Western Sydney Wanderers continued their strong pre-season preparations with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners at Saturday afternoon’s Members Season Launch at Wanderers Football Park.
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Played in sweltering conditions in Western Sydney, the Red & Black delivered a high-intensity performance built around a relentless press that caused the Mariners problems throughout the contest.
The Red & Black set the tone early, pressing aggressively and keeping the Mariners under sustained pressure throughout the opening stages.
The breakthrough arrived almost immediately after play resumed following the first-half drinks break.
Alex Gersbach opened the scoring to reward the Wanderers’ strong start and give the hosts a deserved 1-0 advantage.
From there, the Red & Black moved through the gears.
Miguel Di Pizio doubled the lead after finishing off a brilliant team move, with some slick combination play opening up the Mariners before the midfielder made it 2-0.
Angus Thurgate then added a third before the interval as the Wanderers continued to dominate proceedings.
Three goals and total control saw the Red & Black take a commanding 3-0 advantage into half-time.
The pressure continued after the restart, with the Wanderers picking up where they left off.
Aydan Hammond made an immediate impact, producing a clinical finish into the far corner shortly after the second half began to extend the Wanderers’ advantage to four.
Awan Lual then got in on the action, finishing from close range to make it 5-0 and cap another impressive attacking move from the hosts.
Central Coast pulled one back late through Ali Auglah, who converted directly from a free kick to make it 5-1.
It proved to be only a consolation, with the Wanderers closing out another commanding pre-season performance.
The result continues an encouraging run of form for the Red & Black, following recent victories over Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC, as preparations continue ahead of the 2026/27 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
