Summary
That was fun. As far as preseason friendlies go there was no quarter given by either side, both teams went out to win, and the atmosphere crackled as you would expect from a match to celebrate the opening of a new stadium.
Leeds left it late but were well worth their victory. Pablo Hernandez was the game’s decisive actor, probing throughout then taking matters into his own hands in the closing stages to make sure his side left Australia with a victory. Alongside the Spaniard Jack Harrison was excellent, as were the two full-backs, bombing down the flacks and creating overlaps all night. The form of Patrick Bamford might be of some concern. On another night the striker could have bagged a hat-trick but he looked a little off the pace close to the start of the Championship season.
Just the spectacle alone of almost 25,000 fans in the brand new arena made the night a success for Western Sydney but they played their part on the field as well. The back five stood up under immense pressure with Tass Mourdoukoutas commanding in the air and both Daniel Lopar and Nick Suman impressing between the sticks. Further forward Keanu Baccus caught the eye in midfield and Mitch Duke looked at home against strong opposition leading the line. Plenty to keep Markus Babbel smiling at the very start of preseason.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your company tonight, and welcome to Australian football Bankwest Stadium.
Western Sydney 1-2 Leeds United
Full-time at Bankwest Stadium and Leeds leave Sydney deserved winners.
GOAL! Western Sydney 1-2 Leeds United (Hernandez 90+5)
Finally! At long last Leeds score a second. After spending all night doing everything but score or assist Hernandez shows supreme control to jig his way through a forest of Western Sydney legs before shooting beyond the diving Suman with his left foot.
90+2 mins: Hernandez hits the bar! Then Bamford is inches away from sliding the ball into an empty net! How are Leeds not ahead? Hernandez again finds space on the edge of the box and instead of passing he unleashes a wicked strike that cannons off the crossbar. The bouncing ball is then drilled across the face of goal but the despairing Bamford can’t provide the finishing touch.
89 mins: Leeds are pushing hard for a winner. Bielsa is clearly not satisfied leaving Sydney with a training run under his belt, he wants a victory. Hernandez’s impish probing keeps the Wanderers on their toes before a shot on the turn out of nothing from Bamford forces Suman into a splendid save low to his right.
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“Based on the evidence, who’s been your Player of the Match so far?” asks Abhijato Sensarma. I think Harrison has been the best player on the pitch although his statistical return is diminished because teammates haven’t honoured his lead-up play. Dallas has impressed, Hernandez has been tricky despite a lack of end product, while for WSW Duke and Baccus have been the standout pair for mine.
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85 mins: Another shot on goal from Leeds, another one miles off target, this time from Hernandez following a trademark jinking run through the middle.
84 mins: Late free-kick to Leeds, about 30-yards out, decent sighter for a left-footer but when Douglas wraps his left peg around the ball he can’t find the target.
81 mins: Nice spell from the Wanderers youngsters who are taking the game to a tiring Leeds late on. Lochlan Constable in particular has caught the eye with his industry and confidence. He’s powerless to stop another rampaging run down the right from Dallas though and this time there is an end product but after receiving the layoff Stevens can’t decide whether to cross or shoot and ends up dragging his effort wide of the post to the frustration of the travelling fans. Leeds have wasted so many good opportunities tonight.
78 mins: As you might expect, things have got a little scrappy. Stuart Dallas reads the room and decides to take the game on all by himself but after galloping 70 metres down the right wing there’s no end product.
75 mins: Leeds are happy to slow the game down a little and let the ball do the work as we near the closing stages but once their methodical build-up reaches Western Sydney’s box the move breaks down and Markus Babbel can bring on a heap more young subs. Pretty much the Wanderers U21 side out there now.
73 mins: Another decent chance for Western Sydney but sub Kosta Grozos just overhits his throughball to Duke and the big striker can’t get a shot away.
Massive thank you to the 24,419 raucous @wswanderersfc & @LUFC fans who came out and brought the noise for our first ever football game at #BankwestStadium! #WSWvLUFC #LUFC #WSW pic.twitter.com/8nfLFtPMU1
— Bankwest Stadium (@BankwestStadium) July 20, 2019
72 mins: The goalscorer Yeboah has been subbed off after pulling with cramp. Mohamed Adam is on in his place bringing the number of local youth products on the ground up to five.
71 mins: A rare Wanderers attack forces Casilla into a save from a decent Baccus strike. The young midfielder has been outstanding tonight driving up and down the pitch chasing every opportunity in defence and attack. He was fed by the excellent Duke following tidy work from both wing-backs Kamau and Wilmering.
70 mins: It’s attack vs defence at the moment with Leeds camped in Wanderers territory. There’s plenty of probing and recycling possession but United can’t fashion an opening, even with Western Sydney handing them possession whenever a clearance looks likelier.
