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01Apr23
Melbourne Come From Behind To Down Wellington
by Jeremy Ruane
Melbourne Victory climbed off the bottom of the Isuzu Ute A-League table for the first time in weeks on April 1, coming from behind to down Wellington Phoenix 2-1 in front of 7,032 fans at Sky Stadium, a match which could well be the last which the home team plays at "The Caketin" this season.
With their top four hopes - and a home play-off fixture - severely dented by this outcome, and their final home game of the season set down for the national stadium, Auckland's Eden Park, in a fortnight, Wellington really needed to win this clash if they harbour hopes of hosting A-League football in the capital next month.
It was the visitors who started the better of the sides, however, Bruno Fornaroli releasing Chris Ikonomidis down the left in the tenth minute, the flank player getting to the by-line before firing in a low cross for Ben Folami.
Sam Sutton stepped in to snuff out this threat, but within seconds the ball was back in the box at the feet of Fornaroli, who fired a fierce drive which Oli Sail did well to parry away, Joshua Laws completing the clearance.
Four minutes later, Scott Wootton stepped in to prevent a Folami cross from being turned home by Fornaroli, while in the eighteenth minute, Ikonomidis scampered past Tim Payne before crossing to the near post. Fornaroli intended to be the recipient of the delivery, but Sail had other ideas, and sparked Wellington's first attack with his clearing throw.
Alex Rufer and Oskar Zawada combined to pick out Yan Sasse on the right, where he took on and beat Enrique Lopez before setting up Bozhidar Kraev for a shot which deflected off Roderick Miranda to safety.
Melbourne weren't so fortunate when Wellington next attacked, in the 25th minute. Damien Da Silva failed to deal with a bouncing ball, onto which Zawada swooped before lofting it over the approaching figure of Paul Izzo - 1-0 to the home team.
The goalkeeper dashed quickly off his line to prevent Sasse from doubling Wellington's lead six minutes later, the Brazilian having been played in by Rufer's artful chipped pass. Within seconds, Costa Barbarouses and Kraev were combining to good effect, Sutton the beneficiary of their industry, with the fullback hurtling downfield before drilling a shot from the edge of the penalty area narrowly past Izzo's right-hand post.
Ten minutes before half-time, Izzo was well placed to deal with a twenty-five yarder from Barbarouses, then looked on with relief as Kraev, who had been fouled earlier in the move, recovered to thunder a shot past the post from outside the penalty area, Sasse's cross having ricocheted into the Bulgarian's stride.
Wellington continued to threaten right up to half-time, the charging figure of Payne seeing his cross diverted over Melbourne's crossbar by Da Silva. And after an initial spell of pressure from the visitors in the second spell, the home team's pursuit of a second goal saw Zawada curl a twenty-five yard free-kick past the post before two fabulous saves by Izzo in a five-minute spell.
The first, in the 51st minute, prevented Sasse from rifling home after cutting in off the right flank. And after Wootton's intervention had prevented Fornaroli from capitalising on a Rufer area outside
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his own penalty area, Izzo produced another brilliant denial to turn a Steven Ugarkovic piledriver round the post after Kraev and Sasse had prised open Melbourne's rearguard.
Buoyed by their goalkeeper's heroics, Melbourne responded in splendid fashion, drawing level in the 58th minute. Ikonomidis' corner was headed goalwards by Da Silva, and Fornaroli reacted like lightning to steal in behind Sutton and head home the equaliser from close range.
That goal set up the final half-hour of play, Wellington first to threaten through Zawada, who directed a header past the post after Ugarkovic and Rufer had worked a one-two on the right in the 65th minute.
Four minutes later, Payne gifted possession to Melbourne's half-time substitute Lleyton Brooks, who stormed past Wootton before seeing his early shot turned away by Sail. Six minutes later, another substitute, Nishan Velupillay, produced some "Twinkletoes" football to weave his way past three opponents en route to the penalty area, from where he fired a shot past Sail.
Callan Elliot was lurking behind his 'keeper, however, and blocked the effort for a corner, from which Melbourne took the lead. Ikonomidis was again the deliverer, and this time Da Silva contested the ball in the air before reacting swiftly to hook it home from six yards through a crowded goalmouth.
Leading 2-1 with fourteen minutes to play, Melbourne fancied their chances of pulling off the upset, and went close to extending their lead on a number of occasions before the final whistle. Captain Josh Brillante pinged the ball forward seven minutes from time to send Brooks through, the winger holding off the challenge of Payne, only to fire past the near post.
Two minutes later, Velupillay worked a one-two with Brooks on the right before, with Fornaroli unmarked inside him, Velupillay went for glory with just Sail to beat. The approaching goalkeeper saved the attempt, prompting Fornaroli to go ballistic at his young team-mate, with justification aplenty.
Da Silva sent his header from Ikonomidis' resulting corner onto the roof of Wellington's net, while Brillante fired a twenty-five yarder narrowly over the bar in the dying minutes of a contest which saw the home team's efforts to fashion an equaliser all too often falling foul of Melbourne's excellent defensive effort.
After falling behind, Wellington had struggled to carve out any openings of note, and it wasn't until stoppage time that they went close to snatching a late leveller. But the efforts of Clayton Lewis and Sasse flew past Izzo's right-hand post, ensuring Melbourne of a very welcome three points on the road as they bid to climb from last to sixth during the course of April, with that play-off spot now just a tantalising three points away for Tony Popovic's charges.
Wellington: Sail; Payne, Wootton, Laws (Elliot, 50), Sutton (Mauragis, 75); Sasse, Rufer, Ugarkovic (Lewis, 65), Kraev (Old, 75); Barbarouses (Ball, 65), Zawada
Melbourne: Izzo; Chapman (booked, 50) (Marchan, 68), Da Silva, Miranda, Lopez; Folami (Velupillay, 71), Brillante, Broxham (Nigro, 46), Ikonomidis (booked, 77); Fornaroli (booked, 90), Adams (Brooks, 46 (Konstandopoulos, 90))
Referee: Alireza Faghani
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