Sydney, Mar 9: The Alessandro Del Piero-led Sydney FC beat the Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Saturday to remain in finals contention in the A-League.
Sebastian Ryall scored a first-half goal and substitute Joel Chianese added the second after the break to lift Sydney into fifth spot with its sixth win in a row at Sydney Football Stadium.
The Mariners, who lost consecutive matches for the first time this season, remain in second spot.
Defending champions Brisbane and the Melbourne Victory played to a 1-1 draw later Saturday.
Western Sydney will try to increase its first-place lead over the Mariners to five points with a win Sunday against Wellington, while the Melbourne Heart host Adelaide on Monday to conclude the 24th round.
On Friday, a late goal from Michael Thwaite gave Perth a 2-1 win over Newcastle. The Glory's new Argentine import, Matias Cordoba, put the visitors in front, and teenage striker Adam Taggart leveled for the Jets before Thwaite sealed victory in the second minute of stoppage time.
"We created some good chances, but the name of the game is putting the ball in the back of the net and we didn't do that," Jets coach Gary van Egmond said. "You don't want to lose in any fashion but especially in the fashion we just did."
