Adelaide United and Sydney FC fought out a 2-2 draw at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night, with a number of talking points emerging from the game.
Some of those talking points stood out in a match that neither side should be content with. In the meantime, did Sydney FC dispel the ‘boring’ tag?
Neither team will be happy with this result
The form of both teams going into this one was well documented and it would be fair to say that any draw, let alone a 2-2 draw, would have pleased either manager.
Adelaide held the lead twice and a win would have seen them leapfrog Sydney into a temporary third spot. They still maintain a healthy eight-point lead over the chasing pack for their finals spot and remain unbeaten in their last 10 matches, but a win tonight would have meant so much more.
Sydney, on the other hand, who arguably had the better of general play, were not able to capitalise on their territorial dominance and break their Coopers Stadium hoodoo.
A-League – What We Learned – Adelaide United 2 Sydney FC 2
‘Boring FC’ maybe no more
A lot has been made of the Sky Blues’ defensive style of play so far this season but if tonight was anything to go by, they are more than capable of playing an open and expansive style of football well. They were able to match it with the Reds in the second half as the game opened up – no mean feat in recent times. Credit to Graham Arnold and his men who were also willing to push men forward for the winner right until the death, and made it well known that they were displeased with a draw post-match.
Filip Holosko is starting to make strides
Tonight he was probably the man of the match with a fantastic goal and an even better assist for Matt Simon’s goal, but it was not too long ago that Filip Holosko was receiving scathing criticism on many fronts for not only his performances, but also his effort for the Sky Blues.
Whether it was warranted or not is still a contentious matter but what cannot be questioned is how he has responded.
The Slovakian marquee could not buy a goal early in his A-League career but now sits with six and four assists, a testament to Holosko’s class and commitment in the past month.
Guillermo Amor has bigger fish to fry
Despite the importance of tonight’s match for the league, it was very obvious from the outset that the Reds manager had one eye on their Asian Champions League qualifier midweek. Marcelo Carrusca and Bruce Djite were both relegated to the bench, while Craig Goodwin was left off the team sheet altogether. In saying this, we also learned a lot about Adelaide’s depth – Stefan Mauk was very impressive in the midfield, while Bruce Kamau’s assist for Adelaide’s second goal was nothing short of sensational. This point may become increasingly important later on in the season if they are able to win on Tuesday night and secure a place in the Champions League.
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