Sydney FC pounce on Janjetovic woe, extend Sydney Derby dominance
Sydney FC maintain Sydney Derby bragging rights after coming from behind to defeat 10-man Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 in Saturday evening’s Hyundai A-League match.
Alex Brosque struck in first half stoppage time to cancel out Oriol Riera’s opener, which arrived shortly before the dismissal of Wanderers goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic for handling the ball outside the penalty area.
Siem De Jong put Sydney FC in cruise control before the hour mark and wrapped up the result via a bullet header late on from Jacob Tratt.
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The victory means Sydney FC have lost just one of the past 15 derbies against their cross-city rivals.
Having deservedly broken the deadlock through their Spanish frontman, who turned in Alexander Baumjohann’s free-kick from close range in the 23rd minute, the Wanderers may have felt an overdue win was coming.
But the match swung when Janjetovic, playing his 150th Hyundai A-League game, was dismissed for handling the ball outside the area after he was beaten to a long ball by Adam Le Fondre.
That saw Wanderers’ talisman Baumjohann sacrificed as substitute goalkeeper Danijel Nizic arrived into the fray, whose first involvement was to tip a clean hit from de Jong over, while Le Fondre flashed a curling shot inches past the post.
However, Nizic was beaten in the first minute of first half stoppage time when Brosque reacted sharpest to bury a rebound after Josh Brillante’s shot cannoned off the post.
The Hyundai A-League veteran’s timely equaliser saw him become Sydney Derby’s all-time leading goalscorer, and proved a hammer blow to Markus Babbel’s Wanderers.
Buoyed by their numerical advantage, Sydney FC asserted their dominance in the second half and took the lead just shy of the hour mark through De Jong, burying the scraps from a Sky Blues corner at the back post.
It was an assured second half performance from Steve Corica’s men, who sealed the points late on via Tratt’s crashing back post header.
