Melbourne City 0-2 Sydney FC
by Kieran Yap.
After a last minute reshuffle of venues, AAMI Park was the stage for Melbourne City and Sydney F.C to face each other again for the first time since the last Grand Final.
Sydney have been the most consistent side this season, undefeated after four games and putting themselves squarely in the top four, Melbourne City have been a team that has struggled for results but not for lack of effort, but more a lack of luck and perhaps a center forward.
The game started at a fast pace, both teams snapped into challenges and pressed without possession and both tried to play short quick passes when they had the ball. It was an erratic opening, neither team seemed afraid to make an error with fullbacks from both sides keen to attack down the flanks.
The first clear chance of the game came when Harriet Withers was released on the counter attack and after a surging run down the right flank she found Alex Chidiac on the edge of the area. With her back to goal Chidiac controlled the ball and swiveled to wrong foot the defense and leave her with only goalkeeper Jada Whyman to beat.
It looked a certain goal and a player of Chidiac’s quality would have felt confident of scoring, somehow Whyman managed to block the shot and keep the scores level. Sydney hit back through Princess Ibini, the young attacker wriggling between City players and turning to shoot from 18 yards out, the shot whizzed over the bar without troubling Micah but it was a warning to City that they had better not let Ibini shoot too often.
Withers and Chidiac combined again in a similar pattern, this time Chidiac shuffled herself into space and onto her left foot from 20 yards out, hitting a powerful shot just a little too high.
As play began to open up, Ibini got into space, when faced one on one with Teigen Allen she sized up the defender, slowed down a little and put on a burst of pace to cruise in on goal, Teagan Micah did very well to come out and smother the shot. It would be the last meaningful attack of the first half and both sides would have been thankful to their goalkeepers for keeping the scores level.
Leah Davidson and Tyla-Jay Vlajnic had been busy for City with Emma Checker and Jenna McCormick’s partnership at the back denying the visitors any easy chances. For Sydney, Ibini looked dangerous and Ally Green was tireless and skillful on the left side, keeping tabs on Withers while getting forward herself regularly.
While the first half was balanced, exciting and tense it had the feeling of being only a moment of magic or a slip of the foot away from breaking open and when Shinatsu Kira latched onto a badly controlled ball and ran in on goal it looked like that moment had arrived. Whyman again was well positioned to stop it but Kira probably should have done better she couldn’t have known at the time, but this miss would prove very costly.
The ball went up the other end, Courtnee Vine competed with Emma Checker and won out, controlling the ball on the edge of the penalty box. She slipped a perfectly timed pass to the overlapping Remy Siemsen who cruised between the defenders and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, Sydney up 1-0.
It was a well-worked goal, a combination of direct football, clever movement and skilful footwork, both in the pass and in the finish.
The evening would go from bad to worse for City, Courtnee Vine was becoming more involved and looking more dangerous each time she was on the ball. She was responsible for the game altering moment when she received the ball at half way and seeing a paddock of space in front of her, charged toward goal. Vlajnic, who had been a danger to Sydney’s defence with her own runs, sprinted across field in an attempt to halt Vine’s momentum. The result was a missed tackle, a foul and a red card as the last defender, City were now down a goal and a vital player.
City battle bravely, Withers moved centrally and looked like a handful with her pace and tenacity. She found space for a shot that Whyman was equal to and again found Chidiac who couldn’t forge the right angle to score.
Courtnee Vine continued to torment the City defense her speed troubling them again when she ran onto a 40 yard Polias pass, however her shot could only find the side netting.
Another blow to City occurred soon after.
Jenna McCormick had put in a warrior-like shift, beginning the game bandaged and battling through the pain for the next hour. She had defended solidly and looked determined to help drag City back into the game. When the injury caught up to her it couldn’t have come at a worse time, Sydney had a corner, McCormick was receiving treatment behind the goal and City were temporarily down to nine players.
Teresa Polias whipped in the corner kick to the far post and Natalie Tobin rose highest to nod home, Sydney were 2-0 and even taking into account the considerable misfortune and errors by City, they deserved their lead.
City would battle on bravely but aside from some set pieces they did not trouble the Sydney F.C defense. Vine and Siemsen continued to threaten but could not extend the lead. Sydney probably wont mind thought. They had only just arrived in Melbourne that morning and it was an admirable, gusty and skillful win against determined opposition.
Melbourne City will be hoping that Jenna McCormick and Teigen Allen make swift recoveries from their respective injuries, the two Australian Internationals will be vital to salvaging the season. At the other end, Rado Vidosic will be eager to solve their goal scoring problems.
Teams: MELBOURNE CITY: Micah, Tumeth, Checker, McCormick, Allen, Vlajnic, Chidiac, Davidson, Hoelsbrekken Eckhoff, Kira, Withers. Substitutes: Barbieri (GK), Sardo, Thomas-Chinnama, Robinne, Dobson.
SYDNEY FC: Mathyssen-Whyman, Hristodoulou, Green, Mclean, Tobin, Polias, Lowe, Wheeler, Siemsen, Vine, Ibini. Substitures: Offer (GK), Hawkesby, Ray, Rule, Toby.
Scorers: Siemsen 51, Tobin 75.
Referee: Isabella Blaess.
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