Western Sydney Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic will be watching from the stands when his side takes on Macarthur FC in their next A-League Men's match on New Years’ Day after he was expelled in the stunning 3-2 win against Adelaide United on Friday.
The Wanderers were 2-0 down seconds before the interval but Marcus Antonsson pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time.
Brandon Borrello equalised on 49 minutes before substitute Bozhidar Kraev stole a winner in the 82nd minute.
Wanderers’ midfielder Dylan Scicluna had been struggling with an injury in the latter stages of the match and required regular attention from the medical staff, drawing the ire of the Adelaide bench and near-sell-out home crowd.
Following Kraev’s goal, Scicluna again required treatment after laying a challenge which incensed the Reds, leading to an interaction between the two benches.
Stajcic was subsequently given his marching orders with a direct red card in the 93rd minute, having already been booked in the 56th minute.
"I was actually animated because my player was down on the ground and I suspected he had an injury and people were crowding around him," he said.
"And some of their staff were calling him a cheat and telling him to get up, but he was actually seriously injured and he might be out for a long time.
"It’s a pretty disappointing moment and a massive challenge for us now; (we’ll) possibly be without him for a long time so we’ll get scans to check on that, but I was just worried about his welfare to be honest.
"And I got sent off just for being too close to the pitch; they (the match officials) said I was in their (Adelaide’s) technical area.
"I didn’t think I was, I thought I was just there checking on the condition of my player."
Stajcic applauded the fightback from his players and the manner in which the Wanderers overturned a two-goal deficit.
"To come back from 2-0 down and win, not only the winning, just the way we won; the attacking intent, the positivity throughout the team, the willingness to put their body on the line for the 90, 97, 99, 105 minutes, whatever it was," he said.
"It was an unbelievable performance from our team and one that sets the benchmark for us to be a force in this competition."
For the Reds, it’s their fourth match at home where they’ve dropped points from a winning position.
Last week, United held on for a point against Sydney FC, coughing up a 3-1 lead and conceding in the 89th and 95th minute to draw 3-3.
The loss against the Wanderers was their first for the season and coach Carl Veart said the focus should be on Adelaide’s positive start to the season.
"It’s nine games and we’ve played some good stuff," he said.
"It’s just about reinforcing what we need to keep doing to get results.
"We’re disappointed that we’ve dropped points the last two weeks at home but it’s just in both games, small details that we need to tidy up and be better at."
