It’s almost better than Christmas… It’s Derby Day with the Red & Black hosting their cross-city rivals in the final Sydney Derby at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
It’s almost better than Christmas… It’s Derby Day with the Red & Black hosting their cross-city rivals in the final Sydney Derby at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
The Wanderers head into Saturday’s match after a recent 3-2 loss to Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Goals to Roy O’Donovan, Dimitri Petratos and Angus Thurgate cancelled out goals from Rashid Mahazi and Keanu Baccus, securing all three points for the home side.
It was an entertaining first half by the Red & Black who dominated from the outset and should have gotten more out of the fixture.
Despite the Jets taking the lead through O’Donovan, Mahazi made the scores level before the end of the first half.
Mahazi hadn’t scored in any of his previous 86 Hyundai A-League games but broke his duck with a towering header from Alex Baumjohann’s free-kick.
The second half saw Petratos put the Jets in front after an error by keeper Vedran Janjetovic before Baccus fired home an epic long-distance effort.
There would be one final twist in this epic contest as Thurgate capitalised on a mix-up at the back from Brendan Hamill and Tarek Elrich to slot into the bottom corner.
Saturday’s match will be an interesting test for the Red & Black who have been consistently building on their previous performances.
The Sky Blues will be flying high though after a last-gasp winner against Melbourne Victory in the Big Blue last Saturday night. Goals from Brandon O’Neill and Kosta Barbarouses inside the first 16 minutes looked like it would be the story of the match until Milos Ninkovic’s late heroics.
But it’s not all positives for Sydney, who have been thrown a spanner in the works in their Derby preparations with a mid-week AFC Asian Champions League clash against Shanghai SIPG.
Despite the two sides very different positions on the Hyundai A-League ladder this season, one thing for certain is that previous results are thrown out the window when it comes to Derby day. So buckle up and get ready for another very entertaining Sydney Derby fixture.
