The Wanderers fought hard but fell to a 2-1 defeat in the opening round Sydney Derby on Saturday.
In front of a sold out crowd at CommBank Stadium for the first time since 2019, goals from Joe Lolley and Patryk Klimala secured victory for the away side in a tight contest.
It was a hugely anticipated derby match, with both sides having marquee players making their league debuts, as well as being the first A-League match for the Wanderers under new coach Alen Stajcic.
He has spoken about ushering in a new and youthful era at the club, and he meant it with his selections as Zac Sapsford, Aydan Hammond, Dylan Scicluna and Tristan Vidackovic all started, the latter making his A-League debut as stand-in keeper in place of captain Lawrence Thomas.
It was a back and forth opening period as Brandon Borrello had a decent chance early that he dragged wide of the goal, and Alex Bonetig denied the away side with a crucial tackle in the box.
The visitors took the lead in the 17th minute through Lolley, and the Wanderers had to stand firm to hold off something of an onslaught as their opponents gained momentum from the goal.
Tempers flared briefly as Alex Popovic caught Sapsford with a reckless challenge. Players from both sides were involved as the referee showed yellow cards to Nicolas Milanovic and Popovic, with the latter escaping further sanction from VAR.
They settled and had a huge chance on the brink of half-time as a cutback found Hammond free in the box, but the young gun couldn’t direct the effort on target.
The Wanderers showed endeavour in the opening 45 minutes, but lacked control and a cutting edge at times, and Stajcic looked to change that in the second half, as another new signing, Bozhidar Kraev, made his league bow in place of Sapsford.
There was also a structural change to three men in midfield, and this allowed the Wanderers to gain a foothold in the game and put their opponents under pressure in the second half.
They had a sustained period of possession as they asked questions of the defence, and 11 minutes after the break they had their breakthrough.
It started with Kraev who won the ball in midfield and laid the ball off to Borrello; the stand in captain was able to put the ball in the path of Hammond, who side-footed a strong shot past Andrew Redmayne and into the goal, sending CommBank Stadium into raptures.
Stajcic looked to seize the momentum and introduced star man Juan Mata onto the field after the hour mark, though the visitors unfortunately retook the lead from a set piece, with Klimala heading past Vidackovic.
The young goalkeeper then made a phenomenal stop from after tipping a Klimala effort onto the post in the 68th minute.
The Wanderers pushed harder for an equaliser, and Mata showed his skills to tee up Borrello, though the forward’s shot was just off target.
The game turned again as opposing substitute Max Burgess received a straight red card after stamping on Ben Holliday’s ankle, giving the Wanderers a golden opportunity to attack a
10-man defence.
There were seven minutes of added time where the Wanderers threw everything forward; Milanovic and substitute Marcus Antonsson both went close with headers, whilst the Wanderers had a couple of corners at the end of the match, but couldn’t create the crucial goalscoring moment.
It was a frustrating way to begin the season, but there are enough positive signs for Stajcic to take from this match and into their away trip to Western United next Sunday.
