Western Sydney Wanderers star Shinji Ono’s outstanding class was the difference once again Photo: efcso1
The highlight fixture of round 3 was the Sydney derby between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers which drew a record regular season crowd of 40,388 for Sydney FC.
Round 3 kicked off with Ange Postocoglou’s farewell game for Melbourne Victory against his former club Brisbane Roar at Etihad Stadium on Friday night. Postecoglou will now be taking over the reins of the Socceroos with an even bigger smile following a strong performance by his side in a 1-0 win against a less than impressive Brisbane Roar. Postecoglou said he felt that the job was unfinished with Victory but that things were well placed at the club for it to continue to improve without him.
Adelaide United travelled to the Central Coast on Saturday to face the Mariners. The home side were 1-0 up as early as the 2nd minute, giving Adelaide a much tougher task of avoiding 10 straight defeats against the Mariners. Adelaide created some dangerous attack play of their own, but it was the Mariners that were looking more convincing when in possession of the ball. It was an evenly contested game with that early goal ending up being the only difference as Central Coast secured their first win of the season.
The eagerly anticipated Sydney derby drew a record regular season crowd for Sydney FC with 40,388 fans at a sold out Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. In its short history, it has already been shown that form goes out the window when it comes to this fixture. The Wanderers’ travelling hordes were given an early treat as their side went 1-0 up in the 11th minute. Before Sydney FC could regroup Western Sydney marquee man Shinji Ono conjured up a fantastic second to double the visitors’ lead. That’s where the scoring ended. Sydney FC might have had key man Alessandro Del Piero sidelined through injury but the Sky Blues still looked less than convincing for the second week running.
Wellington Phoenix hosted the Newcastle Jets on Sunday at McClean Park in Napier, New Zealand. In what was a reasonably entertaining encounter, the highlight of the match was the performance of the two keepers who provided most of the entertainment with a handful of impressive saves to keep the game scoreless. The Jets have now gone 270 minutes without scoring a goal, making the return of star striker Emile Heskey all the more crucial for coach Gary van Egmond.
The final game of the weekend was Perth Glory against Melbourne Heart at NIB Stadium, Perth on Sunday. Perth was dominant throughout the match and could have had the final 1-0 scoreline lopsided with a little more luck. Melbourne very nearly stole a point in injury time but the Glory keeper had other ideas with the save of the round earning Perth all 3 points. Heart captain Harry Kewell is still out after being concussed in the round 1 clash against Melbourne Victory. The Heart remain winless after 3 games whereas the Glory’s first win of the season brings them up into mid-table.
A-League Round 3 Scores
Melbourne Victory 1 – Brisbane Roar 0
Central Coast Mariners 1 – Adelaide United 0
Sydney FC 0 – Western Sydney Wanderers 2
Wellington Phoenix 0 – Newcastle Jets 0
Perth Glory 1 – Melbourne Heart 0