68 mins: Sub keeper, the 19-year old Nick Suman, is in action early, palming a fierce drive from Dallas behind for a corner.
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67 mins: Lopar’s reward for that moment of brilliance is to be hooked as Markus Babbel begins what’s likely to be a number of substitutions.
66 mins: Lopar with a world class save! But Bamford really should score. Not for the first time tonight Leeds work space down the left, Harrison crosses low in that corridor of uncertainty in front of the keeper but behind the defence and Bamford is there to tap into the near empty net but his shot is just close enough to Lopar to dive low to his right and pull off a thrilling stop.
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64 mins: The two Wanderers players to have most caught the eye so far have been Baccus and Duke. Australian sides in friendlies like this are aware they are shop window opportunities and it would be little surprise if there weren’t enquiries for either following tongiht’s showing.
62 mins: Despite their slick football on the ground Leeds are adamant that crosses to Bamford are a productive route to goal. 60 minutes of evidence so far has proven them wrong but they persist and the Wanderers continue to clear with greater comfort than when the ball is played through them on the deck.
60 mins: Baccus has picked a few Leeds United pockets tonight and he does so again to turn defence into attack but Yeboah is too isolated to fashion an opening.
58 mins: More lovely interplay from Leeds, Douglas to the fore first before Hernandez engineers space just inside the box to curl a left-footed effort just over the bar.
56 mins: Nice spell of possession from Leeds, stretching the Wanderers from one flank to the other, but there’s no cutting edge despite the best intentions from Hernandez and Harrison. After an age Western Sydney clear and Duke milks the first yellow card of the night from Bogusz.
53 mins: And Roofe does make way for Jordan Stevens, during a break in play caused by some midfield spite the product of Leeds upping the intensity following that equalising goal.
52 mins: Bad news for Leeds with Kemar Roofe down and receiving treatment. He looks set to be the first substitute of the night.
50 mins: Leeds are almost level three times in the blink of an eye but the ball refuses to go in a second time for the visitors. Hernandez almost dribbled through on his own, Bamford failed to get enough on a header from the edge of the six-yard box, while desperate defending from the Wanderers snuffed out a couple of dangerous crosses. It is a mystery how Leeds are not ahead.
GOAL! Western Sydney 1-1 Leeds United (Yeboah 48)
Western Sydney are level! Leeds give the ball away cheaply in midfield, Baccus snaffles up possession and strides downfield like Patrick Vieira before releasing Yeboah with a perfectly timed and weighted throughball, the striker neatly dinking the ball beyond Casilla and unfurling an acrobatic celebration.
.@kwameAyeboah scores the first goal back at Wanderland 💥 #WSW #WSWvLUFC pic.twitter.com/u978Q4uSxb
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) July 20, 2019
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47 mins: Leeds immediately begin on the front foot and again it’s Harrison down the left flank causing problems for the Wanderers defence. He’s halted in his tracks by a foul from McGowan but the free-kick comes to little and Western Sydney clear but in a pattern established in the first period good work from Duke isn’t honoured by an isolated teammate.
46 mins: Second-half underway between Leeds United and Western Sydney Wanderers.
No changes at half-time for either side.
Bankwest Stadium lived up to expectation. The noise poured from the stands and through the TV speakers. It just looks and sounds like a proper football stadium. A welcome addition to the Australian sporting scene and a huge incentive for fans to get to Wanderers matches.
Atmosphere ✅
— Bankwest Stadium (@BankwestStadium) July 20, 2019
Light show ✅
Pre-game was 🔥🔥 #WSWvLUFC pic.twitter.com/8fJD3m3zbx
Clare Lawrence has joined the conversation by email. “Fans getting their money’s worth with this game,” she writes. “Leeds should have put more away but WSW looking strong in the final third. Problem is getting to the final third!”
It’s part of the problem with a 5-2-3 formation when you don’t see much of the ball, there simply aren’t the bodies in midfield to capitalise on those rare moments of possession. There have also been plenty of skill errors from Baccus, Schewgler and Majewski, the latter pair perhaps forgiven for not yet being on the same wavelength as their new teammates.
Half-Time: Western Sydney 0-1 Leeds United
That brings an entertaining half of football to an end. Leeds clearly the better of the two sides but the Wanderers have had their moments.
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45 mins: Sniff of an opportunity for the Wanderers with Majewski striking a 30-yard free-kick around Leeds’ defensive wall but wide of Casilla’s left-hand upright.
43 mins: Another Leeds chance; another change goes begging. This time Hernandez can’t beat Lopar one-on-one after the Spaniard robs the Wanderers in their own half and then sprints to get onto the end of a superbly weighted throughball.
42 mins: Bamford’s turn to fluff his lines, missing from point blank range after another yet more superb wide play from Harrison. Leeds should be out of sight by now.
