After a chaotic 1-1 draw between Sydney FC and Melbourne City in the Isuzu UTE A-League Semi Final first leg, Matt Comito delivers five things you may have missed from the game.
How did that finish 1-1?
It was a breathless Semi Final first leg, featuring incredible saves, two disallowed goals, a missed penalty, re-taken then converted, VAR drama, and two Isuzu UTE A-League sides unwilling to take a backward step.
And next week, we get to do it all again at AAMI Park.
Amid the mayhem, these are the moments you may have missed from Sydney FC v Melbourne City in the first leg of an evenly-poised Semi Final first leg at Allianz Stadium.
SEMI FINAL DRAMA! Penalty re-taken, two goals chalked off in Sydney v City epic
EXTRAORDINARY: The moment that swung Semi Final – ‘Have we seen that pinged all season?’
MASTERSTROKE: The three word instruction that ‘worked out perfectly’ for Leckie’s City opener
Diego Caballo: Striker!?
With 92 minutes on the clock, Sydney FC head coach Steve Corica dipped into his bench to bring left-back Diego Caballo onto the park.
When he replaced attacking midfielder Max Burgess, it appeared the Sydney head coach was tinkering his formation, to add late reinforcements to his defence.
Then, the defender ventured forward to take up a role in the Sky Blues attack.
For the final knockings of the Semi Final first leg, Sydney played with Caballo in support of fellow substitute Patrick Wood up top. Cue a collective double take between Sky Blues fans at Allianz Stadium, particularly considering young gun Adrian Segecic was also on the bench.
But the gamble almost paid dividends. Caballo put a late shot on target, showing great technique to turn his marker with back to goal and fire an accurate shot toward City keeper Tom Glover on the swivel.
“No, not really (part of the plan),” Sydney FC boss Corica joked after the game.
“Woody yes, we wanted to get Adam off and get some fresh legs off there and give him a bit of a rest. We know what Woody can do when he makes these forward runs, he did quite well putting them on the back foot.
“Diego, no, not necessarily. We knew he would give us a lot of energy in that role to press and we knew he gives you legs going forward as well.”
Caballo has scored seven goals in 239 senior appearances throughout his career.
City’s midfield plaster works to patch over the absence of significant Socceroo
When the teamsheets landed ahead of kick-off on Friday night, the absence of one name was truly glaring: Aiden O’Neill.
The recent Socceroos debutant has been one of the players of the season, scoring four goals from central midfield, adding to City’s silk and style whilst typifying the role of a box-to-box runner with an unlimited tank.
O’Neill was named in City’s Thursday squad submission – but did not make the trip up to Sydney. He remained in Melbourne instead due to a back spasm, revealed his head coach Rado Vidosic post-game.
The club expects O’Neill to be back for Friday night’s second leg at AAMI Park.
BUY TICKETS FOR THE MELBOURNE CITY V SYDNEY FC, SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL
In his place, Vidosic shoehorned playmaker Florin Berenguer into a much deeper role to mitigate any potential damage caused by O’Neill’s absence.
“We absolutely missed (O’Neill),” admitted Vidosic post-match. “I think he was one of the key players the whole season. He breaks down the opponent’s attacks, he wins a lot of balls. I was told he is going to be okay.
“He’s got (a) spasm in his back. So he could not travel, it would be too risky to travel, so we left him in Melbourne. Fingers crossed he’s going to be okay on Friday.
Vidosic has at times called upon club captain and left-back Scott Jamieson to provide central cover, but he remained on the bench for Friday’s final as Berenguer, Richard van der Venne and Valon Berisha occupied the midfield.
Jamieson was eventually thrust into City’s engine room late in the piece, replacing Berenguer after 84 minutes. He was joined in there by Mathew Leckie, who like Berenguer and Jamieson showed versatility to shift from his preferred position to take up a midfield role.
‘Just let it stand’: Three-minute pause for goal review sparks confusion in Semi Final
With 17 minutes and four seconds on the game clock, Mathew Leckie put Melbourne City one goal ahead in Friday night’s Semi Final against Sydney FC.
