Adelaide United are rapidly becoming the bunnies of the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers with the Hyundai A-League’s new boys scoring another massive win over the Reds.
Adelaide United are rapidly becoming the bunnies of the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers with the Hyundai A-League-s new boys scoring another massive win over the Reds.
Two goals in two minutes in the first half and two more in the first fifteen minutes of the second half saw the Wanderers destroy Adelaide in their own backyard for a decisive 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon.
The win means Western Sydney take the honours of the regular season against Adelaide two wins to one but has seen the Wanderers score 10 goals to three in their past two match ups.
The win sees the Wanderers secure third position on the table and send another powerful warning to the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory that they are coming for them.
Coach Tony Popovic said he was impressed with the way the team pushed on for the win in the second stanza after scoring two quick goals late in the first half.
“The team is playing with a lot of confidence and I was really impressed with the way they went on with it,” Popovic said.
“We knew it was going to be a very tough game and yes there is more expectation now but I am happy with the way the players are dealing with it and the confidence they are showing.
“We scored some good goals today.”
Livewire midfielder Youssouf Hersi was a standout player scoring two goals and setting up two others and he was well supported by Mark Bridge and Mateo Poljak who both bagged a goal each.
Adelaide came out the blocks early and were busy in the first fifteen minutes.
Jon McCain was particularly determined to make his mark and chalked up four fouls and a yellow card in a busy half shift.
But the tide started to turn in the fifteenth minute when the Wanderers began to assert themselves.
The first sign was Mark Bridge bursting down the left onto a great through ball only to be incorrectly ruled offside.
In the 22nd minute the Wanderers were swarming forward and the pressure was starting to mount up.
A series of more than a dozen passes just outside the Adelaide penalty area between Aaron Mooy, Hersi, Bridge and striker Dino Kresinger saw Hersi shoot just over the bar.
In the 26th minute Mooy fired a powerful free kick from 25m that Galekovic could only double-palm away.
In the 32nd minute Dario Vidosic played Iain Ramsay in with a beautiful ball and the Reds winger had the only real chance for the half but he dribbled his shot across the goal mouth.
By the 35th minute the Wanderers had clocked up five corners to nil and Adelaide were ready to collapse under the weight of the pressure.
It came in the 46th minute in a piece of play involving five Wanderers including Shannon Cole and Kresinger.
Bridge kept a high ball in off the touch line and Mooy had two shots before Galekovic-s save fell to Hersi who played it across the goal mouth and in.
Two minutes later Hersi became the provider playing a ball, stolen by Mooy in midfield, to an unmarked Bridge who buried his right foot shot into the net for 2-0 just before half time.
Adelaide again launched out of the blocks for the second half throwing caution to the wind and had their first shot on target through Nigel Boogaard-s head in the 49th minute.
Interplay between Shinji Ono and Bridge saw Bridge cross a beautiful ball to an unmarked Hersi who headed it in for his second goal in the 52nd minute.
Substitute Bruce Djite fired a tidy left foot shot from outside the penalty area for Adelaide-s first goal, giving the medium-sized Hindmarsh crowd something to cheer about in the 60th minute.
Seven minutes later, Hersi swooped on a loose ball and produced a lovely low cross.
Bridge managed an air swing but an unmarked Poljak gathered, turned and drove it in for 4-1.
Ramsay scored a consolation goal after breaking free from Cole in the 87th minute but the match was
decided.
The Wanderers next play Newcastle Jets at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday night at 7.45pm.
