Melbourne City has gone down to Sydney FC on Sunday afternoon, recording back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
Goals in the opening and final minutes of the match secured the result for the Sydney-siders as they locked-in their position in the top two.
City will look to bounce back at home against Adelaide United next Saturday night with the potential debut of Jamie Maclaren and Shayon Harrison.
Starting XI
Only one change was made to the starting side from last week’s loss to Wellington as Luke Brattan came into the side for Nathaniel Atkinson. Ritchie De Laet found himself back in his fullback position as Lachie Wales lead the line.
Dario Vidosic returned from injury via the bench as youngster Dylan Pierias joined him for the first time this season.
Our team is in for today's clash with Sydney. #SYDvMCY pic.twitter.com/UxmYmFRjOX
— Melbourne City FC ?️ (@MelbourneCity) February 3, 2019
What happened
Blustery conditions welcomed the sides in Sydney’s south which made playing conditions difficult for both sides.
In what seemed to be an even start, it was a lapse of concentration from City that saw the hosts open the scoring. A turnover from Kearyn Baccus left Ritchie De Laet exposed as Milos Ninkovic made the most of the space. His through ball to Luke Ivanovic saw the youngster slot home to open the scoring.
It was then a tight tussle from both sides as Sydney and City battled out an arm-wrestle. Sydney had the better of chances in the first half with Paulo Retre going closest just before the break.
City came out of the break with an air of confidence and looked to get back into the game, particularly down the left side.
Andrew Redmayne had other ideas as the Sydney goalkeeper came up big for the hosts on multiple occasions. First, it was a sprawling save off a vicious drive off Riley McGree then it was a deft touch off Dario Vidosic’s flick from a cutback.
Redmayne topped it off with a crucial penalty save as the hosts used their advantage to double their lead in the final minutes. Adam Le Fondre made no mistake after 86 minutes, slotting past Eugene Galekovic to make sure his side took all three points.
What’s next
It’s a massive six-pointer against Adelaide United on Saturday night as City return to AAMI Park in what is set to be Jamie Maclaren and Shayon Harrison’s debut for the Club.
