Melbourne Victory have recorded their second win of the season, hanging on to a 2-1 advantage over Sydney FC in week 13 of the National Youth League at Kingston Heath on Sunday.
Melbourne Victory have recorded their second win of the season, hanging on to a 2-1 advantage over Sydney FC in week 13 of the National Youth League at Kingston Heath.
Victory adopted an attacking brand of football, which complemented the attacking flair of their players.
They also showed they could defend grimly, holding out Sydney FC in the tense final minutes.
Both teams went goalless in the second half, as the physicality of the game began to affect the players.
Victory were full of run for much of the game in hot conditions but where they really excelled was in the first half.
The match was played at a fast-paced intensity with Victory creating plenty of attacking runs.
They made a habit of winning the ball in the centre third of the pitch, which allowed them to find plenty of space on the counter attack.
Hernan Espindola, in particular, gave the Sydney FC defence plenty of headaches, acting as a yo-yo down the left wing between defence and attack.
Although Victory-s first goal bucked that trend with a low key build up catching the Sydney defence off-guard.
Victory were rewarded a free kick, and it was quickly transferred in to an attacking area in the box.
Captain Damir Lokvancic took advantage to net the ball home after a series of deflections.
The skipper was lively up front for the home side, directing traffic and creating opportunities at regular intervals.
Their second goal, to hit the lead, followed their usual pattern of play of distributing to players on the move.
This time it was Luke O-Dea who found some space after another well designed low cross.
Sydney FC scored first, after a goal-keeping blunder off a back pass deep in defence.
Kwabene Boahene flicked the ball back to goal-keeper Tando Velaphi, who made the error of holding on to it for too long.
He was dispossessed by Mitchell Mallia who finished the easiest of goals.
They did fail to convert a penalty, too, as Velaphi made an excellent save, a kick Sydney FC captain Jared Lum is likely to rue.
But in the main, Sydney’s passing wasn-t as crisp as Victory’s and they didn’t create the same chances as the home side.
Sydney did lift their intensity in the second half, but their chances came few and far between. Their cause was not helped when Tomislav Mijic was red carded for a dangerous challenge.
A late corner in injury time appeared to be their best chance, but Victory was quick to snuff out any threat.
Melbourne Victory 2 (Lokvanic 26-, O-Dea -33)
Sydney FC 1 (Mallia 10-)
