United 58 and Wolves split points in goalless affair
Sydney United 58 and Wollongong Wolves both proved equal to the task of facing one another as they played out a tough 0-0 stalemate at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The two clubs both battled hard in a clash that ultimately saw neither find the crucial breakthrough, a result that fares better for the hosts as they maintained their five-point lead over Wollongong and two-point lead in sixth.
The game was preceded by a presentation of the Australian Championship trophy, carried onto the field by captains in Adrian Vlastelica and Banri Kanaizumi, with Sydney United 58 the latest to host the prize that will be fought for later in the year.
The match commenced shortly after with the Wolves creating the opening chance in the fifth minute via forward Nicholas Olsen, who hit a grounded effort towards the bottom left that was knocked away by United 58 keeper Vedran Janjetovic.
The hosts’ first goalscoring opportunity came in the 34th minute after some excellent team play saw the ball reach Mason Wells just outside the area, with the winger unleashing a powerful strike that forced a strong save out of Wolves shot stopper Daniel Solsky.
Anthony Krilic was key to the first chance of the second half, with the full back releasing a firm shot in the 53rd minute from distance that went just wide of the left post.
Flynn Madden was next to try his luck from distance, with the Wolves midfielder striking the ball nicely towards the bottom left corner only for Janjetovic to produce another solid save.
Wollongong came incredibly close to breaking the deadlock in the 87th minute when the ball found its way to Lachlan Scott in the box, who went around Janjetovic and took a shot from a tight angle with the desperate Janjetovic launching himself just in time to hit it out.
Mason Wells nearly secured the three points for United 58 in the 90th minute with an excellent curling shot from outside the box, but Solsky managed to make the save.
Wells came up with another long-range effort in the 90+3rd minute, with that one taking a deflection that took it towards the top left with Solsky doing well to keep it out.
A professional foul by Finn Ballard-McBride on Lachlan Scott kickstarted a late scuffle between the players in what proved to be the final noteworthy moment in a fiercely fought clash.
Sydney United 58 coach Ante Juric noted the game was very difficult and, while not the result he was hoping for, felt the performance was an improvement from previous weeks.
Speaking on what they need to work on for the remaining games, Juric said.
“We need to prove in our all-round game for the coming games. Today, we dominated a lot of possession but we just didn’t score and didn’t even create as clear-cut chances as we would have wanted.”
Wolves interim coach Julio Miranda stated his pleasure in the draw given the difficulty of going away to United 58, believing the point is a positive one for their goal of squeezing into the top six.
“There is a long-term target for the group. Obviously, getting a point here is part of that. We have just got to keep building. We have some games at home coming up in the next few weeks so we have got to try take advantage of that,” Miranda told Football NSW.
Match Stats
Sydney United 58 0
Wollongong Wolves 0
Sunday 13 July
Sydney United Sports Centre
Referee: Danny Horstead
Assistant Referees: Arinath Gobinath and Alessandro Llana
Fourth Official: Noah Moss
Sydney United 58: 21. Vedran Janjetovic, 3. Bailey Rule, 4. Adrian Vlastelica, 8. Mario Shabow, 10. Carlos De Oliveira, 16. Anthony Krilic, 17. Michael Glassock, 19. Aidan Milicevic (43. Michael Pratezina 71’), 23. Mason Wells, 30. Marco Arambasic (13. Finn Ballard-McBride 56’), 32. Leroy Jennings (11. Matthew Hatch 71’)
Substitutes Not Used: 5. Anthony Tomelic, 20. Adrian-Jamie Bazina, 37. Luke Zuvela
Yellow Cards: Finn Ballard-McBride 90+6’
Red Cards: Nil
Wollongong Wolves: 13. Daniel Solsky, 2. Harrison Buesnel, 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 7. Woon Sub Sim, 17. Marcus Beattie, 21. Nicholas Olsen, 23. Flynn Madden 25. Alex Masciovecchio (11. Sebastian Hernandez 71’), 29. Ben Giason, 77. Raphael Le’ai (24. Lachlan Scott 56’)
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Oliver Yates, 8. Sebastian Duarte, 10. Liam Ball, 15. Dax Kelly
Yellow Cards: Banri Kanaizumi 22’, Lachlan Scott 90+6’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3: Harrison Buesnel (WW)
2: Mario Shabow (SU58)
1: Vedran Janjetovic (SU58)
-By Dimitri Kallos
