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090125
Wellington Put Western Sydney To Sword
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix scored their fifth Ninja A-League Women's victory in seven matches on 9 January, sweeping aside ten-woman Western Sydney Wanderers 3-0 in front of 425 fans at the Wanderers Football Park to climb to fourth place on the league table.
In all honesty, the scoreline flattered the home team, who found themselves under siege just ninety seconds into the encounter as Annalie Longo rattled the crossbar direct from a corner, a strike which set out Wellington's stall.
Seven minutes later, Carolina Vilao threw the ball out to Lara Wall, who motored down the left before inviting Olivia Fergusson to the party. She touched it on to leave Mebae Tanaka one-on-one with Sham Khamis, who did well to divert the winger's shot round the post, then tip Mackenzie Barry's header over the bar from the resulting Longo corner.
Alyssa Whinham won the ball on the edge of Wests' penalty area soon after, then darted towards the by-line before inviting Longo to let fly. Her first-time drive missed the target, like a number of the forty-odd efforts Wellington fired at goal in this contest - yes, forty-odd! They were that dominant!
After seventeen minutes, Longo and Tanaka combined on the right, with the latter's deft cross finding Fergusson arriving on cue eight yards from goal. Her header crashed against the post - a let-off for Wests, who survived a couple of long-range efforts from Grace Jale soon after, both of which drew saves from Khamis.
Wests' goalkeeper was in the thick of things again just shy of the half-hour, saving in front of Fergusson to prevent Maya McCutcheon's header, from a Longo corner, finding the net, the, producing a super save to her right to deny the striker, Fergusson having been played in by Longo.
Tanaka then sent a shot on the run narrowly past the near post before Western Sydney finally registered a noteworthy attack, and Sophie Harding, the 2023-24 Ninja A-League Women's Player of the Year, won't need reminding that she should have opened the scoring against the run of play in the 33rd minute.
Gemma Ferris sent Danika Matos marauding down the left, and she got in behind Alivia Kelly before picking out Harding inside the goal area. The striker, who inspired Wests' stunning comeback against Melbourne Victory a week ago to earn a point from a 4-4 draw, somehow got the ball stuck between her feet, and was prevented from pulling the trigger by Barry's timely tackle.
Wellington counter-attacked instantly, Jale pinging the ball downfield for Fergusson to chase. She looked to lift it over the advancing figure of Khamis, and did so, but there were shades of Toni Schumacher's collision with Patrick Battiston in the fabulous 1982 World Cup semi-final between West Germany and France as the goalkeeper clattered into the striker, leaving Fergusson pole-axed.
She eventually recovered, but by the time she did referee Isabella Mossin, after consulting with her assistant, had fished out the red card from her back pocket and sent Khamis off, and no amount of protesting by the home team was going to change things.
Cue the introduction of substitute goalkeeper Keely Segavcic, with Milly Bennett the player who drew the short straw to allow Wests to continue with ten. Her goal soon came under siege, with Longo narrowly wide with a twenty-five yarder before Whinham delivered a super pass into Jale's stride, the Football Fern fizzing in an inviting cross with the outside of her right foot which was tailor-made for Fergusson to convert from six yards, only to steer it wide.
Jale herself went close soon after, Amy Harrison blocking her shot as the home team found themselves on the ropes against opponents who were relentless in their pursuit of an opening goal now that they enjoyed a numerical advantage.
It wouldn't come before half-time, however. Indeed, Wests went close to breaking the deadlock in the 41st minute, Harding and Sienna Saveska racing in in vain to turn home a Cushla Rue cross after the former Wellington player had been released down the right by Amy Chessari.
Back came Paul Temple's charges, Longo's dipping twenty-five yarder being tipped over the bar by Segavcic, who then punched the Wellington captain's corner out from beneath her crossbar. And on the stroke of half-time, Segavcic blocked from Fergusson at her near post after Jale nutmegged an opponent to send Wall racing to the by-line.
