Melbourne Heart Youth suffered a disappointed 3-0 loss at home to Western Sydney Wanderers to make it a weekend to forget for the club.
Second half substitute Joshua Barresi and Alusine Fofanah got on the scoresheet while Stipo Andrijasevic scored an unfortunate own goal in what was an insipid second half performance for Heart.
It was almost a surprise how Heart came out after the break given how intense the first-half contest was between the two mid-table sides.
Brendan Santalab got the action started in the sixth minute when he found space to shoot, but his effort skewed wide of Tando Velaphi’s far post.
Velaphi started in goal in place of Marko Stevanja and was kept busy throughout the match, making some great saves.
He did however make an error in the 33rd minute when he scuffed a clearance straight to Yianni Perkatis, but the Wanderers midfielder couldn’t make him pay with a weak chipped effort.
The action intensified as the half came to a close, and Philip Petreski almost capped off a great team move for Heart with a powerful shot from outside the area.
His shot was parried away by Thomas Manos and Wanderers launched a quick counter attack, with Santalab the recipient.
He found himself on the move, dummying a defender before taking his shot, forcing a great save from Velaphi down low to his right.
Heart had initially come out of the blocks well after the break, but after Wanderers brought on Joshua Barresi the game changed dramatically.
The substitute didn’t have to wait long to get on the scoresheet either, notching up a goal with his first touch.
Santalab’s whipped ball from the byline of the right wing left Barresi the simple task of tapping the ball past a helpless Velaphi.
The Wanderers pushed on after the goal, with Alusine Fofanah standing out in particular.
His driving runs made Heart full-back Jeremy Walker look silly on multiple occasions.
One opening in the 64th minute saw that man Fofanah forcing Velaphi into yet another good save with a decent strike.
Fofanah was finally rewarded when he doubled the lead five minutes after with the goal of the match.
Barresi played a lovely ball over the top of Heart’s defence, which Fofanah took in his stride before slotting a cool finish past Velaphi.
Wanderers enjoyed plenty of possession and they didn’t look like the team which were beaten 4-1 just a week ago.
They kicked on and managed to get a third through an own goal to Stipo Andrijasevic.
Mark Cindric took a curling shot at goal which Velaphi did brilliantly to save, with the rebound falling to Andrijasevic who tried to clear out, only succeeded in ramming the ball into his own net.
The move typified Heart’s listless and error-prone second half performance, a far cry from what they had shown earlier in the game.
This was a must win game for Heart, who were hoping to keep in touch with the midfield pack, but the loss sees them heading into the Christmas break sitting in 8th spot on the NYL ladder.
Team Lineups:
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Substitutes:
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Substitutions:
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Scorers:
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