney Wanderers failed to christen their new home with a victory against Leeds United, but the fans of both teams ensured the occasion will love long in the memory.

• Superfan’s true love Leeds to lifelong obsession
• Sydney FC strengthen midfield ranks

A Magnificent living, breathing, pulsating beast was christened with a deafening roar on Saturday night as Western Sydney Wanderers and Leeds United fought out an entertaining battle in its belly.

Welcome to a true football stadium where the fans are as big a part of the performance as the players on the pitch.

The game ended 2-1 to Leeds in front of a crowd of 24,419 — Pablo Hernandez grabbing a sublime stoppage-time winner — but this was all about the occasion, an “I was there” moment to be cherished forever.

“What I said to the boys before the game was so many people worked hard to make this happen and we have to give something back on the pitch because this is an amazing story what has happened here (at this club),” Wanderers coach Markus Babbel said.

Pablo Hernandez snared the winner for Leeds United against the Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium. Picture: AP

“A fantastic test for us, great experience for the boys.

“A good reaction after halftime and a good score. The most important thing for me was, what I said before, we don’t want to park our team in the box, so we tried to play. It was a great team performance. This game was gold for us.”

Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa was complimentary about his hosts and their footballing growth.

“The feeling is the country has a power, because finally (its) football is growing,” he said.

The United coach added he had once been interested in talking to Australia about a coaching role but nothing ever transpired.

“Always I had the illusion to be one option (for Australia),” he said. “The minimum to talk with them, to know what they want. But finally this contact never happened.”

Despite Leeds being one of the noisiest travelling armies in English football the Wanderers faithful weren’t going to be drowned out in their own back yard on opening night.

A vocal RBB gathered in the new safe standing area roared their team on with tremendous, endless gusto.

Mateusz Bogusz unleashed a rocket into the top corner to open the scoring for Leeds United. Picture: AAP

“Top. Loved it,” was Babbel’s response to the support.

The honour of scoring the first goal in the new stadium fell to Leeds’ Mateusz Bogusz in the ninth minute.

The young Polish midfielder’s first time shot from just inside the box whistled into the top left hand corner after great work down the left from Jack Harrison.

Wanderers should have levelled four minutes later but Mitchell Duke’s cross from the right was stabbed wide of the left upright by Kwame Yeboah.

Bruce Kamu timed his run to perfection in the 25th minute but although his low strike beat the advancing Kiko Casilla it was cleared by Gaetano Berardi.

Kwame Yeboah celebrated his goal with a backflip. Picture: AAP

Patrick Bamford was denied by Daniel Lopar in the 28th minute and when the ball found its way back to Bogusz on the edge of the area he blazed over.

The impressive Bogusz then saw another deflected effort fizz just past the right upright as Bielsa’s men applied the pressure. Kemar Roofe then curled an effort against the right post as the interval approached.

Three minutes into the second half, those missed opportunities came back to haunt the visitors as Keanu Baccus played in Yeboah, who finished coolly beyond Casilla — celebrating with an acrobatic backflip.

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa kept a close eye on his team. Picture: AAP

Leeds then lost Roofe to injury, Jordan Stephens replacing him.

On 64 minutes Lopar made a great stop to deny Bamford, although again, the Leeds number nine really had to score.

Markus Babbel then went to his bench, including a keeper change which saw Nicholas Suman replace Lopar.

Casilla got down smartly to his right on 71 minutes to keep out Baccus’ low drive while Mitchell Duke was a whisker away from connecting with a through ball two minutes later.

Bamford was denied by a brilliant Suman stop in the last minute and Hernandez went even closer early in stoppage time, only to be thwarted by the crossbar.

But Hernandez was not to be denied, cutting in from the right and curling a last-gasp winner beyond Suman into the left-hand corner.

Tremendous goal.

Better night.

Leeds supporters were fired up and created a brilliant atmosphere for the clash against Western Sydney Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium. Picture: AAP