Stajic breaks his AAMI Park duck as Wanderers grab the points
Michael Lynch: Western Sydney get back on track as injury ravaged City fail to make possession count
Melbourne City spurned the opportunity to move into clear second spot on the A-League Men table when they failed to take their chances after having the bulk of possession against a resilient and well-organised Western Sydney Wanders, the visitors netting a goal in each half to run out 2-0 winners at AAMI Park.
City had plenty of the play and numerous chances while Wanderers managed the game well in the first half and, having taken a slender advantage, marshalled their defensive resources to frustrate their hosts before scoring late to ensure the points.
For Wanderers boss Alen Stajic this was an important win following the 4-2 loss in the Sydney derby a week earlier: a defeat would have put the Wanderers among the cellar dwellers but this win now leaves them just outside the top six albeit at a very early stage of the season.
Aurelio Vidmar, the City coach, was entitled to be disappointed that his side had not managed to get something out of a game that they controlled for so long.
But he will also take comfort from the fact that his ring-rusty charges - this was City's first game in almost three weeks - were so competitive given they were without the injured Socceroos Mat Leckie, Marco Tillio and Andrew Nabbout and relying on 17-year-old Medin Memeti to lead the line.
How the home team did not get their noses in front inside three minutes only they would know after an extraordinary goalmouth scramble in which the ball ricocheted and bounced around the six-yard box without going in.
The scrimmage came from a corner which was headed goalwards by Samuel Souprayen before being prodded goalwards by Memeti. Wanderers goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas paddled the ball out only for it to fall to Andreas Kuen who could not force it over the line as the ball was once again hacked to safety.
The chance was the cue for some early City pressure which they could not convert into any real opportunities. Western Sydney was content in the early stages to settle for a speculative Nicolas Milanovic effort from long range which unsuccessfully tried to catch goalkeeper Patrick Beach off his line.
Yonatan Cohen found himself in space but failed to curl his angled shot into the far corner as City continued to make the running in the opening exchanges.
However Western began to look more confident having weathered the early storm and Milanovic went close to giving them the lead when he created space for himself before driving a shot into the post.
Nathaniel Atkinson wasted a glorious chance to put City in front when he blasted over the bar from close range after some excellent work from Memeti, who skipped around a challenge before cutting the ball back to his teammate.
Western's Socceroo striker Brandon Borrello then spurned an equally gilt-edged chance at the other end after he too drove a close-range shot over the top following a terrific curling ball into this path from Jack Clisby.
The complexion of the match changed just before half-time when Milanovic shimmied past Socceroo defender Aziz Behich inside the area only for his drive on goal to be halted by the lunging leg of Callum Talbot, the City right back, who in the process conceded a contentious penalty as it appeared Talbot had got the ball first.
That was of no concern to Milanovic, who picked himself up to convert from the spot, ensuring that City would have to step up their efforts in the second period if they were to get anything out of the game.
Atkinson and Kuen combined early in the second half to good effect but Memeti could not reach the latter's pass. Behich then sent in a teasing cross which Memeti got his head to but could only direct wide.
City was building their possession statistics but failing to create clear-cut chances as Western dropped deeper to consolidate their advantage. Still, the visitors could be dangerous on the break, Milanovic slipping a pass to Borrello who shot straight at Beach.
However, it was City who continued to make the running, shifting the ball around but failing to find the incisive pass, Memeti driving a shot into the arms of Thomas.
When the second goal came though it was the Wanderers, not their hosts, who were celebrating. Gabriel Cleur won the ball in midfield from Behich, drove forward and played an incisive ball through to substitute Marcos Antonsen who finished smartly from an acute angle.
With less than 10 minutes to go City were always going to struggle to find a way back, and although substitute Harry Politidis went close and Jimmy Jeggo was denied by a fine Thomas save that was as close as they came to getting a consolation.