The NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers couldn’t better last season’s Quarter Final effort as they fell to Melbourne City at the same stage in the Westfield FFA Cup last night.
Going into the match with a reasonably strong line-up, confidence was high among Red & Black fans especially with cult hero Kerem Bulut making his second debut for the club.
Centre back Artiz Borda was also making his first appearance for the club but it was City’s debuting centre back, Michael Jakobsen, who got off to the perfect start.
City whipped in a dangerous cross and while Andrew Redmayne was able to punch it away, Dimas’ clearance was met by Jakobsen’s bicycle kick that gave the home team the lead in only the second minute.
It was perhaps an indication of what was to come as, despite Mitch Nichols and Jumpei both having chances for Wanderers – and a strong penalty shout as Scott Neville was bundled over in the box – City were next to score as Tim Cahill’s square ball gave Bruno Fornaroli a tap-in.
The Wanderers were by no means out of the match and looked certain to get one back as Bulut lined-up a header from a near-perfect Nichols cross until City defender Osama Malik somehow got himself in the way and forced a corner.
Writing was on the wall though only moments before half time as Nikolai Topor-Stanley fouled Fornaroli in the box to receive a red card with Cahill making it 3-0 from the resulting penalty kick.
Fornaroli started the second half where he left off: hitting the post twice with substitute Fernando Brandan scoring off the rebound in the second instance.
And while Dimas grabbed a goal back: set-up by Shannon Cole who had only been on the pitch a matter of seconds, it mattered little as the Red & Black were eliminated from the competition.
Melbourne City 4 (Michael Jakobsen 2’ Bruno Fornaroli 32’ Tim Cahill 45’ Fernando Brandan 65’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Dimas 73’)
Western Sydney Wanderers: Andrew Redmayne (GK), Scott Neville, Nikolai Topor-Stanley (C), Aritz Borda, Brendan Hamill, Dimas (Jonathan Aspropotamitis), Bruno Piñatares, Mitch Nichols (Shannon Cole), Steve Lustica, Jumpei, Kerem Bulut (Kearyn Baccus)
Unused subs: Jerrad Tyson (GK), Lawrence Hanna
Red cards: Nikolai Topor-Stanley (45’)
