Sydney FC put a massive dent in the Hyundai A-League play-off hopes of Wellington Phoenix at the Sydney Football Stadium on January 11, handing the Kiwi team a 1-0 defeat which, ironically, kept alive the faint hopes the victors hold of making the top four themselves.
In a dour and decidedly disappointing game often bereft of quality football, there were very few chances of note in the opening half-hour of play. Tame efforts from Sydney's Mark Bridge and Wellington's Tim Brown barely tested the opposing goalkeepers, while a raking Ivan Necevski clearance on the quarter-hour gave Glen Moss plenty of cause for concern, especially given the pressure Bridge was putting him under.
Wellington's goalkeeper eventually mastered the situation, but it was Necevski who was looking on nervously after twenty minutes when Brown sent Troy Hearfield through the inside right channel, outpacing two defenders in the process. The midfielder's drive flashed past the 'keeper's near post.
Sydney had the ball in the net four minutes later, but referee Ben Williams rightly ruled out Terry 'Diego' McFlynn's punched effort, after Moss had failed to hang onto a long-range effort from Stuart Musialik.
Twelve minutes before half-time, Moss made the save of the match, a fine flying one-handed dive to his right to turn away Shannon Cole's twenty-five yard free-kick, which was whipped over the defensive wall and was curling inside the post.
Wellington were enjoying plenty of possession, but not making best use of it, and they certainly weren't penetrating the rearguard of a youthful Sydney combination like one would expect a team chasing a place in the play-offs should.
But ten minutes before the interval they twice went close to breaking the deadlock. Karl Dodd released Hearfield down the left, and he got to the by-line before whipping a cross through a crowded goalmouth to the far post. Shane Smeltz, the league's leading scorer, produced a feeble attempt - better was expected of him.
Seconds later, Hearfield was in again, and this time Smeltz did far better with the resulting deep cross, heading it down into the path of Leo Bertos. His finish, like many others from players in both teams throughout this match, didn't threaten the target.
Sydney stormed downfield from the resulting goal kick, Adam Biddle leading the charge. He cut into the penalty area off the right flank and found himself in between three hesitant Wellington defenders, each of whom was understandably wary of giving away a penalty.
Their nervousness allowed Biddle to whip in a low cross which careered across the bows of the incoming figure of Alex Brosque, who arrived just too late to capitalise on the opportunity.
Five minutes before half-time, Bridge capitalised on an Andrew Durante error to get in a low cross which zoomed across the face of goal, with Brendan Gan far too slow to react on the far post. Bridge followed this up with a rasping angled drive which just cleared the crossbar in the shadows of the half-time whistle.
If ever a game needed a goal to liven it up, it was this one, and Wellington, who needed all three points to realistically maintain their play-off prospects, did their best to break the deadlock by pressing from the outset in the second half.
They should have had a penalty on the hour, when Smeltz was nudged from behind by Gan as he prepared to unleash a volley with Bertos? cross arcing towards him, while a minute later, Bertos' corner was spilled by Necevski, who had the presence of mind to volley the ball clear as he fell, just before Smeltz could swoop on the sphere and turn it home.
The game turned on a 64th minute incident, which saw Brosque scythe down Hearfield. The Wellington player got up and eye-balled the offender, before briefly propelling his head forward as Brosque stepped back.
Referee Williams was already moving in to separate the pair and book Brosque, but with this incident happening right in front of him, the official was left with no option but to send off Hearfield for violent conduct.
The midfielder's indiscipline cost his team dearly. For Sydney, having seconds earlier introduced the youth of Kofi Danning to the fray, then threw on the wisdom of Steve Corica, and those substitutions, combined with the dismissal, sealed Wellington's fate.
Sydney began to build up a head of steam. Seventeen minutes from time, Rhyan Grant and Danning combined to present Bridge with a shooting chance, but Dodd blocked this to safety. The defender and his colleagues were undone by a brilliant move, however, five minutes from time.
Musialik won the ball inside his own half and surged downfield, before linking with Danning. The substitute played the ball inside to Corica and carried on running, while Sydney's elder statesman slipped the ball into the feet of Brosque, who had Dodd at his back.
Brosque's terrific first-time lay-off fell invitingly into the stride of Danning, who, in full flight, deftly poked the ball beyond the diving Moss and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net for a goal which clinched the points for Sydney, and left Wellington in need of two wins from their final two games - against Adelaide United (home) and Melbourne Victory (away), along with other results to go their way, if they are to make the play-offs.
Incredibly, Sydney are also in with an outside chance, but it will take wins at Queensland Roar and at home to Newcastle Jets, along with defeats in their remaining games for Central Coast Mariners and Wellington, for John Kosmina?s team to achieve something which, for long seemed unlikely.