Western Sydney has closed out a rollercoaster 2018 in fitting style – with a manic 2-2 draw against a 10-man Adelaide on a baking hot Boxing Day in the South Australian capital.
The Wanderers, as they have all season long, had their moments. They were easily the better side in the first half and coach Markus Babbel would have been delighted with what he saw.
Second time lucky: Oriol Riera celebrates his opener with teammates.Credit:AAP
But if he had any hair, Babbel would have torn it out as they threw away their hard-earned lead early in the second half – only to come back, equalise, and then fail to take advantage of Jordan Elsey's red card, which left Adelaide a man short for the last half-hour.
Babbel told his players at the break that the Reds would come out firing, having fallen 1-0 behind at home. Their failure to heed his warning left him perplexed at their brittle mentality, and not for the first time.
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"I don't understand this," Babbel said. "This is for me what I have to learn. It was clear .. if you are a little bit normal upstairs.
"Adelaide deserved the point. If the game is 10 minutes longer, I have the feeling we lose this game. I don't know what to say – I'm happy to get a point or I'm angry that we don't get three points."
Babbel set the example for his players with his choice of attire – an eye-catching navy blue Hawaiian-style shirt, which had social media abuzz and confirmed his status as the new star of the A-League coaching catwalk. It was a brave sartorial decision which deserved a better result, and it stood out in stark contrast to his Adelaide counterpart Marco Kurz's staid club-issued polo.
There was a similar contrast between the teams themselves in the opening 45 minutes. The Wanderers were in almost total control and should have had more than just the one goal to show for it, while Adelaide's best chances were two deflected free kicks from Craig Goodwin.
Deflection: Adelaide's Craig Goodwin was a threat from set pieces against the Wanderers.Credit:AAP
Western Sydney finished the half strongly, with an Oriol Riera header forcing a reaction save from Paul Izzo before the Spanish striker finally got one past him. Referee Peter Green pointed straight to the spot when Tarek Elrich dispossessed Nathan Konstandopoulos and was tripped in the process.
Riera stepped up to take the penalty and while his first attempt was batted away by Izzo, he emphatically slammed home the rebound to put the Wanderers up.
However, the Reds made a ferocious start to the second stanza and managed to propel themselves into the lead with a quick-fire double from Nikola Mileusnic.
The first goal came just three minutes after the break, with Mileusnic tucking home a ground ball from Scott Galloway at the back post. It was flat-footed defending from the visitors – and they were again caught napping in the 55th minute, when Isaias slid through a fantastic pass to set up Mileusnic on the counter-attack.
His shot went straight through goalkeeper Nicholas Suman's legs and into the back of the net. It was the only moment in which teenager Suman, making his debut in place of the suspended Vedran Janjetovic, had his colours lowered all night.
Battle: Keanu Baccus of the Wanderers tackles Scott Galloway.Credit:AAP
But the Wanderers found a way back into the contest, with a little help from Elsey. The Adelaide defender was controversially sent off in the 55th minute for raising his elbow in an aerial contest with Riera. It was his second yellow card, having earned the first for the same offence involving the same opponent.
The home side were rattled and restless, and Bruce Kamau's goal seconds later only rubbed salt into their wounds. It was a clinical move: a long diagonal ball from Keanu Baccus, a simple cutback from Josh Risdon and a measured finish from the former Adelaide United winger to make it 2-2.
Despite the man advantage, the Wanderers couldn't find a decisive goal from there on – and, at times, it was a little hard to discern who had the extra player as both teams gave everything in pursuit of a winner.
Kurz said he disagreed with both of Elsey's yellow cards but respected Green's call, and was proud that the Reds managed to keep the Wanderers at bay. "I'm very happy that we got the draw. The team always fights in the right direction," Kurz said.
Babbel, meanwhile, has plenty to ponder going into 2019, but he believes there is clear evidence that his team can compete with the A-League's best when they are on song. Getting them to stay on song is the trouble.
"It shows me the gameplan we give the players is good," Babbel said. "If they follow the plan, it's good – we always play a good style of football, always dominate the opposite side.
"But all the time if we think we have to do something special, then we come in trouble. This is not so easy to get this out."
