Sydney FC cruised to a 4-1 win over a 10-man Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium, set up by three goals inside the opening 30 minutes.
Captain Alex Brosque opened the scoring with a tap-in thanks to some brilliant lead up work from Olyroo Andrew Hoole and Serbian Milos Ninkovic before he put his side 2-0 ahead from the penalty spot.
The Sky Blues added a third after Mariners keeper Paul Izzo was sent off before the visitors grabbed one back, after Harry Ascroft latched onto a well delivered cross from Matt Sim.
The rout was capped off with an own goal from Mariners young defender Jake McGing.
Sydney FC
Vedran Janjetovic – 5.5: Rarely sighted throughout the match but was on hand when called upon. There was not too much he could do about Ascroft’s close range header.
Rhyan Grant – 7.5: Pushed forward throughout the match and should have opened the scoring in the opening moments as his header crashed against the crossbar. Covered his defensive duties despite the Mariners being down to 10 men.
Matt Jurman – 6: Played the ball out from the back with ease on numerous occasions. Rarely sighted, a positive in the big win.
Seb Ryall – 6: Got caught ball watching for the Mariners goal leaving Ascroft alone in the box. Was not afraid to push forward on a number of occasions.
Alex Gersbach – 7: Constantly made overlapping runs which the opposition failed to deal with as he put a number of dangerous balls into the box.
Brandon O’Neill – 9: Man of the match as he controlled the tempo of the game, while being strong in the tackle. Got plenty of set piece practice causing problems for the Mariners on numerous occasions.
Mickael Tavares – 6.5: His impact as the game went on lowered, but his physical presence was key in the middle of the park. Scored his first ever A-League goal.
Milos Ninkovic – 6.5: Found pockets of space with ease and always looked a creative outlet for his side. Was subbed off as Graham Arnold looked to add some spark in a lacklustre second half.
Andrew Hoole – 7: Was dangerous down the left flank. Looked to make chances through direct running at the defence.
Alex Brosque – 8: His short stint on the pitch was fantastic as he grabbed himself a brace. Put away a penalty before being subbed off.
George Blackwood – 5.5: The youngster was not afraid to run at the opposition defence throughout the night, but lacked composure and finesse with his passing.
Substitutes
Matt Simon – 5.5: Replaced Brosque, however, he lacked the right touch at crucial stages during build up play.
Milos Dimitrijevic – 5: Had a limited impact after coming on in the 58th minute.
Robert Stambolziev N/A: Had little time to make an impact in a game that was well and truly over.
Central Coast Mariners
Paul Izzo – 1: Made the mistake of fumbling the ball for opening goal before being sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
Storm Roux – 5.5: Looked to push forward on a number of occasions. Cut Hoole out of the game in the second half.
Harry Ascroft – 6: Got a consolation goal for his side late in the first half. Defended well for majority of the game.
Jake McGing – 3: Had a bit of a nightmare in the heart of defence, as his lack of concentration gave away a penalty. Was unlucky to concede an own goal late in the game.
Josh Rose – 5: Proved to be solid on the defensive side when called upon with defensive clearances. His attacking instinct seemed off throughout the night.
Nick Montgomery – 6.5: Questions could be asked as why he didn’t really stand up when his side needed him. Grew as the game went on linking his side well from defence to attack.
Liam Rose – 4: Brought off early in the game as a result of Paul Izzo’s sending off. Left too much space in front of his back four whilst on the pitch.
Anthony Caceres – 5.5: Shut out of the game well by Sydney’s holding midfielders. Was unable to create much in the final third.
Nick Fitzgerald 6: Was the main outlet of attack on the right as they looked to get the game moving forward. Was subbed off in the 68th minute as his side looked to pull back the two-goal deficit.
Matt Sim 7: Provided a spark for the visitors, who was given licence to roam by manager coach Tony Walmsley. Drifted in field on a number of occasions and was his team’s best player.
Roy O’Donovan 5: Left isolated up front, with little support for his hard work. Won many aerial duels which were often not latched onto by teammates.
Substitutes
Thomas Heward-Belle 7: The 18-year-old was subbed on for his first A-League appearance with his team down 3-0 and he did not let his side down making a number of impressive saves.
Fabio Ferreira 6.5: Arguably should have been starting from the outset, proving creativity in a team that lacked it sorely all night.
Michael Neill 4.5: Minimal impact in his 22 minutes on the pitch.
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