Sky Blues’ gloveman excels to thwart Adelaide United on the bell

Super-sub Bobo and goalkeeper Thomas Heward-Belle were the heroes for Sydney FC as the Sky Blues defeated Adelaide United 2-1.

Sydney FC goalkeeper Thomas Heward-Belle saves a penalty attempt from Adelaide United’s Hiroshi Ibusuki. Picture: Getty Images.

Adelaide United crashed to Sydney at Coopers Stadium after Japanese Hiroshi Ibusuki blew a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot on Friday night.

That was before the stoppage-time drama.

Referee Adam Kersey needed VAR to review whether Ibusuki won a second penalty but after a long delay the match official waved play on after Adelaide had a chance to steal a draw in the 88th minute.

Substitute Mohamed Toure won a penalty was upended inside box before Ibusuki’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Sydney gloveman Thomas Heward-Belle after the Sky Blues took the lead in the 73rd minute.

It was Adelaide’s second loss at home this season as Sydney again proved to be an A-League benchmark club, owning five championships and four premierships.

Bobo scored Sydney’s second after Sky Blues coach Steve Corica’s inspiring three substitutions paraded the depth of the club 13 minutes earlier.

Corica’s decision to retain Heward-Belle as starting goalkeeper, despite the return of Socceroo Andrew Redmayne from international duty to his squad proved a masterstroke.

Adelaide was on the back foot early after Elvis Kamsoba propelled Sydney into the lead when the clash was just 10 minutes old.

The older brother of ex Adelaide winger, Pacifique Niyongabire who is now at Perth Glory, turned Reds defenders inside out before beating keeper Joe Gauci at the near post.

Wantaway Adelaide captain Stefan Mauk equalised in the 32nd minute when Craig Goodwin’s cross landed perfectly on the head of 196cm striker Ibusuki.

The Japanese effort was brilliantly parried by Heward-Belle before Mauk tucked in the rebound from close range. The goal swung the momentum after Adelaide lacked early match cohesion.

Sydney continually used just two passes to launch counterattacks which troubled United’s high pressing game.

And when the home team had possession, it was at times complicated with too many passes in tight areas until Goodwin being direct led to the equaliser.

Goodwin was replaced at the break by Bernardo Oliveira after reportedly succumbing to a foot injury late in the first half.

Goodwin returned to the starting 11 from FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying duty after playing for 17 minutes off the bench in Australia’s 2-2 away draw with minnows Oman on Wednesday.

Sydney’s Mustafa Amini who last played A-League at Hindmarsh in 2011 for Central Coast, scoring in a 4-0 win over Adelaide was forced off with injury seven minutes after the break.

Sydney then unloaded their big guns off the bench, Adam Le Fondre, Socceroo Rhyan Grant and Bobo on the hour in a bid to rock Adelaide.

Lachlan Brook and Ibusuki started from the off for the first time since they were signed during the January FIFA transfer window.

Ex Adelaide City defender Lachlan Barr, 27, — an ex-Reds youth league player - earned his starting debut too, replacing suspended stopper Jacob Tratt.

Teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda, 15, who kick-started a revival with a brilliant set-piece goal in a 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets last weekend wasn’t in the matchday squad.

• Melbourne Victory is just one win way from a major step in the club’s remarkable resurgence under Tony Popovic.

A-League wooden spooners last season, the Victory can lift silverware – and earn a shot at qualifying for the AFC Champions League — with success in Saturday night’s FFA Cup final at AAMI Park.

Standing in the way are the Central Coast Mariners, who despite finishing nine places higher the Victory on last season’s A-League ladder, have a budget “four or five times” less than the Melbourne club.

That’s according to Mariners captain Oliver Bozanic, and he should know considering he was a Victory marquee player from September 2015 to March 2017.

“They’re going in as favourites and have had a great start to the season,” Bozanic said of the Victory, who have lost just once in the A-League since Popovic’s appointment.

“We’re here to do a job and are fully backing our team to go there and put in a great performance and to lift the trophy.”

Popovic won’t take the Central Coast lightly, with their scalps on the way to the final including Sydney FC.

“(Saturday night’s) a chance for us to all be smiling and happy, but ... first we have to get over the line in terms of the game against an opponent that deserves to be in the final, and full respect to them,” the Victory mentor said.

“We expect it to be everything a final should be. It should be tough, it should be difficult, both teams want to win.’’

The Mariners will gladly fill the role of underdogs, and have adopted somewhat of a siege mentality after Football Australia’s refusal to allow recent signing, Scottish striker Jason Cummigs, to play in the match because he wasn’t registered for the competition in time.

Mariners coach Nick Montgomery said FA’s decision to prevent Cummings playing in the final was “bad for football”.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Marco Monteverde