The Western Sydney Wanderers have doubled their A-League Premiership points tally with a draw against the Newcastle Jets tonight at Parramatta Stadium.
The Wanderers were the far better of the two outfits, but could only take the point away after some sloppy defending let Marcos Flores 27th minute equaliser following Tomi Juric's stunning volley in the 12th.
Edison Montano the big man upfront for Newcastle should have give the away side the lead in the 10th minute. A long punt from Ben Kennedy, taking his place in the starting lineup as Phil Stubbins dropped #1 Mark Birighitti to the bench, saw Shannon Cole bring the ball down but directly into the path of Montano. Ante Covic scrambled back to the goal line but slipped on the turf. All the striker needed was to calmly pass the ball into the open net but instead scooped it high and wide. It was embarrassing play all round.
Two minutes later Juric did open the scoring. His 9th A-League goal was a pearler, Vitor Saba delivering a deep corner to the back post. The Jets fell asleep and left Juric wide open and he took full advantage, blasting a left foot volley through the crowd in the penalty area and past Kennedy.
Marcos Flores came within a whisker of equalising in the 19th minute. Montano, on the left flank lobbed in a cross that Cole stupidly headed back across goal instead of out of play. Flores thumped a powerful volley from the edge of the area and it nearly cracked the crossbar in half with Ante Covic stood still as a statue.
The warning wasn't heeded by the Wanderers defence and they let Flores get his equaliser. David Carney, the man who cost Australia the Asian Cup, chipped into Flores who was given the freedom of the penalty area with Daniel Alessi getting caught in no-man's land when he should have been marking the dangerous attacking midfielder's run into the box. Flores brought the ball down with a single touch then slipped the ball past the onrushing Covic with a neat backheel.
That goal signalled the second bus parking at Parramatta Stadium in the space of a week, the Wanderers dominating crosses, corners, shots and territory but being unable to get back in front before half-time, Nikita Rukavytsya having the best chance with his fearsome left peg, rifling a long range effort after beating Nick Cowburn all ends up. His strike was palmed away by Kennedy.
Tomi Juric came the closest to a goal in the second half, Rukavytsya going past three Jets defender before laying it off for Juric. Juric's first time curling effort curled back in on goal like a guided missile but it impacted the post and bounced out for a goal kick. Juric had another good chance in the 77th, getting on the end of a short cross he leapt and made good contact with the head but it lacked power and was directed straight at the keeper.
As the Wanderers pressed for the winner substitute Labinot Haliti near stole the three points at the death, after some pinball in the box it fell to the winger who lashed a right foot strike that would have been on target had it not been for a lucky block from a Jets defender that saw the ball skew out for another corner.
Nothing came from that or any other chance in the final few minutes, Western Sydney taking 1 point from a game that could easily have gone either way, the Wanderers wayward defending in the first half only being punished once while the Jets got away with the help of the woodwork and lucky deflections. Tony Popovic and his men would be the unhappier of the two teams as this makes two games in a row they were the better team on the night but unable to prove it on the scoreboard.
For perhaps the first time since the inaugural Sydney Derby, it will be the blue quarter of Sydney that will go in as favourites. With 6th place already 4 points behind and 1st placed Perth Glory a full 16 points ahead of the Wanderers the Red & Black need to start picking up points before the fixture pileup set to take place due to the Club World Cup.
The Wanderers next game is the Sydney Derby, on Saturday the 29th of November at Parramatta Stadium, kickoff at 7:30PM.
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