Emile Heskey and Alessandro Del Piero both scored, but the Englishman ended the night with bragging rights over the Italian in a matchup of big-name A-League signings as the Newcastle Jets beat Sydney FC 3-2 on Saturday.
Juventus great Del Piero is still looking for his first win in Australia, despite doing everything to please vocal A-League crowds.
Saturday's match had the atmosphere of a final as both teams tried desperately to make a statement after they each opened their seasons with 2-0 losses last week. The crowd of 35,419 was a regular-season record at Sydney Football Stadium.
Del Piero scored from a penalty in the 26th minute and Heskey netted in the 40th. Del Piero's attempt at a second in the 60th just shaved past the post.
After the match, Del Piero told The Australian newspaper: "We are not happy (we lost). We fight, but only started to play later after we gave away a goal. We did not do enough.”
Of his goal and the atmosphere, Del Piero was happy.
"It was good to score, but it wasn't enough. I want to score more goals.
"The fans were amazing. They were very good. I hope they come back.”