40 mins: Harrison - the most dangerous player on the field - has to score but after yet again bursting down the inside-left channel he can’t beat Lopar one-on-one, his shot with the outside of his left foot snaking wide of the post. Leeds are well on top now though and after the Wanderers fail to clear Roofe smacks the corner of post and bar, the ball dropping agonisingly the wrong side of the line.
37 mins: First look at Majewski with time and space, the former Poland international carrying the ball towards the edge of the Leeds box but his piledriver is wildly off target.
35 mins: Leeds are in the ascendancy now the game has settled into a rhythm but their hosts continue to look sharp pressurising the first pass out of the defence. They just lack the ability control possession in the middle third to make those interceptions count.
33 mins: Leeds are inches away from 2-0 and it’s Bogusz again, driving low from the edge of the box following a corner but his effort is deflected wide. Harrison then smashes a left-footed effort over the bar.
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26 mins: Another sign of Schewgler’s experience, cynically bringing down Harrison on the halfway line to nip a promising counterattack in the bud. In league play that would have been a clear yellow card but Kurt Ams keeps his cards in his pocket for the time being.
25 mins: Chances at both ends! First Leeds piece an attack neatly through the centre of the Wanderers defence but the cutback from the byline is cleared at the second attempt. Western Sydney go straight down the other end but Kamau can’t get enough on his cross-cum-shot to force the ball over the line after beating Casilla.
24 mins: The Wanderers looked callow and rudderless last season but the introductions of McGowan and Schwegler has made an immediate improvement with plenty of pointing and organising keeping Markus Babbel’s structure.
22 mins: Leeds are trying to target Bamford in the air with long diagonals but Mourdoukoutas has been up to the task so far defensively. When United get the ball on the turf they look far more dangerous, especially when it’s anywhere near Harrison.
19 mins: There’s some obvious preseason drills paying dividends for both sides out there, notably a quick couple of close passes followed by the longer forward release. For Leeds this hasn’t been timed like clockwork with a couple of offsides while the Wanderers have often found their target isolated and bullied off the ball.
15 mins: Brilliant from Duke again who’s putting himself about just in front of the Leeds back four. This time his strength and technique feeds Wilmering down the left but his cutback is smuggled clear. This is an open, enterprising game of football played against a stunning backdrop.
13 mins: Wanderers have to score! Superb centre-forward play from Mitch Duke holding the ball up then freeing Kamau down the right. His first-time cross is a belter but as it skips across the six-yard box the onrushing Yeboah can’t get enough on the finish at the ball skims wide when it should have burst the net.
12 mins: After those early Wanderers bursts its been all Leeds, helped in no small part by Western Sydney seeming unable to either clear their lines or retain possession.
GOAL! Western Sydney 0-1 Leeds United (Bogusz 9)
Leeds take the lead and it’s that combination again for United down the left with Harrison bursting into space on the edge of the penalty area and cutting back for Bogusz to rifle unerringly into the top-corner with a composed first-time strike. Terrific finish.
🙌 Mateusz Bogusz opens his #LUFC account and gets the first goal to be scored in the new @BankwestStadium pic.twitter.com/myedz8jsJE
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 20, 2019
Updated
8 mins: First chance of the night goes to Leeds. Mourdoukoutas made a hash of a clearance and from the crumbs Hernandez pokes the ball towards goal, forcing Lopar into a scrambling save to his left.
6 mins: Leeds are prioritising the left flank with Harrison and Bogusz both seeing plenty of the ball early as the visitors try to exploit space on the fringe of Western Sydney’s back three and force Bruce Kamau into uncomfortable defensive areas.
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4 mins: AS the RBB make themselves heard in the stands Keanu Baccus makes himself known on the field, beginning a lovely flowing move that ends with a dangerous cross from the right failing to find a target in the box.
2 mins: The home side have begun on the front foot. An aggressive forward press has already forced a couple of turnovers in dangerous situations but a lack of composure in midfield prevented any chances from emerging.
Kick-off!
Wanderers get the action underway at a raucous Bankwest Stadium.
Leeds will be top to toe in white tonight, Western Sydney in the latest iteration of their black and red hoops. Referee Kurt Ams is wearing yellow. Kick-off imminent.
The teams are finally out on the ground and - boy oh boy - what a scene! Bankwest Stadium looks like something out of a top-level European competition. The steep-sided stands, the the noise from the Red and Black Bloc, everything looks tailor made for football. Glorious.
Football is back in the west! #WSWvLUFC #LeedsInSydney pic.twitter.com/jUDDdLtHHU
— Bankwest Stadium (@BankwestStadium) July 20, 2019
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Kick-offs are never on time in the A-League so why should friendlies be any different? Still a few minutes away from the game getting underway, time to enjoy this nice little story about Daniel Wilmering. The Wanderers full-back has made the step-up from ball-boy to first-teamer in a brief seven years.
