As Bohemian Rhapsody bellowed out at full time at Allianz Stadium, Sky Blues fans were indeed wondering “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”
Goals to David Carney, Filip Holosko, Ali Abbas and Milos Ninkovic provided a comprehensive 4-0 victory in front of 8,700 fans. But the real story of the night was Perth Glory. A home final fell through their grasp, with the team now having to travel away to AAMI Park when it really could have been nib Stadium.
Final round encounters have a tendency to throw up a shock or two and while this one was far from a classic, it gives Sydney fans a glimmer of hope not only for next season, but the crucial Asian Champions League tie against Urawa Reds on Wednesday week.
Sydney FC
Vedran Janjetovic – 6: Had next to nothing to do, but secured a rare clean sheet.
Aaron Calver – 7: Quite an impressive performance, enjoyed taking on a young Jamal Reiners to tackle, pass and compose himself when required.
Seb Ryall – 6.5: At one stage in the second half, he was so bored he bombed on to try and score himself.
Matt Jurman – 6: Safe as houses against a side that threw very little at Sydney’s defence.
Milos Dimitrijevic – 4.5: turned the ball over numerous times and lacked the confidence of last season.
Brandon O’Neill – 8: Best on ground. Circulated the ball incredibly well. The Olyroo started 2015-16 on fire and dipped dramatically, but his last two to three games have been the O’Neill Sydney fans want to see.
David Carney – 7: When he was good he was great. Showed his age at times, but that deft touch out wide combined with the goal made him a threat and caused Josh Risdon plenty of headaches.
Filip Holosko – 5.5: Made some great runs, scored a goal, looked fantastic. Then the red card arrived. This game was a microcosm of the marquee’s season – great at times yet ultimately didn’t see it through.
Matt Simon – 4: He rushed, tackled and harassed Perth’s defence, without causing them any trouble in football terms. If Sydney re-sign the striker, fans will have every right to scratch their heads.
George Blackwood – 6: Lots of promise and potential, yet we’re not really seeing the speed of progression other young footballers are making around the A-League. Makes smart runs and links the play well, just needs some composure in the final third.
Substitutes
Milos Ninkovic – 7: Came on for the last 15 and showed his class, finishing his goal and linking play nicely. Kept in cotton wool for ACL.
Andrew Hoole – 5: Gave away possession needlessly but assisted for Ninkovic to give himself some credit in the bank. Next season for the winger will be make or break because 2015-16 was a season to forget.
Perth Glory
Ante Covic – 7.5: Was a stand out for Perth because he had so much to do. Some great saves from close range and showed his frustration towards the end, the grumpy old man.
Josh Risdon – 6: Struggled to handle Carney and didn’t show his Socceroos colours, but was far from the worst on the field.
Alex Grant – 4.5: A rare off game. Missed a simple clearance for Carney’s goal and didn’t look his assured self.
Shane Lowry – 4: Very poor and surprisingly so.
Marc Warren – 5: Could and should have been sent from the field with a studs up challenge on Matt Simon and the Cove let him know about it the whole game.
Kristztian Vadocz – 5: If he still has hopes to play for Hungary then this game will do him no favours. O’Neill dominated him in the middle of the park.
Gyorgy Sandor – 5: Allowed the game to drift by and failed to make an impact in any sense.
Jamal Reiners – 4.5: Young enough to learn what it takes at this level, clearly a speed bump on his road to becoming a Perth regular. Glory missed Chris Harold badly on the right wing.
Nebojsa Marinkovic – 6: A set piece always looked like Perth’s best bet on goal and he delivered a few troubling dead balls, yet appeared stuck out on the left and didn’t get involved nearly enough for Kenny Lowe’s liking.
Richard Garcia – 5: Came in for the injured Diego Castro. The gap between the Spaniard and the ageing Socceroo is lightyears.
Andy Keogh – 5: Given no service, but gave nothing in return. If Perth are without Castro next week, Keogh will have to put in a Herculean performance.
Substitutes
Kosta Petratos – N/A: Not on long enough to make an impact.
Dino Djulbic – 3: Came on late and acted as nothing more than a traffic cone for Ali Abbas to stroll through for when he hit home.
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