Some sound Sydney defending and a Roar-assisted goal is all that separated two teams performing below standard tonight.
The Roar reigned in their attacking flair until late in the match, hoping to come over the top of Sydney's tiring crocks.
The tactic didn't pay off however. The Roar went behind early in the second half thanks to a well constructed but slightly fortuitous goal and Sydney's centre backs ’ÄîIain Fyfe and Jacob Timpano ’Äî held out until the end.
Both coaches lamented their teams' below-par performances; Sydney fans, though happy to be still atop the table, must wondering when that par will reveal itself.
The crowd of 13,030 was disappointing, considering the fine, warm weather and the debut of Japanese hero Kazuyoshi Miura. At least Sydney's dedicated fans in the Cove turned out in number. Pre-match entertainment consisted of a cheeky Roar supporter taunting the Cove and attracting some lazily tossed projectiles. After being escorted away for fear of creating an incident his orange wig was "borrowed". A few minutes crowd-surfing and then the trophy was raised on a pole ’Äî symbolic of the Queenslanders' eventual fate.
For some reason there were more Japanese journalists and fans at the match than Roar fans! Kids waited outside the ground after the game and ran screaming as Kazu emerged from the media conference as though he was a pop-star. Even in Australia he is more a football celebrity than ’Ķ Dwight Yorke.
Sydney kicked off and received the first chance, thanks to a poor Queensland back pass. David Zdrilic almost got onto the scoresheet in the second minute but Tom Willis collected the ball just before Zdrilic could make contact.
Sydney looked more the goods in the opening period, thanks largely to Steve Corica, who was giving his best A-League performance for the Sydney-siders. He later reverted to fooling himself and his team mates with his trickery, but in the first 20 minutes he was in everything and tearing Queensland apart.
In the seventh minute, Corica beat Todd Gava and Hyuk-Su Seo (one of Roar's most important) down the left, before crossing. Zdrilic tried to blast through some defenders. The ball fell again for Sydney in the Roar penalty area. David Carney hacked at the ball, not realising Corica was better positioned.
Alvin Ceccoli ’Äî mostly too strong and canny for his Roar opponents ’Äî dragged back to come around Stuart McLaren who fouled him outside the left side of the Queensland penalty area. Corica's kick went nowhere useful.
Sydney enjoyed a spell of winning much ball in the middle of the park.
A Gava cross was headed clear by Timpano (I'm beginning to worry about the state of the contents of this chap's meninges).
In the tenth minute Osvaldo Carro (another Roar highlight) had a free kick from 23 metres. He was on target but did not trouble Clint Bolton.
Three minutes later Remo Buess conceded a corner under pressure from Carney. The corner was played back for Ufuk Talay, positioned just in front of the back four. Talay's long cross was just over the head of Saso Petrovski (who after the match should have alerted his team mates he wasn't 2.5 metres tall).
Corica was outrunning his markers. Roar were making Sydney look ’Ķ fast.
But Royce Brownlie got around Fyfe and put over a decent cross from the right.
In the 16th minute, on a Queensland corner, Stuart McLaren ran in to hit a strong header to the right of goal. Good chance. Gone.
Brownlie then beat Ceccoli and won a free kick from him to the right of the Sydney penalty area. Carro played back for Seo to spray the ball high. Another chance. Gone.
Corica was fouled by Matt McKay after Zdrilic, supplied by Corica, cannoned a kick into several Queensland players. Talay shot the free kick into the wall and then chipped the rebound to no-one.
While Corica was playing very well, Talay looked out of place and needed some guidance from the sideline.
Brownlie fouled Corica but soon was involved in a good, fast passing forward movement with Carro and Alex Brosque (who also looked out of position).
Buess copped a yellow for a harsh foul on Petrovski.
Ceccoli shepherded Brosque away from a Roar ball into the goal box.
Sydney lost direction.
Timpano made a good tackle to stop Carro encroaching into the left side of the Sydney penalty area.
Lots of popping and bobbing balls from both sides ’Ķ going nowhere.
Chad Gibson put in a good tackle to stop Corica down the left after Zdrilic got onto a nice ball from Ceccoli.
Petrovski, persistent and determined, out-muscled Gava but couldn't regain sufficient balance to also beat McLaren.
In the 32nd minute a long throw from Ceccoli was kindly headed on by a Roar defender to Petrovski who won some new fans by executing a bicycle kick just over the Queensland crossbar.
Gibson got in before Zdrilic to clear a through ball.
A lovely movement out of defence by Sydney ended with a Ceccoli cross not finding Zdrilic.
Carney, very quiet in this game, found it hard to beat Dodd and Buess. At the other end, Fyfe and Timpano were always too good for Brosque and Brownlie.
Gava got on the end of a cross from the left, but guided it wide.
Ceccoli hit another good cross ’Ķ but just too high for Petrovski and Zdrilic.
In the 43rd minute McLaren chased back hard to stop Zdrilic and concede a corner. This was a good chance for Sydney: Fyfe headed over.
The uneventful end to a drab half was a free kick from Carro that drifted left of goal to be caught by Bolton.
Seo had another chance at the beginning of the second half. He played a good through ball to Brosque and then latched onto the clearance for a shot to the left of goal.
