Sydney FC beat Gold Coast to record second A-League win in a row

Cracker...Sydney FC's Dimitri Petratos celebrates his goal against the Gold Coast. Picture: Mark Evans
Source: The Daily Telegraph










Get off my leg...Sydney FC
defender Matthew Jurman's leg is trapped under the fence after it
collapsed under the weight of celebrating fans at the Sydney
Football Stadium. Picture: Mark Evans
Source: The Daily Telegraph

• 
  Sydney FC 2 Gold Coast 0
  

HE'S a $45,000-a-year youth player, but 18-year-old Dimitri Petratos is
about to earn a hefty pay rise after his goal sent Sydney FC on the path
to a precious victory last night.

Even under pressure Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka was able to joke that
the club couldn't give him a senior contract fast enough in the wake of
last night's win against Gold Coast.

It was the first time Sydney have beaten United and the win keeps alive their faint hopes of making the finals.

A late goal from new Finnish striker Juho Makela sealed the win, but Petratos's superb strike in the 33rd minute was vital.

It calmed the nerves of a side devoid of confidence, breached the
league's meanest defence and gave the 6137 crowd a flash of quality.

"His goal was spectacular, but he has played well for weeks," Lavicka said.

"It's not just this season, we watched him in the youth league last
season and saw the quality. We gave him his chance and he has taken it.
He has improved so much."

Petratos has the confidence of youth, which is more than could be said
for many of his teammates, certainly in the first half hour. Lavicka,
who stuck with the same side that beat Newcastle, described the opening
exchanges as "careful".

Gold Coast should have been two goals ahead in the first quarter-hour,
with Bruce Djite and Zenon Caravella missing good chances.

Finally Sydney stirred, creating a flurry of chances, with Gold Coast
keeper Glen Moss saving shots from Nick Carle and Hirofumi Moriyasu,
before Petratos made the breakthrough.

Just past the half hour he surged into the box on the left, steadied
himself as Moriyasu's pass arrived and he smashed the ball across Moss
and into the far top corner.

Petratos's first goal in the A-League shifted the balance of power.
Suddenly Sydney began to play with the confidence so often lacking in
this wretched season, and their advantage grew just past the hour when
Gold Coast defender Steve Fitzsimmons slid through the back of Moriyasu
and earned a red card.

It looked worse than it really was, with Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg lamenting the dismissal as "soft".

As the minutes ticked down, Sydney should have sealed it when Makela
somehow headed wide of a gaping goal from Scott Jamieson's searing
cross.

But when a second chance came his way, from Seb Ryall's pass, the
Finnish import made no mistake as he touched the ball beyond Moss.

Makela ran behind the goal to celebrate with Sydney fans and in the
ensuing scenes of jubilation, the fence collapsed, trapping defender
Matthew Jurman by the leg.

Luckily for Jurman he was able to rejoin the action.

SYDNEY FC 2 (Dimitri Petratos 32m, Juho Makela 90+2m) GOLD COAST UNITED 0
at Sydney Football Stadium. Crowd: 6,135. Referee: Chris Beath.