Patryk Klimala was the match-winner on his A-League debut as 10-man Sydney FC defeated Western Sydney 2-1 in the first Sydney Derby of 2024-25 at CommBank Stadium.
Douglas Costa started for the Sky Blues and was involved in the winning goal, while Juan Mata would have to wait for his debut, coming on just after the hour mark.
Auckland FC triumphed 2-0 over Brisbane in their inaugural match, with a sell-out Mount Smart Stadium gallery welcoming the competition’s newest club.
Earlier, a red card and eight yellows were handed out by Shaun Evans as ten-man Melbourne City held on to down the Jets 1-0 in the Hunter.
Here’s how the first Saturday of the new A-League campaign unfolded.
How many leagues can make you feel like this? A-Leagues 2024/25 Season kicks off 18 October.
Costa influential in 10-man Sky Blues’ derby triumph
There were no fitness concerns for new Sky Blues star Douglas Costa, the Brazillian winger playing 90 minutes on debut and providing the secondary assist on Klima’s match-winning goal.
The Sky Blues controlled much of the ball in the first half with Leo Sena, Anas Ouahim and Anthony Caceres winning the engine room battle with chances limited at either end.
Not to be outshined by the arrivals of Costa and Leo Sena, Joe Lolley notched Sydney’s first goal of the campaign with a cool finish into the bottom corner, set up by a cool flick from Polish striker Patryk Klimala but also aided by quite lax Wanderers marking.
Stajcic called upon Bozhidar Kraev for the second half, no doubt desiring more possession after lacking control in the opening stanza and Aydan Hammond soon made up for his poor miss just before half-time, levelling the Sydney Derby with a quality strike.
Mata was introduced just after the hour mark, but the home fans’ joy soon turned sour when Patryk Kliama latched on to a flick from Costa’s cross to fire Sydney back in front.
Sydney had to play out the last few minutes with 10 men after substitute Max Burgess was sent off in the 87th minute for a bad foul, making for a few nervous moments as the hosts chased an equaliser.
Mata denied starting debut
Eyebrows were raised when marquee recruit Mata was among the substitutes for Western Sydney, as was ex-Wellington midfielder Kraev, who repalced Zac Sapsford at half-time.
Mata would have to keep waiting, Stajcic eventually calling the World Cup winner’s name to replace goal-scorer Hammond in the 63rd minute. The Wanderers manager claimed post-game that his star import was ready to go from the start but he wanted to save him until the game opened up.
“I think (Mata) does have the fitness to play longer,” Stajcic said.
“Definitely came in with a decent base. It’s going to take him some time to get used to playing match minutes and regular match minutes again.
“He’s a world class player. We saw some of his touches there just like Douglas Costa and so many other players on the pitch today as well.”
Tristan Vidackovic got the start between the posts ahead of Jordan Holmes, with an ankle injury keeping No.1 gloveman Lawrence Thomas out of action. The 21-year-old held his own, helpless to do much to prevent Lolley’s strike or Klimala’s deft header.
“Anyone in our squad can really play. I think we’ve got tremendous depth in our team and quality,” he said when asked about Mata’s prospects of starting the away clash with Western United.
“Juan’s just one piece of that puzzle as to who will play next week. We’ll assess that. It’s horses of course in terms of opposition and what the style of game might be as well. We’ll assess that during the week and make a decision next week on whether he starts or not.”
Auckland make dream start in front of rocking Mt Smart
Steve Corica’s Auckland FC made the perfect start to their A-League existence, defeating Brisbane 2-0 at a sold-out Mount Smart Stadium. Roar’s Harry van der Saag was the new club’s inaugural goal-scorer, which will make for a good trivia question.
Corica will be pleased with his side’s performance with tough trips to Allianz Stadium and Sky Stadium for the Kiwi Clasico to come in the next fortnight.
A sell-out looked likely after midweek reports of 20,000 tickets having already been shifted for the landmark fixture, and the fans in New Zealand’s most populous city ensured it was a full house in great scenes for the A-League.
Football supporters in Canberra or Wollongong hoping for their own A-League team wouldn’t agree with the decision to grant them a licence, but a lot of metrics are in Auckland’s favour. Let’s hope they can maintain a crowd average at least north of what the other recent expansion clubs have managed.
Ten-man City ground Jets in fiesty encounter
Despite Jimmy Jeggo’s 70th-minute red card for violent conduct against Eli Adams, Marco Tilio’s early goal was enough as Melbourne City closed out their first victory of 2024-25. Shaun Evans was right to send Jeggo for an early shower after he dug his studs into the Jets youngster’s back.
Along with the red card, Evans brandished a whopping eight yellows as the opening round clash got fiesty.
Young goakeeper Patrick Beach was given the nod in goal ahead of veteran Jamie Young and impressed on his A-League debut, making several quality saves.
Newcastle put in a solid showing at home, edging the possession count but ultimately not creating enough to topple Aurelio Vidmar’s side. It could be another long season at McDonald Jones Stadium, but today’s performance will give the fans hope that brighter days aren’t too far away.
