Keeper slammed after 'unbelievable' Sydney derby gaffe

Vedran Janjetovic has felt the wrath of his own Wanderers supporters after a crazy brain explosion saw him sent off in the Sydney derby.

The Wanderers were the dominant side through much of the first half and took a deserved lead in the 23rd minute against fierce rivals Sydney FC.

However, the match was turned on its head after Janjetovic’s moment of madness before halftime.

The Wanderers keeper came way out of his box in an attempt to deal with a Sydney long ball that didn’t seem to be posing much immediate threat.

However, Janjetovic’s attempt to clear the danger resulted in an air-swing as Adam le Fondre pounced on the ball and whipped it towards goal.

In a split second of desperation, the Western Sydney keeper threw his hands at the football, regardless of the fact he was well outside his box.

The referee had little choice but to issue him a straight red card for illegally stopping a goal-scoring opportunity.

The decision was so clear cut even Wanderers fans admitted on social media that the keeper had to go for his inexplicable indiscretion.

To add insult to injury for the Wanderers, Sky Blues pair Alex Brosque and Siem De Jong then scored either side of the break before substitute Jacob Tratt sealed the 3-1 result late on.

The Saturday night win ensures the title favourites consolidate third spot on the A-League table and leaves the Wanderers with just one derby win in their past 16 meetings.

Janjetovic’s mistake – in his 150th A-League match – came seconds after he needlessly came out of his box to field a long ball, only to miscue his run.

The brain snap was followed by a curious Markus Babbel decision to take off Alex Baumjohann.

The German star, who has arguably been the Wanderers’ best this season, was furious as he disappeared up the ANZ Stadium tunnel.

And their scoreline advantage went with him not long after, with Brosque the first to react to a low Josh Brillante fizzer that hit the post just before halftime.

It was his fifth goal in the derby – the most in the rivalry’s six-year history.

It didn’t take long for the visitors to take the lead after the break, with de Jong given oodles of time to fire home after the Wanderers failed to clear a corner.

The win came despite Sydney FC losing veteran Alex Wilkinson to a virus on game day and then defensive partner Jop Van Der Linden to a knee injury in the first half.

Van Der Linden limped off in the 15th minute then substitute Aaron Calver exited with cramps in the second half but by then the contest was over.

The miserable conditions delayed kick-off twice before lightning forced officials to push the start a third time.

They were also almost certainly a factor in the derby’s lowest ever crowd of 18,043.

With AAP