Melbourne Heart FC has been denied its first win in three matches after the side was held to a 0-0 draw by Sydney FC at AAMI Par
Melbourne Heart FC has been denied its first win in three matches after the side was held to a 0-0 draw by Sydney FC at AAMI Park.
Despite creating a host of chances either side of half time, Heart was unable to break through, as a combination of strong defending and solid goalkeeping kept the home side at bay.
While Head Coach John van ‘t Schip was pleased Heart managed to keep a clean sheet, the Dutchman regretted that his team was unable to convert its scoring opportunities.
“The good thing is that we are creating chances. Today I think again we had one or two very big chances, although if I am being honest, so did they in the first half when Simon (Colosimo) did fantastic to clear the ball away,” he said.
“The second half was a lot better, we had control of the game, and we kept the opposition scoreless. We are now looking to Gold Coast and we will see how the team will recover.”
Heart made a stellar start to the contest, immediately creating a series of chances as the side sought to edge ahead.
Brazilian striker Alex Terra was presented with the first chance to open the scoring after the former Fluminense attacker was released through on goal before shooting straight at ‘keeper Ivan Necevski.
Soon after, a wonderful reverse ball from midfield maestro Josip Skoko carved the Sydney defence in two, unleashing Terra, who was able to cut back for the onrushing John Aloisi only for a late block from Sebastian Ryall denying a near certain scoring chance.
However, while Heart was dominant, stroking the ball across the park in an attempt to unlock Sydney-s staunch rearguard, the Sky Blues came agonisingly close to snatching the lead, as a Mark Bridge strike was cleared acrobatically off the line by Colosimo.
The pattern continued after the break, as Skoko and midfield partner Wayne Srhoj dictated the tempo, while Sibon appeared at his ominous best, constantly probing with his dangerous passing and incisive turns.
Heart had the ball in the back of the net just before the hour mark, but Aloisi was correctly ruled offside after pouncing on a spilled shot from Necevski, who struggled to deal with Alex Terra-s low driving effort.
Young winger Adrian Zahra continued his meteoric rise with a menacing display on the right flank, and he nearly created the opening goal of the contest 72 minutes.
Bursting free on the counter, the reigning Victorian Premier League Under 21 Player of the Year, fed a ball through to Aloisi, who was unable to connect inside the 18-yard-box following a last-ditch tackle from Stuart Musialik.
The ball then fell loose to Alex Terra, but the diminutive front man shot wide with the goal begging.
Melbourne Heart FC 0
Sydney FC 0
AAMI Park, Melbourne
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