Western Sydney Wanderers were left frustrated in their Isuzu UTE A-League clash against Auckland FC on Saturday afternoon, falling 1-0 despite a spirited performance at Go Media Stadium.
The opening stages saw the Wanderers enjoy the majority of possession, but neither side could fashion a clear-cut chance in the first ten minutes. Auckland’s Francis De Vries tested the Wanderers defence with a curling effort from the edge of the box, but his strike sailed wide.
The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute when Jesse Randall found the back of the net for Auckland, giving the visitors an early advantage.
Western Sydney looked to respond, with Lawrence Thomas keeping out a dipping long-range effort from Lachlan Brook in the 35th minute, as Auckland enjoyed a spell of pressure.
Bozhidar Kraev registered the Wanderers’ first shot on target before half-time, but his sharp volley was comfortably saved by the keeper.
The second half saw Western Sydney come out with renewed intent. Brandon Borrello’s early effort went wide, and moments later, Steven Ugarkovic found himself in the box, only for his strike to fly over the bar.
Another opportunity followed in the 58th minute, but a difficult header from Ugarkovic couldn’t be guided on target.
As the game wore on, the Wanderers pushed for an equaliser. Thomas produced a strong save to deny Brook in the 78th minute, and Borrello’s long-range attempt in the 83rd minute was blocked.
Auckland came close to doubling their lead when May’s curling effort struck the post just two minutes later, while Thomas again showed alertness to keep out Rogerson’s strike. A late yellow card for Scicluna added to the tension.
In the final moments, Western Sydney went all out for a leveller. Borrello’s cross found Alou Kuol in the 90th minute, but the striker headed wide. Pantazopoulos’ delivery soon after reached Alex Gersbach, whose volley was off target.
The last chance fell to Aydan Hammond in stoppage time, with his low shot narrowly missing the bottom corner.
Despite their dominance in possession and a series of late opportunities, the Wanderers were unable to find a breakthrough, leaving them with a narrow 1-0 defeat to start their season.
