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Wanderers goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic is sent off after handling the ball outside his area.
Wanderers goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic is sent off after handling the ball outside his area. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
Wanderers goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic is sent off after handling the ball outside his area. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

A-League: Sydney FC win storm-delayed derby after Janjetovic red card

This article is more than 5 years old
  • Western Sydney Wanderers 1-3 Sydney FC
  • Mariners make worst start in A-League history

A moment of madness by Vedran Janjetovic cost Western Sydney a shot at local bragging rights as the Wanderers went down 3-1 to Sydney FC in a match delayed almost an hour by storms.

With his team leading on Oriol Riera’s early opener, Janjetovic was red-carded in the 25th minute after handling the ball outside his box. Alex Brosque equalised for Sydney before half-time, before Siem de Jong and Jacob Tratt added the decisive goals.

The Saturday night win ensures the title favourites consolidate third spot on the A-League table and leaves the Wanderers with just one derby win in their past 16 meetings.

Janjetovic’s mistake came after he needlessly came out of his box to field a long ball. His miscued kick fell to Adam le Fondre, whose shot forced the former Sydney goalkeeper to parry with his hands from outside his area.

The brain snap instantly ended a dominant start by the hosts and their lead went soon after, with Brosque the first to react to a low Josh Brillante fizzer hit the post just before half time.

Siem de Jong celebrates his goal for Sydney FC. Photograph: Craig Golding/AAP

It didn’t take long for the visitors to take the lead after the break, with De Jong given oodles of time to fire home after the Wanderers failed to clear a corner. Substitute Tratt made sure of victory with 10 minutes to play.

Miserable conditions delayed kick-off twice before lightning forced officials to push the start a third time. That were also a factor in the derby’s lowest ever crowd of 18,043.

Sydney FC coach Steve Corica hailed his team for remaining focused on the task despite the late start and red card.

“Sometimes it’s difficult as well when they go a man down, to break them down. They stay very compact and you’ve got to find a way to do that,” he said. “We broke them down and got the goals we needed.”

Wanderers coach Markus Babbel admitted the Janjetovic error came at a crucial moment. “Until this situation we were good in the game,” he said. “We created good chances, we scored, but it wasn’t the best idea from (Vedran).

Mariners slump to worst start in A-League history

In Wellington, Central Coast Mariners have an unwanted place in A-League history after a 2-0 away loss to Wellington.

Phoenix fullback Louis Fenton and forward Sarpreet Singh bagged their first goals of the season in Saturday’s opening half and that proved comfortably enough against the injury-plagued visitors, who remain stuck at the bottom of the table.

The Mariners’ start to the season is the worst in the league’s history. No other team has recorded just two competition points through the first eight rounds. The result also extends their winless run to a club-record 14 games, including losses in their past six.

Jake McGing and Kalifa Cisse of the Mariners show their disappointment at the final whistle after another defeat Photograph: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

The Mariners never looked like breaking that duck, with an injury crisis seriously affecting the quality of their play at Westpac Stadium.

Already missing key front men Ross McCormack and Tommy Oar, they lost goalkeeper Ben Kennedy this week to a leg injury, forcing Mike Mulvey to hand 21-year-old Adam Pearce his A-League debut.

Pearce was partly to blame for the ninth-minute opener, having blocked a deflected strike from Mandi directly to the feet of Fenton.

He could do little about the second, when Roy Krishna snuck past Kalifa Cisse too easily and centred to Singh, who comfortably slotted home from close range.

It was a second-straight win for the resurgent hosts after last week’s 3-1 boilover against Sydney FC. Captain Andrew Durante said this week the long-struggling Kiwi outfit were taking their game to a new level under Mark Rudan. While their finishing was clinical, they were as guilty as the Mariners of giving away possession carelessly in what was mostly a messy contest.

The Phoenix were content to operate largely off the break through speedy striker Krishna and also looked impressive down the left flank, where 18-year-old fullback Liberato Cacace was the original source of both goals. Rudan made one change, with fit-again goalkeeper Filip Kurto replacing Oliver Sail. The Polish stopper wasn’t forced to make a save until the 80th minute.

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