Melbourne City has snapped a six-match winless run with an important three points against Sydney FC on Sunday night.
A Shayon Harrison brace secured the result at a soggy Leichhardt Oval as City notched their first win against the Sydneysiders since the 2015/16 season.
The win moves City to fifth position on the A-League ladder as they take a week off with the international break before a clash with Western Sydney.
Starting XI
Our defensive trio returned to the starting side as Delbridge slotted into full back, Schenkeveld into centre back and De Laet into an advanced position.
With our Australian U23’s away, Najjarine and Metcalfe come onto the bench as 16-year-old Yaya Dukuly joined them. Birighitti missed the trip due to illness as Delianov takes his place on the bench while a knock to Berenguer saw the Frenchman miss out on the contest.
Our team is in for today's clash! #SYDvMCY pic.twitter.com/Fzr650Lz2O
— Melbourne City FC ?️ (@MelbourneCity) March 17, 2019
What happened
An epic Sydney downpour had almost forced the match to be postponed as a slow Leichhardt Oval got the tick of approval by officials hours before kick-off
City looked to assert their authority early on in the match as Luke Brattan had his first sight on goal. His low driven strike was tipped around the post by Andrew Redmayne as the visitors looked on the front foot from the start.
The first half became a chess battle as chances became few and far between until the final moments as Bart Schenkeveld continued his run from defence to get on the end of Jamie Maclaren’s cutback. The defender looked to flick his effort on goal instead of a conventional strike on goal as the Sydney defence gathered the crumbs.
With the impact of Sydney’s mid-week ACL trip to Japan coming into full effect, City looked to make the second half their own and they were rewarded after 63 minutes.
An interception from Kearyn Baccus opened the door to a counter attack as the midfielder took the space in front of him. With Harrison streaming to his right, Baccus slipped the midfielder in on goal as the Tottenham Hotspur loanee finished with aplomb.
With the game hanging in the balance, City found their second fifteen minutes later as Harrison rounded out his brace, albeit through a deflection.
A pinpoint cross from Harrison Delbridge found the Englishman free at the back post as his adventurous volley was deflected towards goal by Paulo Retre, leaving Redmayne rooted to the spot and doubling the visitor’s lead.
City rounded out the result with a clean sheet to boot as they returned to the winners list at such a crucial point in the season.
What’s next
After the international break, City head back to Sydney to take on the Wanderers as they look to continue their march towards the Finals Series.
