SYDNEY FC TARGET AFC CL GLORY

Sydney FC has set its sights on AFC Champions League Two glory after securing a place in the knockout stages with a dominant 4-1 win over Hong Kong’s Eastern SC. A hat-trick from attacking midfielder Anas Ouahim was the standout performance in Thursday’s clash at Mong Kok Stadium, ensuring the Sky Blues finished top two in Group E with one round still to play.

With their spot confirmed in the round of 16, Sydney will now focus on progressing further in the competition, alongside Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who will top the group. The knockout stages will commence in February, and Sydney coach Ufuk Talay expressed his team’s determination to push all the way in the competition.

“It’s very significant,” Talay said. “We want to go all the way. We love being in the Asian Champions League Two, so for us it’s very important that we try to push all the way in this competition and our local (A-League) competition as well.”

The Sky Blues, missing star winger Douglas Costa and first-choice goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, took control early in the match, leading 3-0 at halftime. Ouahim’s brace and a goal from Polish striker Patryk Klimala put them in a commanding position. Eastern SC responded in the second half, with substitute Noah Baffoe pulling one back in the 49th minute, but Ouahim completed his hat-trick with a penalty to restore the visitors’ three-goal lead.

Eastern had the chance to further reduce the deficit in stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Sydney defender Aaron Gurd. However, Baffoe’s spot kick sailed over the crossbar, allowing Sydney to hold onto their comfortable lead.

“We made life difficult for ourselves at times with our decisions on the ball, but overall, it was a game we needed to win, and the boys did the job quite well,” Talay said after the match.

Ouahim was thrilled with his hat-trick but emphasized that the team’s progression to the knockout stages was the most important achievement. “As an attacking player you want to score goals, and if you score a hat-trick, it’s very special,” he said. “I’m very proud of it, but it was very important to come here to make the next step. That was the most important thing.”

Sydney’s final match in the group stage will be against Filipino club Kaya FC next Thursday at Jubilee Stadium, before they return to A-League action the following week with a match against the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford. As they prepare for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, Sydney FC will look to maintain their momentum in both domestic and international competitions.