Sydney FC managed to secure a victory and take home all three points as they beat Wellington Phoenix in Wollongong, thanks to a couple of long range scorchers from debutant Calem Nieuwenhof and Luke Brattan respectively.
The Nix came into this game with history against them as they had only won one of the last 13 meetings between the two sides. To make matters more difficult, the club have had to relocate to Wollongong temporarily as the planned trans-Tasman bubble is not yet in effect.
The current champions started positively as they controlled possession and the run of play, while opposition boss Ufuk Talay strategically dropped his midfield just a tad bit deep to see off the early pressure. The former Australia U-20 manager would have been unhappy with some of the passing early on as the visitors were able to make a few simple interceptions to keep possession and dictate play.
Nieuwenhof showcased some excellent dribbling and passing as the game went on, while one moment of youthful exuberance or a lack of experience earned him a yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Jaushua Sotirio.
Nearly 30 minutes into the game, the young 19-year-old midfielder received a pass from defender Joel King, then showed great vision, desire and technical ability to take a long range shot from the right that went curving into the left-top corner of the net leaving goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic with absolutely no chance of making a save.
As the first-half was coming to an end, it appeared as though the visitors would be going into the break with a slender lead. But the Nix managed to equalise during stoppage time, with striker Mirza Muratovic positioning himself well to the ball home after receiving a pass from Tim Payne on the right.
Ten minutes into the second period of play, the Sky Blues’ midfielder Luke Brattan took a free kick from long range that the thunderously sent into the right top corner of the net. This was reminiscent of his sensational goal in the AFC Champions League against Shanghai SIPG.
As time ticked on, Stephen Corica’s men seemed to be inclined to slow down play while the hosts showed very good attacking momentum. Unfortunately for the home side, their finishing could have used a little more finesse. On occasion where they seemed like they could score, Sydney were well organised and managed to hold off the attacks.
Wellington continued to grow into the game and a cleared header fell to Ulises Davila deep into stoppage time. The attacking midfielder had a go at goal that ended up in the back of the net following a deflection from new forward Tomer Hemed. But following a VAR consultation, the Israeli was adjudged to be offside and the goal did not stand.
At the end of the game, the champions started where they had left off last season by bagging three points in their opening game of the season.
Sydney FC will host Western Sydney Wanderers in a blockbuster derby on January 16, while Wellington travel to take on new boys Macarthur FC on January 9.
