A defiant Western Sydney Wanderers have fallen 3-2 to the NWS Spirit in a thrilling National Premier League 1 Men’s match at Wanderers Football Park.
In what Football NSW hailed as the ‘Match of the Round,’ this game certainly lived up to expectations. Both teams took a positive, attacking approach, each striving to gain the upper hand for most of the match. While the sides were evenly matched statistically, it was Spirit’s clinical finishing that ultimately made the difference.
Alaat Abdul Rahman opened the scoring after Richard Nkomo provided his maiden assist of the season for a tidy finish past NWS Spirit’s goalkeeper Christopher Marques.
The Striker opened his account for the season following a huge month for the teenager, recently making his A-League debut against the Macarthur Bulls last month.
Spirit didn’t waste time though, scoring exactly twenty nine seconds from the restart. Marco Arambasic found himself on the end of a headed pass across goal to level the scores.
Although officially recorded as a Christopher Marques own goal, Nicholas Badolato will rightfully claim the 43rd-minute strike as his own. His well-placed corner found its way into the back of the net, showcasing his threat from set-piece deliveries. The Olympico appeared to have sent the Red and Black into halftime with the lead.
That was until Spirit equalised within three minutes through Michael Konestabo, who scored an almost identical goal to that of Arambasic. A cross turned deflection found its way to a Konestabo as he headed it past Vidakovic.
The thrilling first half concluded with both teams registering eight shots each. Remarkably, Spirit did not record a single shot off target in the opening half and finished the game with an impressive 93% shot accuracy. Tristan Vidakovic stood tall once again, making eight saves and reaffirming his status as one of the league’s in-form goalkeepers.
The second half proved to be a tighter contest for both attacks—until a slick piece of dribbling from Michael Konestabo led to his second goal in the 61st minute, putting Spirit ahead.
Despite the loss, this was the Wanderers’ best performance of the season so far, proving their ability not only to keep up with but also to challenge the league leaders. With a squad featuring plenty of young talent, the team continues to improve with each match. The progress shown in this game suggests it’s only a matter of time before the Red and Black secure all three points.
They now head to Macedonia Park on Sunday to take on the Wollongong Wolves, with both teams seeking their second win of the season.
