Sydney FC v Wrexham AFC as it happened: Teenage sub steals the show as Sky Blues win 2-1

Sydney Morning Herald

16-07-2025

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Pinned post from 9.09pm on Jul 15, 2025
WATCH: Joe Lacey's stunning goal
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10.07pm on Jul 15, 2025
Thanks and good night
That'll be all from us on the live blog tonight. Thanks for reading along.
Hope you enjoyed the game and our coverage - and I hope you do as Ufuk Talay says and watch the A-League this coming season, because it's absolutely worth your time.
This event all about Wrexham - and it was - but Sydney FC put on a good show too and stole some of the spotlight at Allianz Stadium tonight. What a moment for Joe Lacey, as well.
Cheers, and have a great night.
10.05pm on Jul 15, 2025
Ufuk Talay: 'Hopefully we've excited these people and they buy memberships'
Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay, meanwhile, had a message for the 40,000 fans who turned up - many of whom, we presume, have not been to an A-League game before.
Maybe they should think about it.
As much as we're here to win games and win trophies, we're here to entertain as well. And it's great that the young boys came on and entertained and we scored a goal to win the game.
That's what football is, and that's the brand that we've always tried to play. That's the brand that we want to play at Sydney FC where we are getting in goal scoring opportunities sometimes, we are defending our box with desperation and we want to score goals to win games.
Hopefully we've excited these people and they buy memberships and they come to our games.
As he said in our story quoting him yesterday, though, Talay wasn't having any of the debate about where the A-League would hypothetically rank in the English pyramid and how teams like his compare with the likes of Wrexham:
I personally don't like this comparison. They play in their own competition. We play in our own competition. And I don't think we're comparing apples with apples at the same time. It's apples with oranges. Their budgets compared to our budgets are totally different.
But one thing I will say, our game is the A-League. So we should love and support our domestic game regardless, because it is our game. And the talent it produces, you look at the Socceroos where Popa [Tony Popovic] selects players from within our competition. So obviously our competition level is good enough for players to be selected to play at international level.
We do produce players, players do go overseas. In the last two and a half years, I think Sydney's made sales that they've never made before previously in the 20 years that the club's been around for.
It is our game and I think comparing it with other competitions, I don't believe it's the right thing to do.
10.00pm on Jul 15, 2025
Phil Parkinson: 'Some of the quality from us wasn't where it needs to be'
Coach Phil Parkinson wasn't overly happy with how Wrexham played:
As a workout, it was a decent game for us. Some of the quality from us wasn't where it needs to be.
First half, I thought we were in control, got the goal and then conceding off a set play, it gave them a lift … second half, we got a lot of good possession, got into some good areas but the quality of our crossing wasn't where it needed to be to go and take advantage of that kind of pressure we had.
In fairness to [Sydney's] youngsters, the lad who came on and scored the goal produced one moment of real quality in the second half and that's what football is about. It's big moments and credit to him for that.
Parkinson was, however, impressed with the calibre of talent in the Australian game - particularly young talent. It was put to him that one of Wrexham's rivals in the Championship this coming season, Portsmouth, have gone big on Aussie players in the belief that there are undervalued players here and therefore transfer bargains to be had.
You look at the young players who came on tonight, the athleticism of them and the quality … the European market is expensive and they've dipped into the Australian market.
In every league there's quality players to be identified and signed but I think the Sydney youngsters tonight, in front of 40,000 people, what an opportunity for them.
Same as a few of our youngsters, two in the first half: Aaron James and Harry Ashfield. That was a big game for them today, playing at a stadium like this in front of such a great crowd.
9.57pm on Jul 15, 2025
Danny Ward: 'Sydney played really well'
We've just heard from some of the players and coaches in the post-match press conference, starting with Danny Ward, the former Liverpool and Leicester City goalkeeper who now plays with Wrexham.
He was impressed with the talent on show from Sydney FC, and the huge crowd that turned out to watch them.
Playing in front of big crowds at this point of the season is a testament not only to the people of Sydney, but also how big the club and the direction that Wrexham's going in as well. To draw a crowd like that in our second pre-season game is top.
In terms of the game, I thought Sydney played really well. They were sharp and gave us a real good test. The result aside, it's a good workout for the boys. It's pre-season. We're here to get fit and get our sharpness and ideas back across.
The result aside, I think we did that.
9.34pm on Jul 15, 2025
Joe Lacey: 'It just felt like a video game. It felt like I had a VR headset on.'
Awesome stuff from Joe Lacey, the 18-year-old junior for Curl Curl, speaking on Paramount+ about what I'm safely assuming is the greatest moment of his life so far.
It's massive. My mum's Welsh. It's very big for me and my family because they're all watching in Wales. She's there at the moment actually, so it's huge. All credit to the boys.
On the goal:
It just felt like a video game. It felt like I had a VR headset on. I didn't know what to do to celebrate, I just chucked my hands in the air. I had all the boys around me, it made it even more special.
9.20pm on Jul 15, 2025
FULL-TIME: Sydney FC 2-1 Wrexham AFC
And that's it!
Sydney FC have done it. The full-time whistle has blown and they have secured a 2-1 victory over Wrexham AFC.
An own goal off Corey Hollman in the 18th minute gave the Red Dragons the lead, but they couldn't hold it. On the stroke of half-time, Alex Popovic pulled Sydney FC level - and after both sides made mass changes at about the hour mark, the Sky Blues were simply the better team, with Joe Lacey's match-winning goal in the 74th minute the absolute highlight of the match.
People came here to soak in a bit of that Wrexham magic, but they will leave talking about the promise of Sydney's next generation of talent. Superb.
9.15pm on Jul 15, 2025
Sydney FC are almost there
Just a few minutes left in this match and what a feat it would be if Sydney FC can seal the victory here.
Since those changes at about the 60-minute mark, they've been fielding what is essentially an NPL team. Every player, bar Devenish-Meares, has come through their academy. Yes, Wrexham made 10 changes too but you'd expect a club of their calibre to have better depth than the A-League's seventh-best team from last season.
Terrific signs for the future.
Sydney FC 2-1 Wrexham AFC, 87 minutes
9.09pm on Jul 15, 2025
WATCH: Joe Lacey's stunning goal
9.08pm on Jul 15, 2025
More than 40,000 fans in the house
The official crowd for tonight is 40,242. Massive turnout.
That's about 5000 more than the crowd that watched the Socceroos beat Indonesia here a few months ago. In a live, consequential World Cup qualifier.
9.06pm on Jul 15, 2025
These kids are alright
These young Sky Blues are well on top, winning back-to-back corners and continuing to apply pressure on the visiting side.
They've got their tails up - no fear, just confidently attacking the game as kids do. In fact they've looked the better team since the mass substitutions about 20-odd minutes to go.
Bodes well for the upcoming A-League season if this is the depth that Sydney FC has to lean upon. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Australia is producing some really good talent these days.