Adelaide United defeated Sydney FC 3-1 at Coopers Stadium to continue their push for a finals position with three games left to play.
Adelaide United defeated Sydney FC 3-1 at Coopers Stadium to continue their push for a finals position with three games left to play.
It was the Reds who struck first through Ferreira after a run down the wing ended in a cool dummy and finish past Sydney-s Janjetovic before Cirio and Djite ensured yet another home victory for the Reds.
The match was fiery from the outset with Sydney piling on the pressure while Adelaide attempted to slow the tempo in order to play their passing game.
The returning Ferreira found reward for the team-s passing determination after 13 minutes of play and the Reds kept the momentum going throughout the match.
Sydney employed a physical presence throughout the match, however, tempers boiled over half an hour in due to a rash challenge on Carrusca.
The Reds were unnerved by the drama and maintained their one goal advantage until the end of the first half.
The second half started with a change in Sydney-s tactics as they attempted to play a higher line to limit the space of the tricky wingers Ferreira and Cirio.
In another strong display from Adelaide-s foreign contingent, Carrusca-s solo run from half-way ended in a shot which rebounded into the path of Cirio who converted from close range to double Adelaide-s advantage.
This jolted Sydney coach Frank Farina off the bench who made a double substitution: changing Garcia and Urosevski for Chianese and Gameiro and also changing star man Del Piero for Matt Thompson.
The latter substitution proved rewarding for the Sky Blues as they found a way back through Thompson; he took advantage of an acre of space just inside of the Reds- 18-yard box and fired past Galekovic.
The goal created a nervous atmosphere around Coopers but the players responded positively and kept playing their passing, attacking game.
The nervous atmosphere didn-t last long as Bruce Djite relieved the pressure on a Reds side intent on playing finals football as he shoved off his opposing number before turning and striking the ball straight past Janjetovic to put Adelaide 3-1 ahead of Sydney after normal time.
It was another impressive attacking performance for the Reds who proved that they are confident in coach Gombau-s style of football.
Adelaide United are currently fourth on the Hyundai A-League ladder with three games left to play and a firm foot in finals contention.
Attendance: 14,212
Adam Trombetta
