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02Jan23
League Leaders Come From Behind To Down Wellington
by Jeremy Ruane
Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Melbourne City scored a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium on January 2 to consolidate their advantage at the top of the table, and leave their opponents languishing in ninth place in a competition which sees six points covering the nine teams between third and second-last on the table.
As is their usual practice, Wellington was first out of the blocks in front of the 6,321-strong crowd, a larger than usual attendance due to it being a public holiday, but still well short of the desired five-figure tally Wellington seeks to attract to each game for break-even purposes.
Steven Ugarkovic, David Ball and the overlapping Callan Elliot combined to open up City's left flank in the third minute, only for Valon Berisha to clear the danger. Five minutes later, Ugarkovic's chipped pass to the fullback invited Elliot to head the ball inside to Oskar Zawada, who directed his header over the bar.
City responded with an attack which forced a corner, Berisha's delivery of which was headed over the bar by Thomas Lam from six yards. The visitors' attack then picked up the momentum, Jamie Maclaren and Mathew Leckie combining for the first time via a slick one-two on the left, but they were unable to penetrate Wellington's rearguard on this occasion.
The deadlock was broken in the sixteenth minute by the home side in stylish fashion. Yan Sasse worked a one-two with the lively Elliot, the Brazilian then linking with Bozhidar Kraev, who promptly brought the fullback into the equation once more.
Elliot delivered a low cross to the near post, rewarding the angled run of Ball, who, free of any covering defenders, brilliantly back-heeled the ball across the stunned figure of Tom Glover and into the net via the far post - his first goal of the season, and what a goal it was!
Wellington were still celebrating it when Melbourne equalised two minutes later. Marco Tilio led the attack, his cross inviting Leckie to replicate Ball's back-heeled effort. But for the width of the far post, he would have done so, the sphere striking the upright and rebounding into the goalmouth, where Maclaren was unable to turn it home.
Wellington were unable to clear the danger, however, and the ball was recycled to Tilio once more. This time, his cross invited Leckie to head the ball goalwards, and he duly guided the sphere beyond the diving figure of Oli Sail - 1-1.
Sail and Leckie featured in City's next attack, the 'keeper racing well out of his penalty area to prevent the goalscorer from spearing through Wellington's offside trap in the 26th minute. Five minutes later, the home team retorted via Zawada, whose downward header deflected past the post after Clayton Lewis and Lucas Mauragis had combined on the left.
Elliot and Ugarkovic then worked a one-two on the right, with the fullback's teasing cross inviting Zawada to head for goal once more. Lam got the jump on the striker, however, and headed the ball past his own post.
The resulting corner was cleared to Berisha, who combined inventively with Tulio to create an opening for Maclaren. Scott Wootton blocked his shot on this occasion, while the offside flag curtailed the league's leading scorer's celebrations in the 36th minute as Maclaren tucked home what he initially thought was City's second goal.
That was to come, but not before Zawada squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to restore Wellington's lead two minutes before half-time. Glover's untimely stumble saw him gift the ball to the striker, who, with an open goal at his mercy, directed his shot straight at the recovering goalkeeper, who couldn't believe his good fortune.
Worse was to follow for Zawada before half-time, the offside flag denying him a goal seconds after Sail had kept out a driven cross-shot from hard-working City fullback Jordan Bos. Wellington's goalkeeper then thwarted Tilio at close quarters in the 48th minute, then looked on in dismay as Kraev felled Tilio inside the area after the striker scythed inside from the right.
Up stepped Maclaren to make A-League history - converting the penalty would see him create a competition record of scoring in nine consecutive league matches. He duly steered the ball beyond Sail's dive from twelve yards to etch his place in the record books, but more importantly, give City the
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lead, 2-1.
Wellington, now bereft of the services of Ben Waine following his midweek transfer to English League One title-chasers Plymouth Argyle, called on Costa Barbarouses in their efforts to turn the game around, and the substitute saw his 62nd minute shot blocked following a partially cleared Lewis corner.
City went straight down the other end and should have increased their lead. Richard van der Venne played a delightful lobbed pass forward to Berisha, who steered the sphere inside to Maclaren. On this occasion, he couldn't get a shot away, unlike Zawada in the 66th minute, but he couldn't direct his diving header on target on receipt of Elliot's hooked delivery.
Back came the visitors, Callum Talbot picking out Aiden O'Neill on halfway. After resisting a challenge, he played in van der Venne, only for Wootton's vital intervention to frustrate the midfielder. The ball broke for Andrew Nabbout, but his cross was cleared by the retreating figure of Lewis.
After this raid, Melbourne were rarely sighted in Wellington's half. Instead, the home team laid siege to the City goal, pounding away in search of an equaliser. In the 73rd minute, Ball's cross for Zawada was headed out by Lam to Sasse, whose shot cannoned off the head of half-time substitute Nuno Reis to safety.
Quite how Wellington could claim this was handball beggars belief; their claims smacked of desperation borne from frustration as their efforts to breach Melbourne's resolute defence took their toll.
Eleven minutes from time, Mauragis and Kraev combined on the left, the fullback picking out Ball, whose eighteen yard drive was grabbed by Glover. Ball then linked with Sasse and Elliot, whose cross flew inches beyond Zawada's head on the far post.
Wellington came desperately close to getting the equaliser they craved in the 82nd minute. Elliot and Ball worked their magic once more, with Barbarouses, bursting through the inside right channel, the beneficiary of their endeavours. The striker's rising first time drive beat Glover all ends up, only to crash against the crossbar.
Lewis then brought Elliot into play with a super pass with the outside of his left foot, the fullback exploiting the space it created for him before picking out the head of Zawada once more. He directed his header straight at Glover, and promptly jumped up and down in frustration.
City looked to have weathered the storm, as in stoppage time, a stray pass was pounced on by Maclaren, who evaded two defenders before unleashing a shot which cannoned to safety off the advancing figure of Sail.
Wellington responded instantly, Barbarouses getting in on the right before setting up fellow substitute Oskar Van Hattum. The youngster's eight yard drive was superbly parried by Glover, but Zawada, following up, was crowded out in his efforts to ram home the equaliser.
Still the home team pressed, Ball again their inspiration, this time in an attack which culminated in a Kraev drive. Glover smothered this to his left, the last save he would make in a match which saw City deliver the coup de grace in the sixth of seven minutes of stoppage time.
It was a classic counter-attacking goal. Leckie led the charge after Lewis lost possession in midfield. Nabbout and Maclaren were to right and left of him respectively, and it was the substitute into whose stride the pass was played.
Drawing the defence as he got to the edge of the penalty area, Nabbout played a slide-rule angled pass across the face of goal to the unmarked figure of Maclaren, who plundered his twelfth goal of the campaign in ruthless fashion to clinch City's 3-1 victory and leave Wellington wondering what might have been had they been as clinical at taking the chances they created.
Wellington: Sail; Elliot (Pennington, 88), Wootton, Payne, Mauragis; Sasse (Van Hattum, 88), Ugarkovic (booked, 28) (Barbarouses, 52), Lewis, Kraev; Ball, Zawada
Melbourne: Glover; Talbot (Galloway, 67), Good (booked, 21) (Reis, 46), Lam, Bos (booked, 7); O'Neill, van der Venne (booked, 70) (Jamieson, 85), Berisha; Tilio (Nabbout, 67), Maclaren, Leckie
Referee: Alex King
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