Sydney remains sky blue for the sixth successive derby as Shane Smeltz rifled in a winner for Graham Arnold’s men on the brink of injury time.
Tony Popovic’s outfit dominated possession throughout but failed to create many chances against a committed defensive performance from their rivals led by Jacques Faty and Matt Jurman, who were instrumental at both ends of Pirtek Stadium.
This was our pregame combined XI.
And here’s our combined derby XI following the clash.
Vedran Janjetovic – Goalkeeper – Sydney FC: Both goalkeepers had little to do throughout but the Sydney stopper’s save to deny Kearyn Baccus with the score at 1-1 means he shades Andrew Redmayne into this Derby XI.
Sebastian Ryall – Right-back – Sydney FC: Perfectly placed to nod the assist for his side’s first goal back across the face of the six-yard box to the lurking Jacques Faty. This contribution outweighs his ball watching which very nearly allowed Baccus to slot the Wanderers’ second.
Jacques Faty – Centre-back – Sydney FC: Rose highest in a packed six-yard box to open the scoring. Following this the Frenchman assisted his centre-back partner in often being the last line to break up the Wanderers forays into attack. A return to top form for the veteran.
Matthew Jurman – Centre-back – Sydney FC: Was largely unnoticed in the first stanza but was an absolute rock at the back repeatedly throughout the second half. An already man of the match showing was complemented in injury time as he brought the ball to ground against three Wanderers defenders for Shane Smeltz to smash home the winner.
Scott Jamieson – Left-back – Western Sydney Wanderers: The Wanderers man continued his great season in this match and he makes the Derby XI despite conceding the most fouls on the pitch. He was often the start and end point of many Wanderers attacks with several dangerous balls into the box. Will be disappointed not to get his name into the assist column considering the volume of his crosses, though.
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Milos Dimitrejvic and Mickael Tavares – Defensive-midfielders – Sydney FC: The Sydney central midfield pairing replace their rival counterparts in this retrospect XI. They spent much of the game without the ball but protected the back four admirably whilst not allowing the Wanderers’ most dangerous players time and space centrally. This last point would’ve been central to Arnold’s game plan, which was executed to near perfection.
Mitch Nichols – Attacking-midfielder – Western Sydney Wanderers: Named alongside Romeo Castelen as the most dangerous Wanderers player before being substituted. His bursts of energy in small amounts of space combined with his trickery and creativity made him a tough customer throughout his 79 minutes on the pitch, but it just wasn’t his night.
Romeo Castelen – Right-wing – Western Sydney Wanderers: Brilliantly slippery performance from the Dutchman, who laid on Vidosic’s equaliser. His ability to consistently beat his first man left various Sydney defenders with the no choice but to chop him down on several occasions. Will be disappointed not to have opened the scoring when the game was 0-0, though, after being played in superbly by Scott Neville.
Shane Smeltz – Striker – Sydney FC: This Derby XI very nearly didn’t have a traditional number nine, until this man popped up at the death with a superb hit into the top right hand corner. The prolific New Zealander clinically finished off Jurman’s dirty work to become the first player ever to score at least 10 goals for four different A-League clubs.
Dario Vidosic – Left-wing – Western Sydney Wanderers: Took his chance with a delightful, curling finish. Though the best facet of his goal may well have been his tactical nous to remain stationary as the Sydney defenders scrambled right to cover. He otherwise combined well with Jamieson for the remainder of the evening before being replaced after the hour mark.
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