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A moment of magic from Sydney FC's star player snapped their four-game winless streak – but the game-breaker was not the highly-paid import fans hoped and expected would deliver.
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Alex Brosque strikes 50th A-League goal
Alex Brosque has struck a milestone to end Sydney FC's 306 minute goal drought to give the Sky Blues a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
Another frustrating evening appeared to be on the cards for the Sky Blues as their million-dollar marquee man, Filip Holosko, spurned four clear chances on goal before their Australian skipper, Alex Brosque, came to the rescue.
Having failed to score in three of their past four games, Sydney were desperate for some inspiration from the man brought in to raise the standard of the league but misfortune and wasteful finishing rendered Holosko's performance somewhat disappointing.
Time and time again he found ways to get into goalscoring positions only to fail to hit the back of the net and while Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold was frustrated not to have won by a more convincing margin, he was happy with the performance of Holosko.
"The most important thing is he keeps getting in those goalscoring positions, it will come. his records stand for itself," Arnold said. "It's not a problem.. I thought he was excellent all night."
Sydney FC still found a way to draw level on points with Western Sydney and Melbourne Victory the top of the A-league table, albeit temporarily, after clinching a win over the Jets with one of their better overall performances of the season.
It should have been a more comprehensive result, and the players were unable to celebrate with the usual applause from the stands. For the first time in their history, a home win was sealed in the absence of their active supporter group, The Cove.
Without the usual atmosphere, their goal drought didn't look like ending against the Jets. The tone was set early in the match when Holosko butchered a superb chance to open the scoring after 15 minutes, missing when it appeared easier to score.
A superb pass by former Newcastle winger Andrew Hoole found Holosko unmarked inside the box and in front of an open goal. However his first-time shot came crashing off the upright.
Holosko spurned another great chance to give his side the lead with a second attempt from right in front of goal. Milos Ninkovic threaded a pass through a number of Newcastle Jets defenders to provide the Slovakian international with a one-on-one with Mark Birighitti in goals. Instead, Holosko rushed a snapped shot wide of the goal.
Holosko's painful night continued when he failed to convert yet another simple finish from inside the box. A fluid exchange between Brosque and Rhyan Grant allowed Holosko to head towards goal from the middle of the box but his effort was directed straight into the arms of Birighitti.
Holosko appeared to be cursed and when he missed his fourth genuine chance, the look on the bench said it all. Holosko raced down the field for a one-on-one with Birighitti. Sadly for Sydney's marquee, that burden got the better of him as he fluffed a simple shot straight at the Jets keeper as the strikers sitting in the dugout – Shane Smeltz, Matt Simon and George Blackwood could only shake their heads.
However, what Sydney's foreign marquee failed to accomplish in four chances, their captain did with just one. A quick pass from from Ninkovic caught the Jets' defence napping, allowing Brosque to burst into the box and rattle home a composed finish.
The Jets never really looked like getting an equaliser against such a well-drilled Sydney side but a miss-kick by defender Seb Ryall gave youngster Braedyn Crowley their best chance of the evening.
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