A week can be a long time in football and Adelaide United FC was made to find out the hard way as they went down 2-1 to a determined and purposeful Sydney FC at Hindmarsh Stadium.
A week can be a long time in football and Adelaide United FC was made to find out the hard way as they went down 2-1 to a determined and purposeful Sydney FC at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Aiming to make it back to back home wins following last Friday-s emotional triumph over Melbourne Victory, and also looking to record a fourth straight over the Sky Blues, Dario Vidosic set the Reds on their way with his first goal for the club in the 28th minute.
But with only a point to show from their opening two games, a committed Sydney FC deservedly drew level courtesy of Jamie Coyne on the hour mark and then went ahead through Nick Carle with less than ten minutes remaining to leave the Reds searching for answers.
Not even the heroics of goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, who made a string of world class saves in a brilliant performance, could salvage anything for the home side as Sydney showed they will definitely be around the mark this season.
Reds Coach Rini Coolen was left to try and find reasons for his side-s inconsistent start to the season, the Dutchman making a blunt assessment of his side-s 90 minute display.
“It was a very disappointing game, not only the loss, but the way we played,” Coolen said.
“In the first half it didn-t go well, and I don-t think it was fair that we went into the change room at half time 1-0 up, they created more chances than us.”
“All the things we tried today weren-t good enough. We didn-t create too many chances, we gave a lot of balls away in the first half and that cost us a lot of energy, and at the end of the game you feel that energy is not there anymore.”
“It was a big loss and that-s the way we have to see it, so there are a lot of things we have to improve still. There was nothing positive, a lot of negatives, so we have to take it and work on it for next week.”
In glorious spring sunshine, Sydney-s marquee man Brett Emerton was keen to get Sydney-s season up and running when he won a free kick in just the 3rd minute but his curling effort failed to test Galekovic.
Andy Slory, as he has done time and again already this season, was proving a handful and he forced the first save of the match from Sydney keeper Ivan Necevski after 12 minutes with a firm 25 metre drive.
A minute later the woodwork saved the Reds from going behind when Bruno Cazarine-s header had Galekovic beaten, the Reds defence doing enough to ensure Karol Kisel did not knock in the rebound.
Emerton-s skill and quick feet showed why he was still running around in the English Premier League less than two months ago as he tried to pry open gaps in United-s defence, but it was United that would make the first breakthrough as they turned up the pressure eventually causing Sydney FC to crack.
Iain Ramsay, who came into the starting eleven to replace the injured Evgeniy Levehcnko, knocked a cross to the far post for Sergio van Dijk. The Dutchman headed it back to the goal face and Sydney defender Michael Beauchamp appeared uncertain about how to clear the danger, his tentative header missing defensive partner Pascal Bosschart and Vidosic made him pay as he smashed the ball home from close range.
Then Galekovic showed he is in the vintage form that saw him named Hyundai A-League-s Goalkeeper of the Year two years running when he pulled off a brilliant reflex save to keep out Terry Antonis.
A piece of Ramsay magic in the 41st minute that saw him shake of Coyne near the byline, almost opened the door for Slory to add a second, but while the Reds may have thought themselves unlucky, the football gods were smiling down on them as Sydney were denied twice again within a matter of seconds.
Carle-s stinging shot smashed into the crossbar before Galekovic produced another top drawer save from Antonis- follow up.
Finding himself down the attacking end for a corner, Reds defender Milan Susak forced Necevski to tip his left footed volley over the bar five minutes into the second half, and two minutes later Vidosic-s night came to an end because a corked thigh, Uruguayan Francisco Usucar his replacement.
The game remined in the balance despite the Reds- lead as Sydney continued to back themselves going forward, and on the hour mark they were rewarded when Coyne fed Antonis down the right before receiving it back and with no one near him, the former Perth Glory defender had Galekovic cemented to the spot as he rifled the ball into the back of the net.
There was a sense that the equaliser was coming and it was a wake up call for the Reds that they could ill afford to go into coast mode.
In the 69th minute Galekovic saved United blushes again when Cazarine and Carle led a dangerous counter attack, the Reds- gloveman doing enough to prevent Cazarine from adding Sydney-s second.
But as good as Galekovic was, he was pulling the ball out of his own net in the 81st minute when Kisel dissected the Reds defence to put Carle in the clear and he made the most of the opening to beating the Reds gloveman from an acute angle to stunned silence around Hindmarsh.
The assignments do not get any easier for the Reds as they now prepare for a trip to Suncorp Stadium to try and overcome reining champions Brisbane Roar, who are on a record 31 game unbeaten run.
Match Details
Adelaide United FC 1 (Vidosic 28-)
Sydney FC 2 (Coyne 60-, Carle 81-)
Referee: Gerard Parsons
Crowd: 12,054 @ Hindmarsh Stadium
Adelaide United line-up: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Osama MALIK, 4.Jon McKAIN (c), 6.CASSIO, 7.Zenon CARAVELLA, 9.Sergio VAN DIJK, 10.Dario VIDOSIC (21.Francisco USUCAR 52-), 16.Spase DILEVSKI (14.Cameron WATSON 65-), 17.Iain RAMSAY (5.Daniel MULLEN 79-), 22.Milan SUSAK, 23.Andy SLORY
Substitutes not used: 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk)
Yellow Cards: Dilevski 35-, Slory 73-
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney FC line-up: 20.Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 3.Jamie COYNE, 4.Pascal BOSSCHAART, 5.Michael BEAUCHAMP, 7.Brett EMERTON (23.Rhyan GRANT 66-), 8.Karol KISEL, 9.Bruno CAZARINE, 10.Nick CARLE (2.Sebastian RYALL 86-), 15.Terry McFLYNN (c), 17.Terry ANTONIS (11.Dimi PETRATOS 80-), 21.Scott JAMIESON
Substitutes not used: 30.Ryan NORVAL (gk)
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