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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Western Sydney has closed out a rollercoaster 2018 in fitting style – with a manic 2-2 draw against a 10-man Adelaide on a baking hot Boxing Day in the South Australian capital.
The Wanderers, as they have all season long, had their moments. They were easily the better side in the first half and coach Markus Babbel would have been delighted with what he saw.
Second time lucky: Oriol Riera celebrates his opener with teammates.Credit:AAP
But if he had any hair, Babbel would have torn it out as they threw away their hard-earned lead early in the second half – only to come back, equalise, and then fail to take advantage of Jordan Elsey's red card, which left Adelaide a man short for the last half-hour.
Babbel told his players at the break that the Reds would come out firing, having fallen 1-0 behind at home. Their failure to heed his warning left him perplexed at their brittle mentality, and not for the first time.
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"I don't understand this," Babbel said. "This is for me what I have to learn. It was clear .. if you are a little bit normal upstairs.
"Adelaide deserved the point. If the game is 10 minutes longer, I have the feeling we lose this game. I don't know what to say – I'm happy to get a point or I'm angry that we don't get three points."
Babbel set the example for his players with his choice of attire – an eye-catching navy blue Hawaiian-style shirt, which had social media abuzz and confirmed his status as the new star of the A-League coaching catwalk. It was a brave sartorial decision which deserved a better result, and it stood out in stark contrast to his Adelaide counterpart Marco Kurz's staid club-issued polo.
There was a similar contrast between the teams themselves in the opening 45 minutes. The Wanderers were in almost total control and should have had more than just the one goal to show for it, while Adelaide's best chances were two deflected free kicks from Craig Goodwin.
Deflection: Adelaide's Craig Goodwin was a threat from set pieces against the Wanderers.Credit:AAP
Western Sydney finished the half strongly, with an Oriol Riera header forcing a reaction save from Paul Izzo before the Spanish striker finally got one past him. Referee Peter Green pointed straight to the spot when Tarek Elrich dispossessed Nathan Konstandopoulos and was tripped in the process.
Riera stepped up to take the penalty and while his first attempt was batted away by Izzo, he emphatically slammed home the rebound to put the Wanderers up.
However, the Reds made a ferocious start to the second stanza and managed to propel themselves into the lead with a quick-fire double from Nikola Mileusnic.
The first goal came just three minutes after the break, with Mileusnic tucking home a ground ball from Scott Galloway at the back post. It was flat-footed defending from the visitors – and they were again caught napping in the 55th minute, when Isaias slid through a fantastic pass to set up Mileusnic on the counter-attack.
His shot went straight through goalkeeper Nicholas Suman's legs and into the back of the net. It was the only moment in which teenager Suman, making his debut in place of the suspended Vedran Janjetovic, had his colours lowered all night.
Battle: Keanu Baccus of the Wanderers tackles Scott Galloway.Credit:AAP
But the Wanderers found a way back into the contest, with a little help from Elsey. The Adelaide defender was controversially sent off in the 55th minute for raising his elbow in an aerial contest with Riera. It was his second yellow card, having earned the first for the same offence involving the same opponent.
The home side were rattled and restless, and Bruce Kamau's goal seconds later only rubbed salt into their wounds. It was a clinical move: a long diagonal ball from Keanu Baccus, a simple cutback from Josh Risdon and a measured finish from the former Adelaide United winger to make it 2-2.
Despite the man advantage, the Wanderers couldn't find a decisive goal from there on – and, at times, it was a little hard to discern who had the extra player as both teams gave everything in pursuit of a winner.
Kurz said he disagreed with both of Elsey's yellow cards but respected Green's call, and was proud that the Reds managed to keep the Wanderers at bay. "I'm very happy that we got the draw. The team always fights in the right direction," Kurz said.
Babbel, meanwhile, has plenty to ponder going into 2019, but he believes there is clear evidence that his team can compete with the A-League's best when they are on song. Getting them to stay on song is the trouble.
"It shows me the gameplan we give the players is good," Babbel said. "If they follow the plan, it's good – we always play a good style of football, always dominate the opposite side.
"But all the time if we think we have to do something special, then we come in trouble. This is not so easy to get this out."
Vince is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
