As our bus pulls away from the curb and we depart tired and bruised from our mammoth 128 minute match, we hold our heads high, despite the dramatic loss.
We had perfect preparation for the match; we were rested, fueled up on steaks the night before, and had numerous meetings with video analysis. We were determined to be mentally strong, motivated in lieu of what we learned from Sydney's recent Hyundai A-League match when they lost in the dying minutes of injury time. Oh, the irony of our match mirroring our male counterpart's.
I knew we were in for an oppressive 90 minutes when my skin felt like it was curdling from the heat upon leaving the air conditioned change rooms. We walked out alongside our opponents and took the field - our last minute team huddle cementing our self belief; we knew what we had to do.
We started strongly and dominated, getting forward and keeping possession well. A pile of pressure and a series of expertly delivered free kicks from Servet Uzunlar saw us come incredibly close to scoring. With our defenders pushed into the box and a perfect ball far post, I managed to break away from my marker and get a head to it, instinctively aware that our striker Leena Khamis had made a predatory forward run and was in prime scoring position. Leenz made good contact with the ball off a volley and hit the post, while Brisbane's defence scrambled to regain control. The pressure told, and after a couple more dangerous free kicks, Rollo managed to get on the end of one, slipping the ball into the back of the net. While the girls celebrated, I jogged back into position knowing the match was far from over.
We really owned the first half and came painfully close to scoring on several occasions. In hindsight, we have to be critical of failing to execute our goal scoring opportunities and taking a more comfortable lead into the break. One nil is a dangerous score line. One where you can't let your guard down for a second.
Brisbane came out firing in the second half, clearly more determined, more confident, and more composed. We defended well and kept a clean sheet for 90 minutes. We tried to run down the clock by holding the ball in the corners of their half and taking our time on free kicks until the final whistle; just as Brisbane did to us a week ago.
I kept glancing at the clock and when 90 minutes was up, the assistant referee held up her sign indicating the number of minutes of injury time to be played before the final whistle. It was extraordinary to see the number five appear on the board as I asked myself how a full five minutes had accumulated in the second half. We had only made two subs and Brisbane had made one at half time, and no one had been injured, so the five extra minutes, as opposed to two or three, is a mystery that still lingers.
We fought and battled hard, putting in all we could muster to make that extra yard or make that desperate tackle. Our midfielder, Leddy, went down with cramps up the other end of the field while the match played on until our 'keeper, Ali Lipsher, kicked the ball out under our instruction so she could be treated. Astonishingly, Brisbane picked up the ball and threw it back in to one of their players before our physio could attend to Leddy, while the ref allowed play to continue with her still down.
Eventually we won back possession, and again deliberately kicked the ball out of play so that our player could receive treatment or be replaced. Our girls let Brisbane know what we thought about them not throwing the ball back to us when we kicked it out for an injured player, while one of their players retorted "she's faking it". Things were starting to get ugly. I do not know of any Australian player to ever feign injury, and certainly not an Olympian as credible as Kylie Ledbrook. It's just not our culture.
As Leddy crawled off the field, we replaced her with our last substitute. Our substitute had barely crossed the line as the whistle blew for play to continue, Brit now in a desperate sprint to get to the area of play in time as Brisbane got ready to throw the ball in. Things reached boiling point when our girls yelled at Brisbane to demonstrate good sportsmanship and return the ball back to us as we had possession before kicking the ball out of play for our injured player.
Brisbane's Aivi Luik respectfully called for her team mate to kick the ball back to us. Presuming this was going to happen when the ball was thrown to Brisbane's centre back, Kyah Simon sat off and did not apply pressure to the player accordingly. Incredibly though, Brisbane kept the ball and it all went pear shaped from there. Brisbane chipped the ball into the penalty area only for our 'keeper to clear, while at the same time being taken down by two Brisbane players. The two Brisbane players remained on the ground in an arguably offside position and obstructed the view of our 'keeper. The ball landed at Gielnik's feet and the Brisbane substitute struck it into the net and scored with a minute to go. To add insult, Kyah Simon was arguably sent off for a sliding challenge, leaving us with 10 players going into extra time.
We battled with 10 players for another 30 minutes of extra time, our muscles fatigued and tightening, our lungs burning. We plugged away and even created a couple of goal chances as we held out for the final whistle and the cruel prospect of a winner decided on penalty kicks.
With instructions from Staj, Leena took charge and asked who wanted to put their hand up for a penalty. My hand was up without hesitation. Not for a lack of nerves but to lead with responsibility as a senior player. If I couldn't stand up, then how could I expect the younger girls to be fearless?
I was to take the first kick. I felt anxious with two teams and the hundreds of people in the stands watching me. It is one of the loneliest walks in sport. You are on your own with the burden to succeed resting on your shoulders. I placed the ball on the white mark and took a few steps back only taking my eyes off the ball to signal the ref I was ready. "Just kick it with conviction and intent", I said to myself. I ran up and hit the ball hard aiming for the left corner. It lifted higher than expected and my heart dropped as it hit the woodwork only to bounce down and then back up, this time catching the net and crossing the line. I finally exhaled, relieved and satisfied, and made the journey back to my team mates who stood with arms interlocked.
Brisbane managed to convert all but one of their penalty kicks. Two of our girls were unlucky and missed, but received praise from the team for having the guts to stand up and take a penalty for the team. When the final penalty was converted by Aivi Luik, all the Brisbane team and staff ran on the field and celebrated their win.
Credit to Brisbane for being fighters and not giving up. However, it was an extremely disappointing way to lose a match. The way in which they scored their equalising goal was done without integrity. When interviewed about the controversy late in the match, and in particular the goal, I struggled, and still struggle, to find the words.
They say football is a funny old game. Sometimes you lose when you shouldn't. All I can say is how proud I am to be wearing Sydney colours right now. I couldn't be more proud of a our team. It has been a pleasure writing for
The Football Sack, and thank you to anyone that has taken the time to read my take on Sydney's games throughout the Westfield W-League.
Key player for Westfield W-League side Sydney FC, 'T' is a current Matilda with a strong passion for women's football and the sport in general. Catch the W-League every week at your local ground or if you can't make the game watch it live on ABC1. Read Thea's other columns for The Football Sack.
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