- Bobô - 10'
- Kosta Barbarouses - 83'
Sydney FC up to second with win over Melbourne Victory
Sydney FC downed Melbourne Victory for the third time this season in a 2-0 win at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
The Sky Blues dominated large portions of their A-League clash but it looked like only an early Bobo goal would separate the sides before Kosta Barbarouses added a late clincher.
Not slated to play with Trent Buhagiar initially named in the side, Bobo only got a last-minute call-up when his teammate appeared to injure himself in the warm-up.
He took full advantage. Luke Brattan whipped in a sharp corner in the 10th minute, with an unmarked Adam Le Fondre heading a heavy ball into Victory goalkeeper Matt Acton.
The deflection landed straight into the path of Bobo who toe-poked home the simplest of goals -- his third opener from as many matches against the struggling Victory this season.
From there it was sometimes inspired, but often patchy as the Sky Blues frequently failed to take advantage of good lead-up work.
Sydney dialled up the pressure in the second half, at one stage having six unanswered shots on goal but their failure to again put a match away ensured some nervous moments in defence.
The best sequence for the Victory came in the 66th minute when Jake Brimmer ripped a shot on the diagonal to force Andrew Redmayne into a diving save which was shortly followed by a glancing header from Storm Roux and a tap-in that didn't find the target from Dylan Ryan.
In the 83rd minute Barbarouses finally sealed the deal, finishing with ease after replacement Milos Ninkovic sauntered into the box and laid off to his teammate in space.
The win was Sydney's eighth in a row against Victory and sees them overtake Central Coast into second in the league with 38 points.
Victory, on 15 points, stay 11th and just one point clear of Newcastle as the Melbourne side hope desperately to avoid their first wooden spoon in the competition.
Game Information
Australian A-League Men Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland FC | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | +5 | 19 |
| Adelaide United | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | +8 | 18 |
| Melbourne Victory | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | +8 | 17 |
| Melbourne City FC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | +6 | 14 |
| Western United | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +3 | 12 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | +4 | 11 |
| Macarthur FC | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | +4 | 11 |
| Sydney FC | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Wellington Phoenix FC | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 10 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -5 | 9 |
| Newcastle Jets | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -3 | 6 |
| Perth Glory | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -19 | 5 |
| Brisbane Roar | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -10 | 2 |
A-League Men News