In front of the lowest crowd ever for an A-League game at the Sydney Football Stadium the home side, Sydney FC firmly implanted themselves at the bottom of the Hyundai A-League table, when they were defeated 3-1 by Adelaide United on Saturday night. The result also promoted Adelaide to the top of the same table, lest to say until Perth plays Wellington the next day.
Adelaide commenced the first half with great intent and never let off. Sydney, though were hardly sighted and only provided the rare threatening incursion into the Adelaide area. It was not as such the dominance of the Red's defenders, yet more the fact that Sydney's tactics were being stymied and their play somewhat lame.
As early as the second minute, Sydney's goal was under threat with Marcos Flores sending a shot wide of the far post. Sergio van Dijk followed up only two mintues later with a headed miss from an Adam Hughes cross.
The two attacks gave Sydney notice, yet it would be from a set piece that Adelaide broke the deadlock. After nine minutes, an inoccuous foul by Scott Jamieson on Mathew Leckie resulted in a free kick 25m out from goal. The resulting shot from van Dijk took the smallest of deflections off the wall and beat Liam Reddy at the near post. It was van Dijk's first goal of the season.
Sydney's marquee player Nick Carle then tried to take matters into his own hands with a run through the defence followed by a shot, but as with all other attempts during the half, Eugene Galekovic was not to be troubled.
It would be his couterpart, Reddy, who would need to be in fine form to avoid seeing his team travel to the sheds too many goals down. Not more than five minutes post the goal, he came out to save well when Leckie was put through one-on-one following a header from van Dijk.
While Jamieson headed over from a Mark Bridge cross, all the rest of the action took place at the other end. First a diving header from Hughes was saved well and then Iain Fyfe headed over from a Hughes corner.
Sydney's ability to keep the score down lasted only until ten minutes from the half. A Sydney attack broke down when Carle sent a poor pass to the right. Cassio intercepted and strong work by van Dijk saw the ball fall to Hughes. He released Leckie into the right channel. The Adelaide striker was true with his shot sending the ball into the far corner of the goal.
Adelaide did not stop there, and Flores may have done better with a near post run, his header, following a Cassio cross, floating wide of the far post. Even in the final seconds, Hughes had a shot blocked.
The break did nothing to halt the momentum built up in the opening stanza. The opening minutes though, unlike the opening half, involved more of Sydney. Kofi Danning sent a weak shot at Galekovic and Carle tried to imprint himself with some not so wayward attempts, yet not troubling the opposing goal.
Then Adelaide had the ball in the net again. Yet, from Reid's free kick the assistant referee adjudged that one of the Adelaide players was offside the goal did not count. The reprise was brief as within less than a minute, a goal did count. This time Flores put in Leckie down the right. His fierce shot was parried by Reddy and van Dijk was the first to react, twisting his body to slam the ball into the net.
Sydney coach Viteszlav Lavicka then sent on new recruit Bruno Cazarine, only cleared to play hours before the game. His impact initially was minimal, but the team lifted, for a brief moment, as a Sung-Hwan Byun free kick was headed home by Stephan Keller for his first true strike of the campaign.
It appeared that the momentum was about to swing to Sydney and a few free kicks and corners by Byun caused problems for the Adelaide defence, but eventually the visitors were able to wrestle the ball into their hands and grab control of the game.
Having slowed the game down, they kept Sydney at bay leaving for only Byun crosses to cause any concern. The Korean was trying his utmost to create chances for his team, yet his own teammates were unable to convert.
Thus, it would be Adelaide who would threaten as the crowd slowly streamed out of the stadium. A glancing header form van Dijk was well saved by Reddy and a free kick from Lucas Pantelis was headed over for a corner by Sebastian Ryall with Leckie in attendance.
The game eventually petered out as Sydney set up its worst start to a season in the history of the club and Adelaide showed that last season was an abheration.