Wests had parted ways with coach Robbie Hooker
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just prior to this match, so entered the contest in a vulnerable state. Within seven seconds of the second half starting, they found themselves trailing to a stunning strike from "Wonder" Whinham.
Straight from the kick-off, the genial midfielder played a one-two with McCutcheon before weaving between two opponents and striding forward. Spotting Segavcic off her line, Whinham let fly with a dipping thirty-five yarder which was measured to perfection, the ball arcing over the back-pedalling goalkeeper and dropping just under the bar to break the deadlock in breathtaking fashion.
Cue joy unconfined! One of the great things about Whinham which endears her to all is the emergence of the child within when she celebrates scoring a goal. She simply cannot contain her exuberance, and nor should she - it's infectious, and a joy to behold. More please!
Harding looked to lead Wests' response, the statuesque striker shrugging off the attentions of the tireless Tiana Jaber to combine with Saveska. She spread play wide to Talia Younis, who promptly invited Chessari to let fly, a twenty-five yard attempt which troubled Vilao little.
How her opposite number wished that was the case. Segavcic was again tested at her near post by both Tanaka and Kelly inside the next ten minutes, before brilliant work by Jale in the 57th minute led to the match-clinching second goal - there was no way the under-manned home team was coming back from two goals down, and so it proved.
Jale's jinking run left three players in her wake before she invited McCutcheon to let fly from twenty-five yards. Segavcic parried her effort, but could do nothing as Fergusson and Kelly bore down on the loose ball, the fullback winning the race to fire Wellington into fourth place on the league table with half-an-hour still to play.
Whinham went close from distance again soon after, while some fancy footwork from Longo in the 63rd minute left two opponents mesmerised before the twin threats of Jale and Wall were unleashed once more. The fullback's cross to Fergusson was laid off to McCutcheon, whose twenty-yarder was deflected to safety by Harrison.
Matos chased a lost cause in vain twenty minutes from time - Vilao was always the favourite to win that race, while Wellington's 'keeper was called upon ten minutes later to keep out a long-range effort from Ella Buchanan.
In between times, Wellington had continued to pile on the pressure, Segavcic punching a Longo corner over her own crossbar after misjudging the delivery, then looking on with relief as a Fergusson header flew past the far post after Kelly, Zoe McMeeken, McCutcheon and Emma Main had combined on the right.
With seven minutes remaining, Main delivered the coup de grace, slotting home past the advancing figure of Segavcic after Jale's beautifully weighted chip over the defence sent the substitute storming through with just the 'keeper to beat - 3-0.
Jale and Manaia Elliott went close soon after, before the outstretched leg of Segavcic prevented Main from bagging a double after she scampered through from halfway, although there was more than a hint of offside about this particular attack.
Wests looked to score a consolation goal in the dying minutes, Harding instrumental in both attacks - the English-born Matilda is a top quality striker, whose talents, quite frankly, are wasted in a team as limited as this Western Sydney Wanderers side. (She'd be a great acquisition for Auckland FC in their debut season, make no mistake!)
On the first occasion, she intercepted a pass and powered downfield while Talia Kapetanellis and Younis were in possession of the ball, the latter's cross being grabbed by Vilao at her near post with Harding two strides away from reaching it.
She then headed another cross from Younis past the post before the final whistle condemned Western Sydney's return to the bottom rung on the league ladder as Wellington continued their climb up it, this convincing 3-0 victory ensuring they're very much in play-offs contention as the competition approaches its halfway point.
West. Syd.: Khamis (sent off, 35); Bennett (Segavcic, 37), Harrison, Ferris (Buchanan, 60), Matos; Rue, Harada (Price, 68), Chessari, Younis; Harding, Saveska (Kapetanellis, 68)
Wellington: Vilao; Kelly, Jaber (McMeeken, 65), Barry, Wall; Longo (Main, 76), McCutcheon, Whinham; Tanaka (Elliott, 65), Fergusson, Jale
Referee: Isabella Mossin
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