VAR decision overshadows derby spectacle

In what was easily the biggest game of the round, the first Sydney derby of the season took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground in a historic moment in Australian football. It was the first football match of any kind that was being played at the SCG in 30-plus years and Sydney FC claimed bragging rights yet again in the 2-0 win.

But the main talking point was a disallowed goal for the Western Sydney Wanderers which was appeared legitimate to everyone in the stadium except those in the VAR room and subsequently ref Chris Beath,

It would have completely changed the complexion of the game. Already down 2-0, the Wanderers were in dire need of a route back into the game and Roly Bonevacia strike, from Josh Risdon’s cut back would have given WSW hope with half an hour to play.

But Jaushua Sotirio was lated judged to have obstructed Michael Zullo while offside in the build-up to the goal which saw the goal ruled out by Chris Beath and his officiating team.

Replays suggested that the obstruction from Sotirio was not just unintentional but clearly would not have impacted on the phase play, even if he was in an offside position.

Markus Babbel was fuming with the decision, aggressively voicing his frustration at the fourth official, earning him the first red card for a head coach in A-League history.

Beath explained in after the game that the VAR was consulted to make the decision to overturn the goal, with Sotirio “technically” breaching the laws of the game.

Any decision in football can be open to interpretation and "technically" this was beyond the pale, denying fans the spectacle they deserved and that WSW tried to deliver. Bozza did his nut post match and many fans threatened to walk out mid-game in protest.

If this is the future of football, we may have many more problems ahead.

Taylor puts up early contender for miss of the season

Phoenix travelled to Brisbane on Sunday in high spirits after upsetting the Jets in round 1 with a 2-1 win at Westpac.

New signing Steven Taylor was at the heart of a Wellington defence that frustrated Newcastle all day but at Suncorp he showed exactly why he is a defender.

Just nine minutes in, fellow defender Tom Doyle cut inside from the right hand side brilliantly before unleashing an effort that was parried by Jamie Young, straight to Taylor, who had an empty net from about three yards out but somehow he struck the base of the post on the follow up.

If he had scored the Nix would have snatched an early lead and could’ve been on their way to a massive victory away from home. Unfortunately Mark Rudan’s side settled for a point in the 0 – 0 draw, with Taylor hoping that moment does not come back to bite him personally, or for his team.

Ikonomidis leaves champions 0 from 2

The Sydney derby might have been hyped up as the game of round, but the final game on Sunday between Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory was a classic.

After a disastrous first half display from Kevin Muscat’s men in which they trailed 2-0 at the main break, his troops woke up after the interval to battle back.

Marquee Keisuke Honda was once again at the centre of everything good for Victory, laying on goals for Terry Antonis and Storm Roux as Tony Popovic’s Glory looked to have blown a massive win at AAMI Park.

However, Perth found one last chink in the Victory armour through the form of Chris Ikonomidis, who pounced on Joel Chianese’s parried effort following a quick counter-attack to send the travelling Glory fans into raptures and send Muscat’s men to the bottom.

The result leaves Victory with plenty of work to do as Popovic looks to have got his message across to his new team, even at this early stage of the season.