The match that divides a city: three of the best Sydney derbies

There have been some absolutely thrilling scenes at Sydney Derby’s since the Western Sydney Wanderers entered the competition back in 2012/13.

Think the likes of marquee mammoths Alessandro Del Piero and Shinji Ono doing battle, or the sell-out crowds in Sydney.

BENTLEIGH: Can the Greens become the first ever NPL finalists?

QUARTER FINALS: The NPL players who impressed

The Cove and the RBB at opposite ends of the stadium giving their all while those on the pitch, some of whom were born and bred in Sydney, do the same.

Ahead of Saturday night’s FFA Cup Semi Final clash at Penrith Stadium, we take a look back at three of the best Sydney Derby nights.

Round 26, 2012/13 – WSW 1-1 Sydney FC

Everything was on the line in this match – three points would have locked up the Hyundai A-League Premiership for Western Sydney Wanderers in their first season in the competition.

Things didn’t get off to the start that those in Black and Red dreamed of when a turnover from centre-back Nikolai Topor-Stanley put Del Piero into a dream position. And the Italian didn’t miss.

Then came the first-ever red card in a Sydney Derby, when Caltex Socceroo Brett Emerton was sent off for a studs-up tackle of Shannon Cole.

It was Cole who equalised in the 70th minute, with a curling free-kick which beat Sydney ‘keeper Ivan Necevski.

Western Sydney had a player of their own shown a straight red card injury time when Iacopo La Roca lashed out with an elbow which caught Terry Antonis.

The game finished 1-1 and the Wanderers wrapped up the Premiership the following week.

sydney fc western sydney wanderers

Round 3, 2013/14 – Sydney FC 0-2 WSW

It was a full house at Allianz Stadium, with Daily Telegraph journalist Buzz Rothfield measuring the peak noise levels during the match as high as 117db.

Italian superstar Del Piero didn’t play this match and he was a player which Sydney FC missed big time.

The noise came mainly from the RBB end of the ground and started early when Iacopo La Roca scored in just the 11th minute of play.

Marquee man Ono scored in the 26th minute of the match to put the visitors up by two goals.

It was Western Sydney’s first win of the season, in a season where they went on to finish second.

Shinji Ono Western Sydney Wanderers

Round 1, 2016/17 – Sydney FC 4-0 WSW

In front of a record Hyundai A-League crowd of 61,880 at ANZ Stadium, a Sydney Derby headlined the opening round of the 2016/17 Season.

After a first half of missed opportunities and an all-in melee, Filip Holosko and Bobo scored a goal each in four minutes to put the Sky Blues up by two.

The Wanderers pressed in response and had much of the 60,000+ crowd on their side, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Western Sydney defender Artiz Borda was sent off in the 82nd minute for a last man foul, which allowed Sydney to put away two more goals.

While it’s a massive crowd that will likely stand the test of time, a similar result is one which Wanderers will be keen to avoid come Saturday.

Brandon O'Neill Sydney FC