A solitary goal by Golgol Mebrahtu was enough for the Western Sydney Wanderers to progress to the FFA Cup Round of 16, defeating fellow A-League club Brisbane Roar 1-0 at Pepper Stadium last night.
It was a slow start on a chilly night in Penrith, with both sides clearly exhibiting their preseason rustiness in the opening minutes. The best chance of the first half fell to the Roar in the 23rd minute, after Wanderers’ goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne fumbled a cross and dropped the ball into the path of an incoming Brandon Borello. Left fullback Scott Jamieson saved his fellow teammate Redmayne’s blushes by clearing Borello’s shot off the line.
The second half brought more excitement and also a goal with the Wanderers’ Golgol Mebrahtu converting Dutchman Romeo Castelen’s perfectly weighted pass into the box.
Minutes later Brisbane netted down the other end of the pitch, only for substitute Abrahim Yango’s celebrations to be cut short after his goal was deemed to be offside.
A penalty was awarded late in the second period when Borello clipped Wanderers’ new signing Josh MacDonald in the box. Roar custodian Jamie Young kept the away side’s hopes alive by expertly saving a poor penalty kick from Mark Bridge. However, it was not enough as John Aloisi’s men failed to find a route to goal by the fulltime whistle.
Pre-season rustiness still evident
This was the first competitive outing for both clubs since the A-League and Asian Champions League wrapped up months ago, which made this match by no means one for the ages. The first half was dominated by sloppy play and poor touches, with most chances created by capitalising on errors.
Golgol Mebrahtu’s fairy tale comeback
After overcoming a nasty ACL injury from last year’s Sydney Derby, Golgol Mebrahtu stamped his return to football in style with a clinical goal in the second half. Dangerous from the outset, Mebrahtu was the most potent attacking outlet for the Wanderers and delighted fans with his performance. It’s good signs for Tony Popovic too, who will have another option to consider on the flanks after the departure of Nikita Rukavystya.
Clubs to meet again in Round 1 of the A-League
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Although the Wanderers may have come away with the win last night, Brisbane Roar will have their chance for revenge in Round 1 of the A-League. The club controlled long periods of the first half, and after the conclusion of pre-season may be better prepared to take the three points in the first round. The return of Michael Theo between the sticks may also raise the Queensland team’s confidence.
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I’m not going to argue against Theo Sophie as he’s also a very good keeper; alas I don’t think his return between the sticks will “raise confidence” any as that’s not our problem – Roars issue last season, and again on Tuesday night was simply too few shots in 90 minutes, even fewer on target and not scoring enough. Anyway, let’s see what the next few days brings …