There was a much needed return to winning ways for the Western Sydney Wanderers NPL side, as they claimed a crucial 3-2 victory over Sydney Olympic at Wanderers Football Park.
After an action packed first half with four goals, substitutes Zac Sapsford and Nathaniel Blair combined in the 70th minute for the winning goal, with the latter latching onto a perfect pass from Sapsford to score his fourth goal of the season.
Ariath Piol almost opened the scoring after just five minutes when he got his head to an inswinging corner, but it rattled off the crossbar. They would have no such problems eight minutes later, when Piol held the ball up wonderfully and flicked it towards Jarrod Carluccio, who
unleashed a wonderful first time volley into the top corner.
They got a fully deserved second goal in the 31st minute as Marcus Younis picked up the ball in his own half and embarked on a lengthy run down the middle of the pitch. He eventually laid it off to the on rushing Piol whose first time shot caught keeper Nicholas Sorras out at the near post.
This goal ignited a previously static Olympic, and they hit back just two minutes later through Adam Parkhouse. And they levelled the game just before half-time when Roy O’Donovan headed home from a Parkhouse cross.
The away side were reduced to 10 men just before the break though, when substitute Michael Neill picked up two yellow cards in two minutes.
Sensing an opportunity going forward, Andrew Christiansen introduced Sapsford and Blair just after the hour mark, and they worked their magic brilliantly just eight minutes later, with Blair’s classy first time finish putting Western Sydney back in front.
Olympic pushed men forward in a desperate hunt for an equaliser, and nearly had it when O’Donovan rattled the crossbar with just minutes to go, but the Wanderers would hold on for a
hugely significant second win of the season.
