Sydney derby's power and the passion

The hyped-up confrontation between Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC lived up to all expectations and every person lucky enough to be at a heaving Parramatta Stadium would have left the venue yearning for more.

It was a football festival of colour, noise, passion and drama that must have come across as a powerful spectacle on television as well.

The Sydney derby was as big a smash hit with the fans as its Melbourne equivalent was two seasons ago.

The match vindicated the Wanderers' decision to stick with Parramatta Stadium even for their big games.

The 19,126 crowd that crammed into the stadium to create a European-style spectacle would have been lost in a larger venue like ANZ Stadium.

From a technical perspective Wanderers and Sydney are still a work in progress and, putting it bluntly, on the evidence of the first three rounds of the competition they are not likely to win the A-League championship.

Yet derbies are not beauty contests. They are special events where full commitment and esprit de corps are what fans pay to see and demand.

And credit to both sets of players who threw everything at each other in a valiant attempt to gain supremacy on such a historic occasion.

A close range finish from Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero after his retaken penalty had been parried gave Sydney a 1-0 victory, its first of the season.

Yet many neutrals – not that there were many at the stadium – would have probably felt sorry for the Wanderers as they continue their quest for a maiden win and first goal of the season.

Tony Popovic is building a solid side that is more than capable of playing out form the back and enjoy a fair share of possession.

However, he needs more bit in attack.

What would he give for a Del Piero, an Emile Heskey or even a Shane Smeltz, Besart Berisha or Archie Thompson!

As so often happens, a tight derby with no quarter asked or given can be decided by a flash of pure class.

That moment came nine minutes into the second half when Del Piero won possession of the ball, waltzed his way into a crowded penalty area and expertly drew a foul from young Aaron Mooy, who otherwise played another good game in the heart of the midfield for the Wanderers.

Del Piero found the net at the third time of asking.

He scored with his first kick but the penalty had to be retaken due to encroachment.

His second kick was saved by Ante Covic but he showed poise and alertness to slam the ball home from the rebound to send the hundreds of Sydney fans into raptures.

To their immense credit the Wanderers supporters kept urging on their heroes until the very end but forwards Dino Kresinger and Mark Bridge failed to reward their passion with a goal that would not have been undeserved.

There was not much in it but Sydney perhaps legitimised its victory by the way it controlled its lead.

Popovic spoke later about "goals that change games" while Ian Crook hailed his players for their better use of the ball than in the first two matches.

Sydney has a long way to go to be considered a genuine challenger for the title.

It would appear that it does not enjoy the organisation of Brisbane Roar, the effervescence of Melbourne Victory or the toughness of Central Coast Mariners.

Yet with Del Piero beginning to adjust to life in the A-League, Brett Emerton running into form and Pascal Bosschaart getting closer to a return from injury, who knows what's in store for the Sky Blues.

In the meantime, fans of both teams are already counting the days to the next derby at Allianz Stadium on 15 December.

Bring it on.