SYDNEY LOSES, COPS JEERS
ON a perfect summer’s evening, storm clouds gathered over Jubilee Stadium and on the faces of Sydney FC’s shellshocked players.
A 3-1 home defeat to Wellington sounds as comprehensive as it was, the visitors having scored their trio of goals well before halftime, and the Sky Blues left the suburban arena to an unfamiliar chorus of boos.
Roy Krishna’s brace and Steven Taylor’s 38th-minute goal gave Wellington its com- fortable halftime lead. Michael Zullo scored a late consolation goal for the hosts in the 89th minute.
Though this was only Sydney’s second defeat of the season, the manner of it was what so alarmed the supporters. A similarly dishevelled display in the derby next week could have serious repercussions.
“The first half wasn’t good enough, we got caught out way too often,” said coach Steve Corica, promising changes in personnel.
“It’s the second week in a row that we’ve had a bad start, and you can’t afford to do that.
“It’s very hard to come back from three goals down.
“The second half was better, but we want to play good football and win.”
Sydney conceded three goals for the first time in a regular season game for nearly 33 months, its famously durable defensive spine splintering.
“It’s never easy,” said Wellington coach Mark Rudan.
“A lot of planning and preparation went into this. We wanted to press them high and you could see how tired the players were at the end.”