The Western Sydney Wanderers remain top of the Foxtel National Youth League after a thumping 8-0 victory over the FFA Centre of Excellence at the AIS.
A hat-trick to Steve Lustica, a double to Mario Shabow and one each for Henry Davies, Ramy Najjarine and Emilio Martinez secured an emphatic three points for the boys from the West.
The match began at quite an even pace with both sides trading the occasional foray into their attacking thirds.
Not long after however the Wanderers drew first blood with a simple tap in from Lustica after seven minutes.
The Canberra product finished off some great team play to set Western Sydney on their way to a resounding result.
The away side then began to boss the match, cutting off the COE’s options with some great harrying play.
20 minutes in and the COE were feeling the pressure and it showed after Kai Trewin was shown a yellow card for dissent after being dispossessed in the box.
The Wanderers then doubled their lead two minutes later to deliver a sucker punch to the home side, Davies burying the ball into the back of the net.
Four minutes later and Western Sydney were again jogging back to halfway after Shabow got on the end of a neat ball across the face of goal from Manyiel Riel Majok.
The big striker was played in by the industrious Jacob Melling before sliding it towards Shabow at the far post.
Majok and Melling were terrorising the home side at opposite ends of the pitch, the former towering above the COE’s back four whilst Melling was cleaning up everything that they played forward.
The fourth official only indicated one minute of injury time but that was all Western Sydney needed to add a fourth, Lustica grabbing a second after dispossessing a COE defender directly in front of goal and poking it home.
Despite having the game wrapped up by half-time the Wanderers continued their assault on the youngsters from the capital.
Lustica had a curling effort off a free-kick saved but wasn’t to be denied his hat-trick, a well-placed shot from just outside the box after 56 minutes capping off a memorable afternoon for the A-League stalwart.
Several substitutions later and Shabow joined the multiple goal scorers list with a clean finish off the back of some silky footwork.
Eight minutes from full-time and the Wanderers had their seventh score thanks to a wonderful curling effort from Najjarine that gave the ‘keeper no chance.
Not to be left out, Martinez capped off a strong 90 minutes with a well-driven shot past the goalkeeper after some very generous teamwork.
A fantastic result made even more pleasing with back-to-back clean sheets, goalkeeper Nicolas Suman solid when called upon.
The team now has a bye before facing the Jets at Popondetta Park on Sunday 18 December.
Western Sydney Wanderers 8 (Lustica 7’ 45’, 56’, Davies 22’, Shabow 26’, 68’, Najjarine 82’, Martinez 87’)
FFA Centre of Excellence 0
FFA Centre of Excellence: 1. WISEMAN Jakeb (GK), 3. SCIBILIO Patrick, 4. COX Kaleb, 5. KING Joel (C), 6. TREWIN Kai, 9. ROBERTS John, 11. MURATOVIC Mirza, 16. OBST Benjamin, 17. D’ARRIGO Louis, 21. AHMAD Melad (22. SELDON Jaidon, 15. CALLEN Luke), 23. TOKICH Marc
Unused Subs: 7. ITALIANO Jacob, 12. WATSON Lachlan (GK)
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 1. SUMAN Nicolas (GK), 2. BACCUS Keanu (C), 3. DAVIES Henry, 4. KUKU Abdelrahman, 6. MELLING Jacob (15. DEVLIN Cameron 53’), 8. YOULLEY Liam, 10. LUSTICA Steve (9.NAJJARINE Ramy 64’), 11. SHABOW Mario (5. PAGDEN Noah 69’), 12. BANDIERA Jackson, 13. RIEL MAJOK Manyiel, 17. MARTINEZ Emilio
Unused Subs: 16. SYRON MacKenzie (GK)
