The ball falls to Dylan Scicluna at the edge of the box. He jinks left and rifles a strike into the bottom corner. Then, everything goes black.
“When the ball hit the back of the net… I went a bit almost pitch black for a few seconds, couldn’t believe what happened and then yeah, the adrenaline kicked in,” he tells reporters of the moment he scored against Premier League side Chelsea in the Sydney Super Cup.
At 22 years old, Scicluna had just one goal to his name prior to the match at Accor Stadium, which saw the A-League outfit give the reigning world club champions a genuine scare in Xabi Alonso’s first match in charge, before they ran out 6-4 winners.
“It’s a surreal experience,” he explains.
“You know, you watch these players on your TV on Stan (Sport) every week in the Prem.
“It’s every boy’s dream to play in the Prem one day and you’re playing against some of the best players in the world.
“So to test yourself against the best, and put yourself on show, yeah, it’s an unbelievable experience and I think the whole night was special for everyone involved.”
Big occasion. Bigger belief.
Dylan Scicluna on sharing the pitch with Chelsea and what the night meant for the club, the players and everyone in Red & Black. pic.twitter.com/azhj3nmKER — WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) July 28, 2026
When Premier League sides come to town, it provides an opportunity for Australian players to show what they’re made of.
Even Chelsea boss Alonso would agree that the Wanderers did just that.
Scicluna was chief among those who impressed, with his goal – to give the home side a 3-2 lead just after the hour mark – topping off an industrious midfield performance that caught the eye.
“Typically I don’t score much, he said.
“It’s only my second goal in my career.
“I found myself higher up the pitch than I usually do. The ball fell to me and I saw from the corner of my eye that it was only one v one and I thought if I can, with his momentum, flick it the other way and get an opportunity to shoot and yeah.”
The merits of matches like these for Australian football and A-League sides have been debated plenty over the years, but they have once again delivered moments that will be cherished for a lifetime by young players given the chance to test themselves against the best.
Scicluna not only walks away with that goal, but also the memento of Wesley Fofana’s matchworn shirt, having swapped with the Blues defender after the match.
The Wanderers lead AGAIN against Chelsea – and what a goal it was! 🔥
An epic turn and finish from Dylan Scicluna puts Western Sydney 3-2 up in the Sydney Super Cup opener! 👏
Stream #CHEvWSW live and exclusive on Paramount+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/CdRBuLLSDV — Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) July 28, 2026
Teammate and lifelong Chelsea fan Jarrod Carluccio scored the major prize, nabbing Cole Palmer’s jersey after full-time.
“I think he’ll be quite thrilled to get Cole’s jersey,” Scicluna quips. “I’m sure we won’t hear the end of that for a few weeks. But yeah, happy for him and happy for everyone tonight.”
Meanwhile, 22-year-old winger Aydan Hammond was in tears after scoring the Wanderers second goal on the night.
“It’s a big occasion for us, you know, you’re playing against Chelsea in a game in the Sydney Super Cup,” Scicluna says when asked about Hammond’s emotional response.
“I think for him in particular, you know, it’s a moment he would have dreamed of like many of us and you know, the emotions in the moment can overcome you sometimes.
“So yeah, he might have shed a tear or two, but I was happy for him. I thought he played really well, he was energetic, had a bit of spark about him.”
It has been a big couple of years for Scicluna.
The midfielder looked set to represent Malta at international level before a serious ACL injury prevented him accepting a senior call-up. Ultimately, he opted to change his international allegiance to Australia amid growing hype over his performances in the A-League.
Now, he firmly has his sights set on earning a maiden Socceroos call.
“Every Australian boy’s dream is to play with the Socceros one day and of course it’s my dream,” he said.
“I’d love to play with the Socceroos and especially watching them at the World Cup recently, even more you want to pull that jersey on and represent them and represent your country.
“But yeah for now it’s just about … we’re in pre season ourselves, it’s just about getting your head down, focusing on your football individually, getting better and fitter every day and yeah things happen and you know, fingers crossed it happens one day, but yeah, right now it’s just about getting your head down and playing my best football to help the team.”
Part of that focus on club football will be helping right the wrongs of last season for the Wanderers, following their last-placed finish in 2025/26.
Ufuk Talay’s arrival appears to have put a spring in the step, with Western Sydney playing more on the front foot early in his reign.
“We all had to sit down, have a look in the mirror and have a good hard look at ourselves because you know no one involved with the club was happy with how last year went,” he said.
“But yeah there’s been some change, some fresh blood that’s come in and yeah it’s been really nice playing under Uffy (Talay). His messages are clear and I think you saw tonight how we want to play this year and yeah it’s quite exciting and on the front foot.”
Ideally, they’d like to be playing that football in front of bigger crowds, with the A-League still grappling with engaging fans and driving bums on seats.
“Of course it’s nice when you play as a footballer you want to play in front of the crowds and the fans,” Scicluna said, when asked about the crowd on the night.
“Ultimately the fans make the football. You play for the fans and the fans come to watch an exciting game of football.
“So yeah, it’s nice that they come out for occasions like this, but I think everyone involved in … not just us, the league in particular, we need to try and bring fan engagement back because I think when the you get the fan engagement and you play in crowds of 25,000, 30,000 every week, you certainly get a lot more excitement around the league and it’s a lot more eventful to watch.”