The Champions were back at Kogarah for their Round 6 clash against rivals Melbourne Victory in the first Big Blue of the season. Sydney FC were victorious with a scrappy 2-1 win.
Victory left Kogarah with their tails between their legs the last time these two sides met with Sydney recording a famous 6-1 win over their rivals in last season’s semi final and Sydney’s fans didn’t let them forget this. Not even a little.
The Cove unveiled a tifo detailing that famous night at Kogarah to spice things up for the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesVictory started off strong with plenty of pressing and creating a few chances despite having a very depleted squad.
Despite having a full strength squad and the benefit of a week’s rest, the home side looked under pressure and they finally cracked it when Victory captain Ola Toivenen headed home the first goal of the match right before half time.
There was shock all around the stadium. How did this happen? How did Victory get off the mark first and how did they do it with such ease? Sydney got themselves a reality check going into half-time that’s for sure.
Sydney Manager Steve Corica must have given the players an earful in the sheds because the home team looked completely different in the second half. They dominated possession and looked well and truly in control of the game and that eventually turned into a goal when Adam Le Fondre headed home his team’s first goal of the night.
Embed from Getty Images1-1. Game on!
Sydney kept the pressure on and it wasn’t long after the first where they scored another and it was none other than Kosta Barbarouses, the former Victory man, who tapped in a goal line scramble to give his team the lead. The 16,000 at Kogarah went absolutely nuts and The Cove erupted in song by singing Kosta’s name.
After that moment of madness the game was fairly level with both sides having their fair share of chances and although Sydney looked a threat in the last few minutes, Victory managed to keep the scoreline to 2-1 this time.
Sydney FC 2 ( Le Fondre 61′ , Barbarouses 68′
Melbourne Victory 1 (Toivenen 45′)
Sydney: Redmayne (gk), McGowan (pic), Wilkinson (c), Grant, Retre, Brattan, O’Neill, Baumjohann, Ninkovic, Barbarouses, Le Fondre
Melbourne: Thomas (gk), Traore, Donachie, Broxham, Lauton, Brown, Basha (pic), Poulsen, Lesiotis, Hope, Toivonen (c)
