Brisbane Roar 1-0 Sydney FC (21/10/23)
By Ben Carey 21/10/2023
Above: Chelsea Blissett celebrates after scoring her very first Liberty A-League goal. Photo: Brisbane Roar.
Brisbane Roar recorded a historic win over the reigning champions, Sydney FC, on a warm Saturday afternoon in the Sunshine State. It was the first time since 2021 that Brisbane had beaten Sydney, and the first time since 2016 that they’d beaten Sydney at home. The 1-0 win means that the Roar continue their perfect start to the season with two wins from two (against two of the strongest clubs in the league no less).
The match was the first Brisbane Roar have played at Ballymore stadium, and the atmosphere was incredible. There was a recordcrowd of 3,679 people, a considerable step up from the average of 900 who attended Roar matches last season. As usual the crowd was a sea of orange, but there was also some green and gold in there as well. The impact of the Women’s World Cup and the Matildas on full display.
The match started out very competitively. There was a lot of physicality, quick passing, good build up play, and half chances from both sides. Sydney forward, Shea Connors, who was playing against her old side, started off very lively, but her old teammate, Holly McQueen, did a fantastic job of keeping her quiet.
Sydney’s best chance of the first half came from a wonderfully weighted ball from Princess Ibini through two Brisbane defenders to Connors. The keeper was off her line and had Connors gotten there first, she would have surely been able to chip her and secure Sydney’s opening goal. But the Roar’s two defenders tracked Connors’ run, stayed composed, and managed to shut the attack down.
A few minutes later, down the other end, newly signed defender Chelsea Blissett made a stellar forward run, combining with American striker, Mia Corbin, who passed forward to set Blissett up perfectly to take a shot on goals. She took one touch to set it up and then flashed a high, curling ball past Jada Whyman in the Sydney goals. The 3,500 Roar fans in the crowd went nuts.
The rest of the first half was competitive, both sides having chances, but it’s fair to say that Brisbane looked the most threatening.
Sydney FC came out strong in the second half and began to wrestle control of the match back. They began dominating possession and committing players forward for wave after wave of attack. Sydney looked menacing in the final half hour, but Brisbane Roar did a phenomenal job in defence. For the most part, their defending was calm, controlled, and well organised. They were able to resist the high press from Sydney and keep themselves out of trouble. The Roar closed out the match in front of a delighted home crowd.
Sydney looked strong against the Wanderers last week, but Brisbane posed a very different kind of threat in this match. Sydney was notably weakened by the absence of their captain and experienced centre back, Nat Tobin, who suffered an ACL injury last weekend. They also seemed to struggle withoutquality midfielders like Mackenzie Hawkesby and Sarah Hunter, who recently transferred to clubs in Europe. Cortnee Vine and Connors definitely looked dangerous at times, but they were kept quiet by Brisbane’s back line.
Brisbane looked strong and composed. Tameka Yallop put in a good first shift back for the Roar, winning the ball back in dangerous areas and making good, attacking minded passes. Once she’s back to full fitness she’ll be able to fill most of the Katrina Gorry shaped hole in the Roar’s midfield. Sharn Freier kept up her stellar form from the opening match against Melbourne Victory, hurting Sydney with her pace and physicality. She was involved in a lot of good build up play, particularly in the first half. Blissett performed really well, not only scoring her first ever Liberty A-League goal but putting in a lot of hard work in the backline as well.
Blissett’s goal won the Roar the match, but Jenna McCormick and Jordan Silkowitz prevented them from dropping any points.McCormick, who was Brisbane Roar’s captain, is an A-League veteran and capped Matilda. Her leadership and experience formed the backbone of the Roar’s defence, something that in the past few seasons has often crumbled under pressure. But even more impressive was Silkowitz. She made six saves throughout the match, many of them at pivotal moments. She also pulled out a number of spectacular diving saves to deny some fantastic shots by world class forwards such as Vine. The Brisbane Roar fan club, the Roar Corps, are now affectionately referring to her as, “Silky Mitts”.
Neither team will play next week, due to the upcoming international break. Brisbane Roar will next play Wellington Phoenix on November 4. Sydney FC face Adelaide United two weeks later on November 19, after returning from the group stage of the 2023 AFC Women’s Club Championship, which they qualified for by becoming champions last season.
BRISBANE ROAR (4-1-4-1): Silkowitz, Scarpelli, McCormick, Stephenson, Blissett, McQueen, Thompson, Kuliamu, Yallop, Freier, Corbin. Substitutes: Richards, Palmer, O’Donoghue, Levin, Holgersen.
Teams: SYDNEY FC (4-3-3): Whyman, Lemon, Mclean, Chauvet, Fenton, Hollman, Kruger, Johnson, Vine, Ibini, Connors. Substitutes: Dos Santos, Franco, Ray, Keane, Tumeth.
Scorers: Blissett 21’
Referee: Isabella Blaess.
Attendance: 3,679
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