From being the ball boy at one of our very first home games to starting in the opening of our new home... We're beyond proud of Daniel Wilmering tonight! #WSW #WSWvLUFC pic.twitter.com/RMbUfDGo6y
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) July 20, 2019
Despite the distance between the West Riding of Yorkshire and the western suburbs of Sydney this isn’t the first time some of these players and officials have come up against each other. For example, Wanderers debutant and former Poland international Radoslaw Majewski enjoyed a fine run out against Leeds United during his spell at Nottingham Forest.
One for the Nottingham Forest fans. Radoslaw Majewski starts for Western Sydney Wanderers against Leeds. He was in the starting XI (also grabbed an assist) when Forest beat Leeds 7-3 at Elland Road back in 2012. #nffc https://t.co/dgRpeKLKqi
— Tom Carnduff (@TomC_22) July 20, 2019
Wanderers fans seem impressed with their new digs.
It’s so pretty 😍 #WSWvLUFC #WSW pic.twitter.com/D1oSk7K5FX
— KramWSW 🐺 (@Mansillo93) July 20, 2019
Markus Babbel used his prematch press conference to assert that his Wanderers would not take a defensive mindset into tonight’s friendly. “We want to show what we can do. We definitely are not parking a coach in the box,” Babbel said. “We will try also to play football and hopefully we can see a good game.”
Those comments arrived a few days after Perth Glory camped on the edge of their own penalty area against Manchester United in the first marquee friendly of the preseason between Australian and English sides. “For us, it’s a special situation because it’s the first game at home, our new home, and also against a European side, Leeds United, a big club. It’s fantastic.”
WSW starting XI
There are four new faces along the Wanderers spine with Pirmin Schwegler, Daniel Lopar, Dylan McGowan and Radoslaw Majewski all handed debuts. It looks a much stronger line-up that the one that struggled through last season and with Daniel Georgievski, Patrick Ziegler and Jordan O’Doherty all missing the matchday squad, not to mention a bunch of the most promising kids in the country, there is plenty to be optimistic about in Wanderland.
Here's how we'll be lining up against @LUFC tonight! #WSW #WSWvLUFC pic.twitter.com/IliO7qFo93
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) July 20, 2019
Leeds Utd starting XI
Marcelo Bielsa only brought 16 players with him to Australia so all should feature at some point tonight. Adam Forshaw picked up a knock against Man Utd and doesn’t start but another player under an injury cloud, Northern Ireland international Stuart Dallas, does line-up in the first XI. It will be interesting to see how Leeds operate as the favoured side following their underdog status in Perth. Jack Harrison caught the eye the other night and should prove a handful for the Wanderers defence.
📋 | #LUFC Starting XI to face Western Sydney Wanderers:
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 20, 2019
Casilla, Douglas, Cooper, Berardi, Dallas, Phillips, Bogusz, Hernandez, Harrison, Roofe, Bamford pic.twitter.com/XhWvVucl5Z
Dream come true for thousands of @LUFC fans at #BankwestStadium tonight 🙌🏻 Awesome to see all of the support! #WSWvLUFC #LeedsInSydney pic.twitter.com/OacReQTfSL
— Bankwest Stadium (@BankwestStadium) July 20, 2019
Leeds United are well supported in Australia and it’s no surprise. Aside from the storied history that attracts overseas admirers Leeds have welcomed a long line of Australians to Elland Road, headlined of course by Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka but including the likes of Paul Okon, Jacob Burns, Neil Kilkenny and Patrick Kisnorbo.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live minute-by-minute coverage of Western Sydney Wanderers vs Leeds United from Bankwest Stadium. Kick-off is 7pm local time (10am UK).
Tonight’s fixture is a homecoming celebration for the Wanderers as they finally return to their Parramatta base three years after hitting the road to allow dramatic renovations to take place. They left an atmospheric but scruffy rectangular facility and return to a state of the art 30,000 capacity arena complete with a dedicated safe standing section - the first of its kind in Australia.
Before the Wanderers upped sticks the matchday atmosphere at its best rivalled that of any in the country. Back in Wanderland and with their core support free to stand, expectations are high that Western Sydney will once again become synonymous with the sound and colour and energy that can make live football such a visceral experience.
While rugby league has enjoyed the new facilities already, tonight is the first time football gets to test the place out and Leeds United have arrived to provide some European glamour to the occasion. For the Championship side it’s the final stop on a two-match Australian tour and Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping to end it on a better note than his side’s opening outing, a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in Perth.
For the Wanderers it’s the first test of the preseason and the first chance to take stock of what appears to be a much-improved squad. Markus Babbel has stiffened his defence and added experience to his midfield during the transfer window, the outcome being an altogether more balanced proposition than the outfit that failed to make last season’s finals.
Don’t forget, if you want to join in the action you can do so by email or feel free to find me on Twitter.
