Soccer-Sydney FC win derby thriller, Perth stay top in A-League

SYDNEY, March 1 (Reuters) - A late Terry Antonis strike gave Sydney FC a 4-3 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in an A-League derby thriller at the weekend that effectively ensured the Asian champions would not feature in the playoffs this year. Wanderers battled back from 3-0 down to square the match up when debutant striker Kerem Bulut scored his second goal in the 53rd minute but Socceroos midfielder Antonis lashed the winner home from a tight angle 15 minutes from time. Saturday's victory kept Sydney FC in fifth place in the table, just four points behind leaders Perth Glory, while Wanderers remain rooted to the bottom of the 10-team league with one win in 17 matches. Melbourne Victory could have taken top spot by goal difference if they had beaten Wellington Phoenix in the final game of Round 19 on Sunday but were stunned 3-2 at home by Wellington Phoenix. The New Zealand outfit had to get to the ground in a fleet of taxis after their bus failed to turn up but man-of-the-match Nathan Burns decided the contest with a tap-in in the 77th minute to keep Phoenix fourth. Perth's 2-2 home draw with champions Brisbane Roar on Saturday kept them three points clear at the top of the table ahead of Victory, Adelaide United and Wellington. Two goals in two minutes around the hour mark had given Roar a lead they looked unlikely to relinquish until defender Corey Brown was shown a red card 14th minutes from time with Dino Djulbic netting Perth's equaliser in the 84th minute. A point was not enough to keep Brisbane in the playoff places as Melbourne City had opened the weekend with shock 3-1 win over Adelaide on Friday, former Socceroo target man Josh Kennedy heading the second for his first goal for the club. Strugglers Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets drew a blank in their derby on Saturday, a result that did neither side much good at the bottom of the standings. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)