Western Sydney Wanderers 0-2 Adelaide United
By Alice de Koster-Kitto (10/11/24)
Above: Adelaide United mob Emily Condon after her goal. Photo: Adelaide United
Wanderers Football Park saw Adelaide United uphold their six-game winning streak against Western Sydney Wanderers, in a 2-0 victory over the hosts.
With both sides going in with something to prove, their determination was displayed from the start. However, Adelaide seemed to capitalise on this pressure, dominating from the first touch. The first real chance of the match came from the youngest player on the pitch, when Adelaide’s Sian Dewey, just 17 years old, made an impressive attempt from outside the box in the 4th minute.
While possession remained fairly even throughout the match, the visitors continued to dominate, taking advantage of what seemed to be quite a disorganised Wanderers squad. Adelaide played with great force, taking continuous shots very early on, whilst Western Sydney could not seize any opportunities.
In a frightening turn of events, Adelaide United’s Lucia Leon went down with what seemed to be a shoulder injury, causing a delay in the game at the 24th minute. Though the injury was seemingly quite significant, Leon returned to play after receiving treatment.
It soon became apparent that the Wanderers took advantage of the delay, coming back in a much more organised fashion, particularly in the defensive line. However, the hosts were yet to make an attempt on goal.
There was another significant delay in the 31st minute when Wanderers defender Madison McComasky suffered a shoulder injury following a clash with Adelaide’s Erin Healy. After receiving treatment, it was decided that McComasky needed to leave play, and was replaced by Talia Younis.
Cushla Rue made the first attempt for the Wanderers, with a missed shot from outside the box, as the pressure built towards the tail end of the first half. A second attempt was made by Sienna Saveska shortly after but was ultimately saved by Claudia Jenkins.
Both sides took a few corners during the first half, however, neither was able to take advantage and turn it to a goal.
It was Adelaide United who opened the scoring during stoppage time, when Emily Condon shot from range, scoring a much-awaited, and well-earned goal, leaving the visitors 1-0 up at halftime.
Fiona Worts found the South Australian side’s second goal of the match, scoring just a minute into the second half with an assist from Healy.
The match returned to play with a significant increase in energy, with a run of solid attempts from both sides early on. The lead from Adelaide looked to have motivated Western Sydney, as their play became much more structured, and they began taking opportunities.
As the game approached stoppage time, the aggression increased, with Wanderers desperately looking for a late goal at their first home game of the season, while Adelaide shifted their tactics to play much more defensively
While they put up a fight toward the tail end, the home side’s sudden shift in momentum was no match for Adelaide’s consistent dominance, and they were not able to find the back of the net.
Western Sydney Wanderers will face Sydney FC, in a highly contentious Sydney Derby next Saturday at Leichhardt Oval. Although the Wanderers most recent success against Sydney was a draw in 2021, the 2023/24 A-League Women champions are yet to win a game this season. Should Western Sydney take this round’s loss in their stride, and work towards creating a more cohesive structure, they could have a real chance at victory in their first derby of the season.
Adelaide United will head to McKellar Park next, to face Canberra United who are currently second on the ladder after winning both of their opening games.
Teams: WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS (4-4-2): Khamis, Hayward, McComasky, Chessari, Harrison, Price, Saveska, Matos, Harada, Rue, Harding. Substitutes: Hall, Bennett, Kapetanellis, Cassar, Younis.
ADELAIDE UNITED (4-5-1): Jenkins, Healy, Morgan, Dewey, Condon, Leon, Hodgson, Tonkin, McNamara, Tolland, Wort.s Substitutes: Grove, Karambasis, Clarke, Grigg, Mullan.
Goals: Condon 45+ 6′, Worts 46’
Referee: Caitlin Williams.
Attendance: TBD
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