The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
22Oct23 | 28Oct23 | 04Nov23 | 10Nov23 | 25Nov23 | 02Dec23 | 09Dec23 | 18Dec23 | 23Dec23 | 29Dec23 | 04Jan24 | 14Jan24 | 19Jan24 | 27Jan24 | 02Feb24 | 06Feb24 | 10Feb24 | 18Feb24 | 24Feb24 | 03Mar24 | 09Mar24 | 16Mar24 | 31Mar24 | 06Apr24 | 12Apr24 | 19Apr24 | 27Apr24 | 12May24 | 18May24
02Feb24
Like Watching Everton!
by Jeremy Ruane
Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Wellington Phoenix paid the price for playing to not lose at Suncorp Stadium on February 2, Brisbane Roar snatching a last-gasp equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw from a match which was far from a great advertisement for the beautiful game - to be blunt, it was like watching Everton! Yes, that bad!
Both teams enjoyed their fair share of possession in this encounter, but did sod-all with the ball to capture the imagination of the paying public. Gentlemen, you have a duty to entertain the masses when you take to the field to play, not bore them solid or, worse still, provide a cure for insomnia!
Brisbane was the first team to fire shots in anger, Thomas Waddingham's 21st minute effort, which was blocked by Scott Wootton, followed two minutes later by a Henry Hore drive which was smothered by Adam Paulsen.
Hore was to depart the fray with a knee injury seven minutes before half-time, but play had barely resumed when Lukas Kelly-Heald and Jack Hingert had a clash of heads which forced the Brisbane fullback to depart the fray with blood streaming from a cut just above his eyebrow.
Having also lost captain Tom Aldred in the warm-up, it was proving to be a baptism of fire for interim Brisbane coach Ruben Zadkovich, and in the minutes just prior to the interval he looked on with relief as his charges survived a late rally from Wellington, who until this point had kept their powder dry.
Brisbane old boy Costa Barbarouses fired the visitors' first shot in anger, followed soon after by an Oskar Van Hattum effort. Both were capably dealt with by the hitherto inactive Macklin Freke, who then smothered a Nick Pennington effort before attending to another effort from Barbarouses, this time a shot on the turn.
The next time Wellington fired a shot in anger, it was their first attempt of the second spell, and it broke the deadlock in the 51st minute. Van Hattum, making his first start for the club, won possession on the right and found Mohamed Al-Taay up in support.
The midfielder drove to the by-line through the inside right channel before clipping a cross into the goalmouth, where Bozhidar Kraev was flying in to meet it. From six yards, he couldn't miss - 1-0
|
Wellington.
Two minutes later, the Bulgarian went desperately close to doubling his tally for the match, thundering a twenty-yarder narrowly past the post after wriggling through three challenges. But having taken the lead, Wellington soon reverted to the dreaded "playing to not lose" anti-footballing approach, instead of looking to underline why they are where they are on the league table.
Brisbane looked to take full advantage, but came up against a veritable brick wall in the form of Wellington's defence, which was superbly marshalled by Wootton, and which featured a solid display from first starter Isaac Hughes.
Behind them, Paulsen was occasionally called into action, such as in the 67th and 73rd minutes when he kept out shots from Brisbane substitute Carlo Armiento. Ten minutes from time, Hughes bravely blocked the efforts of both Jay O'Shea and Armiento in quick succession, before Freke, by now a spectator again, saved the day for the home team with a splendid denial to prevent Barbarouses from doubling Wellington's lead against the run of play five minutes from time.
Brisbane kept pounding away, and in the fourth minute of stoppage time were rewarded for their persistence with a dramatic equaliser. Keegan Jelacic got the better of two opponents on the right-hand edge of Wellington's penalty before chipping a cross to the far post. Flying in to meet it was Corey Brown, who headed home from close range to finally breach the visitors' resistance.
1-1 nearly became 2-1 to Brisbane, because straight from the kick-off O'Shea charged downfield before inviting Ayom Majok to let fly. Wootton's intervention diverted the shot to safety and ensured Wellington of a point, which would have been three had Giancarlo Italiano's charges played to win, rather than to not lose.
Brisbane: Freke; Hingert (Brown, 41), Trewin, Nikolovski (booked, 59), Burke-Gilroy (Gomulka, 79); Mileusnic (Zabala, 79 (booked, 90)), Caletti (Rojas, 62), O'Shea; Waddingham (Armiento, 62), Jelacic, Hore (Majok, 38)
Wellington: Paulsen; Surman, Wootton, Hughes; Al-Taay (Old, 74), Pennington (booked, 64), Kraev (booked, 89 (Gillion, 89), Kelly-Heald; Van Hattum (Zawada, 70), Ball (Conchie, 70), Barbarouses
Referee: Ben Abraham
|