Sydney FC star Douglas Costa inspired a dramatic fightback from the Sky Blues in a 3-3 draw with Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.
Adelaide led 3-1 in the 89th minute but the Brazilian’s second goal of the night inspired a late comeback; Costa added an assist to his name in the 96th minute as Jordan Courtney-Perkins headed home the equalising goal in a dramatic draw in the City of Churches.
Costa’s first goal of the night levelled the score at 1-1 after Archie Goodwin scored his first of two goals of the night in the sixth minute; Stefan Mauk made it 2-1 and Goodwin struck again in the second half to send the Reds two goals clear – but there was more drama to come at Coopers Stadium.
The late Costa goal brought Sydney back to 3-2 and his delivery from a stoppage-time corner led to Courtney-Perkins’ sealer in the 95th minute.
Adelaide head coach Carl Veart was furious at the full-time whistle after watching his side ship two late goals as Sydney fought back to clinch a point and end their two-game losing streak.
The hosts took just six minutes to break the deadlock at Coopers Stadium, as young striker Archie Goodwin fired his side into the lead at the end of a counter-attack.
There was a delay before play restarted as the video assistant referee (VAR) checked a potential offside, but the goal was allowed to stand as the action resumed with Sydney trailing 1-0.
Then came a big moment for Brazilian superstar Costa, who fired Sydney back into the game with his first Isuzu UTE A-League strike.
But Sydney’s parity lasted just 10 minutes at Coopers Stadium.
Adelaide swiftly moved to regain the ascendancy in the Friday-night clash, and found their second goal through the in-form Mauk whose fourth goal in five games came from close range after goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares deflected the ball into his path.
Sydney began the second half on top and had a series of opportunities to level it up at 2-2 but the away side’s wastefulness in front of goal led to a sucker punch down the other end, delivered by Goodwin who sealed his brace with an opportunistic finish.
Just when the game look dead and buried, Costa popped up once again to give Sydney hope in the 90th minute.
Costa found the back of the net for the second time on Friday night with a curling cross into the box that only just evaded the head of his Sydney teammate Jaiden Kucharski; wrong-footed by Kucharski’s attempted header, Delianov could only stand and watch as the ball nestled into the bottom-left corner.
Sydney had cut the margin back to one goal, and with Costa’s second of the night came a wave of momentum that led to the 95th-minute equaliser.
The Brazilian’s delivery from a stoppage-time corner was pinpoint and Courtney-Perkins was the beneficiary, rising highest to nod home Sydney’s third of the night and earn a point for the visitors in a 3-3 draw at Coopers Stadium.
