Sky Blues undone by injury time goal as Wolves secure point
Sydney FC and Wollongong Wolves have played out a dramatic 2-2 draw to begin the round 11 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Good Friday.
Sydney FC made a sensational start, opening the scoring in the 18th minute with a brilliant long-range goal.
After winning a freekick on the right, captain Alen Harbas stood up, and from 25 yards out, curled a sensational freekick into the top left corner, and with a nonchalant celebration, gave the Sky Blues a necessary lead.
And just 90 seconds later, Sydney found a second, with a beautiful team move earning them a two-goal advantage early in this clash.
A good dribble and run down the left from Will Kennedy allowed Marin France to find a pass inside to Harbas, who took a few touches to gain himself time just outside the box.
France made a late, penetrating run from wide, timing it perfectly to arrive inside the box and receive a deft pass in behind from Harbas.
Bearing down on goal, the young winger made no mistake in converting past Oliver Yates, powering in a near-post shot to give the Sydney a crucial second goal at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
Following the home team’s quickfire goals, it was a relatively quiet half in terms of chances, with a late freekick from Woon Sub Sim Wolves’ main opportunity.
Just before halftime, Wollongong were presented with a strong opportunity to get back into the game, with a brilliant Lachlan Scott through-ball eventually finding the feet of Marcus Beattie, but the winger dallied on the ball, allowing a desperate Sydney defence to clear what would have been a clear-cut opportunity to halve the deficit.
The first ten minutes of the second half saw flashes of threat at both ends, but it was the Wolves who began to take control as they looked for a route back into this encounter.
In the 57th minute, Wollongong had another golden chance to claw a goal back, after a strong period of sustained possession allowed Masciovecchio to find the run of Ben Giason in behind.
The fullback squared a perfect ball back into the path of Lachlan Scott, who had time to shoot from inside the box, but the striker uncharacteristically couldn’t find the target as a chance went begging for the Wolves.
A minute later, Sydney created a good opportunity up the other end, as a clipped goalkick allowed them to eventually find France on the right.
The winger swung in an inch-perfect, first-time ball towards Mathias Macallister at the far post, but the striker’s clever first time shot was saved well by Yates.
As the minutes ticked on, Wolves continued to pile on the pressure, and in the 66th minute created another good chance, with a shot from Giason in the box dragging wide after a corner.
And in the 76th minute, Wollongong’s pressure finally paid off, with Nicholas Olsen earning a penalty for his side after drawing a foul from Tyler Williams in the box.
Olsen stepped up and made no mistake in finding the back of the net, setting up an exhilarating last 15 minutes at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
With Sydney sitting deep, very much protecting their lead, the pressure was on Wolves to find a way to break down their block, and they were threatening, with Olsen and substitute Liam Ball looking particularly dangerous.
In the 87th minute, a stinging shot from Olsen whizzed just past the post, as Sydney were desperately holding onto their three points.
But in stoppage time, Wolves, finally found their goal, with a goalkeeping error allowing a Liam Ball cross to find the back of the net.
With the last kick of the game, Sydney had a chance to win it, with a good drive and pass from Dylan Rose finding Taye Hedley free in the box.
But with two attempts, the attacking midfielder couldn’t find a strong shot at goal, and it finished 2-2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
Match Stats
Sydney FC 2 (Harbas 18’, France 20’)
Wollongong Wolves FC 2 (Olsen 77’, Ball 90+1’)
Friday 18 April, 2025
Ilinden Sports Centre
Referee: Reece Edwards
Assistant Referees: Blake Sanchez-Cruz and Hayden Kaye
Fourth Official: Lucy Hungerford
Sydney FC: 30. Gus Hoefsloot, 6. Tyler Williams, 14. Jared Middleton, 18. Alen Harbas (C) (10. Taye Hedley 67’), 21. Zachary De Jesus (8. Reef Farias 45’), 25. Jaiden Kucharski (9. Mathias Macallister 45’), 27. Lachlan Middleton, 29. Joe Lacey (4. Joseph Calusic 72’), 33. Marin France, 37. Will Kennedy (47. Corey Cronin 45’) 39. Dylan Rose
Substitutes Not Used: 12. Alexander Zaverdinos
Yellow Cards: Kennedy 30’, De Jesus 39’, L. Middleton 62’, Williams 76’
Red Cards: None
Wollongong Wolves FC: 1. Oliver Yates, 2. Harrison Buesnel, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 6. James Anagnostopoulos, 7. Woon Sub Sim (11. Lucas Trajcevski 86’), 8. Sebastian Durate (Dylan Ryan 86’), 17. Marcus Beattie, 21. Nicholas Olsen, 24. Lachlan Scott (10. Liam Ball 66’), 25. Alex Masciovecchio, 29. Ben Giason
Substitutes Not Used: 9. Damon Gray, 13. Daniel Solsky, 15. Dax Kelly
Yellow Cards: Woon Sub Sim 33’
Red Cards: None
Player ratings:
3 – Alen Harbas (SYD)
2 – Nichoals Olsen (WOW)
1 – Marin France (SYD)2
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
