Western Sydney Wanderers were left frustrated on New Year’s Day after a narrow 1-0 defeat to local rivals Macarthur FC at CommBank Stadium in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Red & Black almost made the perfect start in front of a strong home crowd, with Angus Thurgate going agonisingly close inside the opening minute, his driven effort flashing narrowly wide of the post.
Macarthur began to grow into the contest and showed their threat on the counter in the 15th minute, when Bernardo broke free down the left before cutting the ball back for Luke Vickery, who skewed his effort wide. Wanderers goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas was then called into action midway through the half, producing a sharp save to tip Callum Talbot’s powerful strike over the bar.
The breakthrough came just before the interval, with the visitors capitalising on a moment of quality. Liam Rose’s ball over the top released Bernardo, who squared for Rafa Duran, and the striker made no mistake, curling a superb finish into the top corner to give Macarthur the lead heading into the break.
Western Sydney pushed for a response in the second half and began to apply sustained pressure. Thurgate registered the Wanderers’ first shot on target in the 68th minute, curling an effort towards the bottom corner that was well held by Filip Kurto. Brandon Borrello followed soon after, forcing Kurto into a full-stretch save with a powerful left-footed strike as the hosts searched for an equaliser.
The closest chance of the night arrived late, with Thurgate again at the centre of the action, his fierce effort in the 86th minute crashing against the post before bouncing clear. The Wanderers continued to press deep into stoppage time, creating a frantic goalmouth scramble, but were ultimately unable to find a way past Kurto.
Despite a strong finish and plenty of endeavour, the Wanderers were left to rue missed opportunities in a tight local derby, as Macarthur held on to claim all three points at CommBank Stadium.
