The Western Sydney Wanderers A-League team will head on their first interstate trip this weekend, traveling to Ballarat for Sunday night’s clash against Western United.
The Western Sydney Wanderers A-League team will head on their first interstate trip this weekend, traveling to Ballarat for Sunday night’s clash against Western United.
It’s set to be another challenging match for Carl Robinson’s men who have dropped six points in their most recent fixtures against Adelaide United and Melbourne City.
Tuesday night’s result summed up a disappointing Matchweek 10 for the Red & Black with City’s Jamie Maclaren on either side of half-time helping Melbourne City win 2-0.
Craig Noone assisted the opening goal in an impressive first-half display and fellow City wide-man Andrew Nabbout operated to similar effect on the opposite wing, as City capitalised on considerable space left behind Western Sydney’s two wing-backs to launch a number of dangerous attacks.
Robinson replaced Keanu Baccus with Jordon Mutch at the break as the hosts searched for a way back into the game, but the Wanderers’ challenge became all the more difficult when a Noone cross struck James Troisi’s arm in the box, and a penalty was awarded to City.
The spot-kick was given after a VAR check and Maclaren was presented the chance to strike again – it was a chance he took with aplomb, as the Socceroos marksman lashed the penalty past Daniel Margush to put City two goals to the good.
Meanwhile, Western United will be flying high with confidence after a 95th minute Victor Sánchez strike helped ten-man Western United defeat Melbourne Victory 4-3 in an unforgettable fifth instalment of the Battle of the Bridge at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
Braces to Sánchez and Besart Berisha helped United outlast Victory, who took a 1-0 lead, fell 3-1 behind and equalised again in the 82nd-minute after Tomislav Uskok’s dismissal, only to concede defeat to United in the last minute of extra time in an instant classic between the local rivals.
The last time these two sides met was back in August with Western United coming out on top in a 5-3 thriller at Nestrata Jubilee Stadium.
An outrageous brace from Alessandro Diamanti ensured the Italian’s performance stood out amongst all the goals and drama on a rain-soaked night in Sydney, as United moved further towards securing a place in the Finals Series, whilst putting an end to the Wanderers’ finals aspirations.
Western United v Western Sydney Wanderers
Sunday 7 March 2021
Mars Stadium, 6:10pm