What followed was a further three minutes and 29 seconds of deliberation as referee Adam Kersey, with the help of the video assistant referee, reviewed a potential offside call that could have flipped the Semi Final script.
Leckie scored via a close-range header, benefiting off Valon Berisha’s deadly delivery from a wide free-kick to give City a lead which, after 17 minutes, was a lead carved out against the run of play.
Sydney FC were making all the early noises at Allianz Stadium – but conceding a set piece to the Premiers quickly became their undoing as Leckie leapt above City teammate Marco Tilio to score the opener.
And it was Tilio’s position at the taking of the free-kick that caught the eye of the officiating team. The 21-year-old was toeing the line between on and offside as Berisha swung the ball into the box; he pushed off Adam Le Fondre at the near post, but could not get near the flight of the delivery as Leckie rose high to make the telling contribution.
Network 10 co-commentator was the voice of reason as referee Kersey and VAR Shaun Evans deliberated over the decision: “If it’s this close, just let it stand!”
Glover’s ghost save lost amidst first-half heroics
On the cusp of half-time, Tom Glover produced a miraculous double save to keep City’s sheet clean heading into half-time.
Network 10 commentator Simon Hill described it as “world class” – and he was right: Glover did well to repel Anthony Caceres’ initial shot from a tight angle, but had no right to get a hand to Mak’s follow-up, diving backward to almost scoop the goal-bound effort out to safety.
But way back in the 11th minute, Glover produced a fingertip touch which came in a spell of early Sky Blue ascendancy. It was of equal importance to his highlight-reel antics late in the first stanza.
Glover made the sharp save down to his right, depriving Adam Le Fondre a finish into the bottom-left corner. Referee Kersey missed the City keeper’s intervention, and pointed for a goal kick. Le Fondre let his frustration be known as City escaped the close call without the need to defend a corner.
Less than 10 minutes later, City took the lead, and Glover walked off the pitch at half-time as City’s most pivotal performer.
At the break, Paramount+ analyst Alex Brosque identified his double save as a classic example of how the finals pressure cooker can either make or break players in big moments.
“Glover at the end, an incredible couple of saves,” Brosque said.
“There have only been a couple of moments – but City have come up big in both of those.
“That big one at the end with Glover: incredible. They’re the moments when you look back on a match, and how a side won or lost, that save there will be so important.”
BUY TICKETS FOR THE MELBOURNE CITY V SYDNEY FC, SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL
Another missed penalty in Sydney FC’s 2022-23 catalogue
It won’t go down as a missed spot kick in the first leg statistics – City defender Callum Talbot’s encroachment made sure of that.
But Anthony Caceres’ initial saved attempt from 12 yards in the second half of Friday night’s semi continued an unwanted Sky Blues trend – and it could prove pivotal in a second leg that could ultimately be decided by a shootout on Friday, May 19.
Talbot’s indiscretion is what made Caceres’ saved penalty inconsequential, as Le Fondre took responsibility of the re-take to bury Sydney’s equaliser.
Le Fondre showed guts and confidence to direct his penalty toward the bottom-left corner – the same direction Caceres struck his attempt that was saved astutely by Glover.
BUY TICKETS FOR THE MELBOURNE CITY V SYDNEY FC, SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL
It was Sydney’s eighth penalty of the season. They’ve now scored just two of them. The conversion rate of 25% is the worst regular-season figure since success rates were first recorded by Opta in the 2012-13 A-League Men season (minimum three attempts).
Sydney head into Friday night’s second leg level with City at 1-1, with the prospect of a shootout on the cards should the two sides not be separated after the two legs.
A-League Men penalty success rate (min three taken) since 2012-13
| Team | Season | Penalties Taken | Goals (penalties) | Penalty Success |
| Sydney FC | 2022/2023 | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| Western United | 2021/2022 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Melbourne Victory | 2020/2021 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Newcastle Jets | 2018/2019 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2013/2014 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Wellington Phoenix | 2014/2015 | 8 | 3 | 38% |
| Wellington Phoenix | 2022/2023 | 8 | 4 | 50% |
| Adelaide United | 2019/2020 | 6 | 3 | 50% |