01-20-2007, 11:36 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Australia
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Rep Power: 2  | Sydney Through to Finals; A-League
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Sydney through to play-offs
Sunday, 21 January, 2007 - 1:18AM
A depleted Sydney FC has overcome the odds to book a place in the playoffs following a tense 1-1 draw with Queensland Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
The reigning champion managed to hold on despite being reduced to 10-men in the latter stages when Ufuk Talay was sent off after receiving his second yellow card of the match.
The draw means Sydney finishes in fourth place - ahead of the Roar on goal difference alone - and now faces a minor semi-final meeting with either Newcastle or Adelaide next weekend.
Alex Brosque opened the scoring for Sydney, taking full advantage of a slip from Remo Buess, who was playing only because Josh McCloughan was suspended. The goal was Brosque's third in just five rounds and gave Sydney the ascendancy early.
Damian Mori then scored his second goal in as many weeks after a sublime knock down from Brazilian striker Reinaldo. He might have had a second on the hour mark with a stunning volley but was denied.
The visitors, though, didnÂ’t seem to be lacking any continuity and after Reinaldo had wasted a good chance to cross after shaking off the attentions of Robbie Middleby, Brosque struck.
David Zdrilic was again influential with the hard-working forward turning the ball towards the near post from the edge of the box and as Buess slipped, Brosque nipped in ahead and finished with his unfavoured right foot from close range.
The goal came at the same end as Brosque had opened his Roar account against New Zealand 18 months ago but this time it was the 200-strong travelling support making all the noise.
With Queensland now needing to score twice, it clawed back half the deficit just seven minutes later when Mori caught Sydney's back three napping to poach his eighth for the season.
A 60m diagonal ball from Sasa Ognenovski was nodded down between Fyfe and Rudan by Reinaldo and Mori coolly slotted home first time past Bolton.
Roar coach Frank Farina replaced Massimo Murdocca with Ante Milicic at half-time but despite plenty of possession only Spase Dilevski hit the target in the opening minutes before, at the other end, Middleby's shot from an inch-perfect David Carney pass was blocked.
Then came Bolton's acrobatics when Mori connected perfectly but somehow the Sydney 'keeper pulled off a one-handed flying save to tip the ball around the post with, from the resulting corner, the follow-up shot blocked amid manic penalty appeals.
And Reinaldo spurned another gilt-edged chance when he guided a close-range header wide of Bolton's right-hand upright to the despair of the Roar bench.
Queensland piled on the pressure with Talay receiving his marching orders from referee Mark Shield after collecting the second of two bookings with 10 minutes remaining.
The midfielder, who now misses the minor semi-final, pulled back Dario Vidosic after Bolton had skewed a clearance after having been earlier booked in the first-half for delaying the kick-off after BrosqueÂ’s goal.
But Mori missed his chance of glory by driving his free-kick into the wall as Sydney held on.
Queensland Roar 1 (Mori 20)
Sydney FC 1 (Brosque 13)
Crowd: 32,371 at Suncorp Stadium
| Credit - A-League.com.au |
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