Youssouf Hersi rejoices with Wanderers fans after Western Sydney's second goal. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
- Western Sydney Wanderers 2 bt Melbourne Heart 1 at Parramatta Stadium.
Western Sydney posted back-to-back victories by defeating Melbourne Heart 2-1 for their first home win in a heated A-League clash at Parramatta Stadium tonight.
Mark Bridge, who grabbed the club's first-ever goal to secure victory over Brisbane last week, netted the Wanderers' first and remains the team's only player to have scored after Heart defender Patrick Gerhardt gifted the hosts their second of the match with an own goal.
Croatian striker Josip Tadic got one back for the visitors in the 57th minute but it wasn't enough.
Both teams, who had posted only one win so far this season, came out firing in a physical encounter.
Less than 10 minutes into the match, Heart midfielder Jason Hoffman tackled Wanderers fullback Jerome Polenz.
Japanese star Shinji Ono then took matters into his own hands, bringing Hoffman down a moment later to earn a yellow card with the incident sparking a heated exchange between several players.
Western Sydney's first chance of the match was the result of another foul - this time on Wanderers defender Adam D'Apuzzo just outside the box - with Aaron Mooy stepping up to take the free kick but misfiring.
But it was former Sydney FC striker Bridge who found the back of the net in the 29th minute as a result of a great ball by Mooy into the box.
Mark Bridge scored the first home goal in Wanderers history. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
The Wanderers came out looking to create chances in the second stanza with impressive Dutch import Youssouf Hersi playing a precision cross to Ono, who forced a save from gloveman Clint Bolton with a spectacular bicycle kick 10 minutes into the half.
Hersi played another cross into the box moments later but it was Gerhardt who got on the end of it, the Liberian sending it into the back of the net in a clearance gone horribly wrong.
It didn't take long for the Heart to get one back, with Aziz Behich crossing the ball to Tadic who beat Wanderers 'keeper Ante Covic with a sensational strike.
Mooy looked like widening the gap with a powerful shot less than half an hour from time but Bolton saved the effort.
The Heart fired shots thick and fast in the last 20 minutes with Gerhardt trying to make amends and Richard Garcia also prominent.
Polenz got in on the action with a shot of his own just shaving the woodwork.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS 2 (Mark Bridge 29m, Patrick Gerhardt 51m og) bt MELBOURNE HEART 1 (Josip Tadic 57m) at Parramatta Stadium. Crowd: 8,075. Referee: Regis Queffelec
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