In the 48th minute, after Brownlie beat Carney and Packer down the left, a long, low header from Carro flew past Bolton and just beyond the right post.
Then Carro was free running into the box onto a lob over the defence, but Bolton used all his body at the right post to halt Carro's approach.
Ceccoli cut out a long pass from Brownlie to half time substitution Spase Dilevski.
In the 54th minute Talay found Carney who was stationed more toward the centre. Carney worked the ball onto Petrovski on the left edge of the Roar penalty area. Petrovski rounded his marker and shot. Willis palmed the ball wide to the right of goal but Zdrilic, who had run to the right post, was on hand to slide the ball back on target. Gibson arrived in time to stop the ball squeezing inside the left post, but in the process forced it inside the right. Zdrilic had scored his first goal in the Hyundai A-League and Sydney were in the lead.
Gibson recovered from every defender's worst nightmare to prove how not fast Zdrilic can move. Zdrilic used his body well to slip through two defenders to run onto a long throw from Packer (who must soon get pulled up for throwing one-handed). Zdrilic was in the clear. For two seconds. Gibson ran him down effortlessly.
Talay damaged Matt McKay who returned to the pitch twice the player.
Dodd gave the ball away to Carney who went for his usual cut-left-run-and-shoot-at-keeper.
In the 62nd minute Carro made way for Michael Baird, who proved a different kettle of fish for the Sydney defenders.
McKay, having digested his Proton Energy Pill, robbed Sydney in the middle of the park and nearly found Buess running into the left side of the Sydney penalty area.
Baird won a corner off Packer after good work by Brownlie down the left. Dilevski's kick was met by a Buess header, just over the crossbar and just beyond a finishing nod from Baird.
Baird performed some wizardry around Carney and won a free kick. Queensland were unlucky not to make contact on the end of McKay's set piece.
The first thing Terry McFlynn did after replacing the out-of-sorts Talay was to foul Baird. Baird, who for all his skill is a bit of a feeble sook, was in more trouble from the referee for his remonstrations.
Queensland's final significant change was bringing Massimo Murdocca on for Buess. A less significant change on the pitch but one the fans were calling for was the debut of "Kazu" Miura a minute later.
Kazu was immediately called upon to take a free kick, which he flicked to the left of goal.
McKay pulled a good ball back for Seo who should have shot but instead pushed the ball on into the Sydney penalty area. The Roar did eventually get a shot on target but it was easy for Bolton.
Packer, Carney and Matthew Bingley played "keep the ball" but went nowhere and inevitably were robbed.
Seo brought down Petrovski.
In the 85th minute Seo, with a free kick, hit a fantastic drive that Bolton couldn't hold. But Bolton fell forward in time to gather the ball before Roar could take advantage.
Queensland pushed the ball around. Murdocca, Baird and Brosque combined before Timpano cut out a cross from Dilevski to Baird. Dilevski won a free kick.
Packer cut out a flick from Baird to Dilevski.
In time added on Sydney gave away much possession upfield.
And Timpano rattled his cerebrum for the final time this game, clearing as Queensland tried to make something from a cross into the Sydney penalty area.
Sydney coach Pierre Littbarski pretended to joke at the beginning of the post-match media conference, saying he had fun. Thanks to Zdrilic they won the game and stayed on top, he said. But ’Ķ
"It was one of our worst games." There were simple tactical mistakes. Sydney had some good situations in the second half when they used more space. Luckily Queensland were very flat. "For us, three points, hard work, defence was doing very well."
He thought Queensland would play offensively from the start, with Baird and Dilevski. But Roar coach Moron Bleiberg said he was waiting for the older Sydney players to tire before he brought on his fast attacking players.
Littbarski said he had never planned to start with Kazu and had told him he would not play four 90 minute games. Perhaps he would get more time in the next game.
Zdrilic said he had to make the most of his opportunities with competition for places in the Sydney forwards. "Today we didn't play the best and lucky for us Queensland didn't play well either and we were able to capitalise on one of the few chances we made."
Littbarski said having rested McFlynn in this game, in the first 45 minutes no-one was sharp. Next week, however, he would have more players to choose from. He said he wasn't imagining Kazu only as a forward player.
Bleiberg summarised the game saying it was cruel to lose on a soft goal, but he couldn't claim Roar deserved to win. "I think both teams can produce better spectacle games but I think this stage of the season that everyone is thinking about efficiency and points. And both teams played tactically well and cancelled each other, making the game less entertaining than it could have been. Both of these teams can play better, obviously."
He said Roar started cautiously and as the game progressed they created more attacking play, thinking that since the average age of the Sydney players was five or six years higher than that of Queensland, Sydney would be getting tired.
So he had Baird, Murdocca and Dilevski on the bench, but unfortunately conceded a goal. Then Roar threw all caution to the wind, as in the past. He credited his players for making Sydney play the end of the game with 11 players in the last 40 metres. "We did something right and the last 20 minutes were enjoyable from my point of view ’Ķ But I don't think Clint Bolton had too much to do."
Of Kazu, Bleiberg said he did not have much time, but he could play and was quick: "You could see sometimes his thinking was too quick for his team mates. That is why one or two balls went astray. There is no doubt in my mind that in his fourth game in Sydney he will take over."