The Western Sydney Wanderers NPL 1 team have fought off a late Sydney Olympic surge to secure all three points at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday night.
The Wanderers ended their three-game losing streak at Belmore Sportsground with a hard-fought victory over a valiant Sydney Olympic on Saturday afternoon.
The Red & Black introduced a fresh attacking duo with Kaan Nizam and Noah Peacock replacing Luka Knezevic and Alaat Abdul-Rahman, who made his A-Leagues Debut off the bench on Sunday against Macarthur Bulls.
Richard Nkomo carried his impressive form over the last week in the early moments of the match, making a crucial tackle to prevent Cyrus Dehmie a shot after he broke through one-on-one with the keeper.
Goalkeeper Tristian Vidakovic impressed again with five saves during the game, all within close range.
The final 10 minutes of the half mirrored the story of the opening 45 – an open yet tightly contested battle. Both teams fought for control in the midfield but struggled to create clear chances, as their defences held first.
The half concluded with the Wanderers registering one less shot on target than Sydney Olympic, highlighting the evenly matched contest.
Peacock came close to breaking the deadlock in the 50th minute of the game, as his attempt hit the side netting following a series of blocked shots. At the other end, goalkeeper Vidakovic then went on to deny Ziggy Gordon and Adam Parkhouse in the next 5 minutes of gameplay.
With around 10 minutes remaining, substitute Awan Lual uleashed a shot that took a fortunate deflection, sending it into the back of the net to give the Wanderers the lead.
Despite absorbing significant pressure, it was the Red & Black who struck at the crucial moment. For the 18-year-old, it was just the second goal of his NPL career and what a time to score it!
In the final 10 minutes, Sydney Olympic launched a relentless attacking push but the Wanderers defense stood firm, repelling every threat. In fact, it was Johnny Pavlovic who came closest to scoring, nearly doubling the lead for the Red & Black while Olympic struggled to find an equalizer.
Michael Vakis looked the most dangerous in creating opportunities, but Olympic’s Nkomo was up to the task, shutting down any hopes of a comeback as the Wanderers held on for their first victory of the season.
The win means that the Wanderers secure four points from an available six from the opening two rounds as they head into a Friday Night Clash with Sutherland Sharks who are coming off the back of a confident 3-0 win over Manly United.
