One of Sydney FC’s favourite sons came back to haunt the club as Perth Glory beat the Sky Blues 2-1 on Saturday night.
Brandon O’Neill, who won two grand finals, two premierships and an FFA Cup with the Sky Blues, broke the deadlock at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, and Bruno Fornaroli sealed the win in the dying minutes to strike yet another blow to Sydney’s stuttering A-League Men season.
Rhyan Grant and Adrian Sardinero battle for the ball.Credit:Getty
Their third defeat of the season keeps Sydney in sixth spot but they have played more games than all but one club below them on the ladder.
The Sky Blues had experience missing from their team sheet and were battling the fatigue of a fourth game in 10 days. By contrast, Perth were on long road back to match fitness after a near five-week hiatus. Sadly for the fans, it made for a dull opening half. A fast tempo was perhaps all there was in the form of entertainment as a clear lack of quality, composure and creativity meant there were just four chances in the first 45 minutes, and none of those were clear-cut.
Sydney youngster Patrick Yazbek tested Perth goalkeeper Cameron Cook from distance in a rare shot on target. Cook did just enough to deny the Sky Blues late in the half when Anthony Caceres’ hopeful cross was spilled by the goalkeeper, only for Glory’s covering defence to clear off the line before Bobo could pounce.
A former fan favourite at Kogarah sparked some much needed life into the contest after the break. Having won many admirers over his five years with Sydney, O’Neill shattered Sky Blue hearts when he broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the restart. Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne parried Jack Clisby’s shot back into the box and, after being set up by Adrian Sardinero, O’Neill calmly slotted the opener.
Brandon O’Neill celebrates with teammates.Credit:Getty
Coach Steve Corica responded to his team’s lethargic performance by injecting Milos Ninkovic and pacey forward Trent Buhagiar into the contest. The speed of the latter led to a flurry of half chances for the Sky Blues.
However, the introduction of Daniel Sturridge added a touch of class to the Glory’s forward line and a clever chip over Sydney’s back line should have led to Perth’s second. He put Sardinero through on goal but Redmayne was well positioned to thwart a one-on-one.
O’Neill returns to haunt struggling Sydney in Glory victory
Source: Philippines Alive
