The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
13Oct19 | 20Oct19 | 27Oct19 | 03Nov19 | 10Nov19 | 23Nov19 | 01Dec19 | 07Dec19 | 14Dec19 | 21Dec19 | 28Dec19 | 04Jan20 | 11Jan20 | 18Jan20 | 24Jan20 | 07Feb20 | 15Feb20 | 21Feb20 | 08Mar20 | 15Mar20 | 17July20 | 22July20 | 25July20 | 31July20 | 05Aug20 | 13Aug20 | 22Aug20
05Aug20
Wellington And Brisbane Share Spoils In Newcastle
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar shared the Hyundai A-League spoils at an at times slippery McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on August 5, the 1-1 draw aiding the cause of neither team in their respective pursuits of a second-placed finish in the competition.
The Kiwi side were first to threaten, Rene Piscopo turning Scott Neville and surging forward on receipt of a Matti Steinmann pass, before bringing the outstanding Liberato Cacace into play. His low cross from the by-line, intended for David Ball, was well anticipated by Jamie Young, who was to have a fine match twixt the sticks for the Queenslanders.
He instantly sparked a counter-attack which was greatly aided by Steven Taylor's untimely stumble. But before Scott McDonald could capitalise, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi spared his captain's blushes with a timely tackle - he had a fine game in central defence.
After Young had turned a Ulises Davila shot to safety with the assistance of the post, Dylan Wenzel-Halls sent a shot fizzing past the post for Brisbane, then spoilt another scoring chance in the nineteenth minute when heading wide a Corey Brown cross which was intended for McDonald, who was perfectly placed to strike.
Young was again to the fore four minutes later, tipping a Taylor header over the bar after Davila had picked out his captain with a corner to the far post. Piscopo then sent a corner zooming through the goalmouth - how no one touched it defies logic! - after a jinking run inside the penalty area by Cacace saw him take on three defenders who did well not to fell the in-full-flight fullback.
Back came Brisbane, Wenzel-Halls wasting another opportunity in the 27th minute when heading wide after Danny Kim's terrific ball wide allowed Jack Hingert and Jay O'Shea to combine to good effect.
Sixty seconds later, Stefan Marinovic tipped a Wenzel-Halls drive over the bar following good work on the left by Brown and McDonald, who was brilliantly denied in the act of shooting in the 29th minute by Hudson-Wihongi's timely tackle, Tom Aldred's measured lob over the defence inviting Brisbane's targetman to get in behind the Wellington defence.
After Young had grabbed a Cacace cross intended for Ball, Wenzel-Halls drilled another shot straight at Marinovic, Bradden Inman having teamed up with McDonald to engineer the opening.
Wellington responded by forcing another Piscopo corner, which Ball headed past the upright. But on the stroke of half-time, the Kiwis came closest of all to opening the scoring - but for one of the saves of the season, they would have done.
Davila delivered a free-kick into the danger zone which Aldred half-headed clear. Gary Hooper, who, seconds earlier, failed to play to the whistle, thinking he was offside when he'd been played on by a wayward pass-back, instantly controlled the ball on his chest and executed a delicious lobbed volley which had 'top far corner' written all over it, until Young pulled off a fabulous fingertip save at full stretch.
The lively tone of the first spell continued unabated in the second half, with Hudson-Wihongi stinging Young's gloves with a twenty-five yard free-kick in the 49th minute.
Five minutes later, O'Shea and Inman opened Wellington up through the middle of the park, only
|
to be thwarted by the combined efforts of Taylor and Hudson-Wihongi, with Wenzel-Halls crying out for a pass into the space he occupied on the left.
Wellington responded via a Davila free-kick from inside the 'D', which arced round the defensive wall and just past Young's right-hand post, and a twenty-yarder from Hooper which Brisbane's goalkeeper pounced upon.
Brisbane opened the scoring in the 61st minute. Neville played the ball to O'Shea, who brought McDonald into play, despite the fact three defenders surrounded him. He evaded the trio by dropping back out of the area, then set himself up for a thumping twenty-yarder on the turn which Marinovic could do little about - 1-0.
Wellington wasted little time in setting about seeking an equaliser. Davila and Piscopo worked a 64th minute one-two which played the latter in on goal, only for Young to brilliantly turn his curling twenty-yarder to safety.
Three minutes later, a gorgeous measured pass from substitute Alex Rufer found Cacace ghosting in behind the defence, from where he curled a cross into the stride of Hooper, who somehow contrived to steer the ball wide from six yards with the goal at his mercy.
From Young's resulting goal-kick, Brown buccaneered down the left before firing in a wicked low cross which had McDonald's name written all over it until Marinovic saved solidly at the incoming striker's feet.
That proved to be a rare foray forward for the Queenslanders in the remaining minutes - it had been all Wellington after the goal, as they pursued an equaliser. But the form Young was in suggested getting back on level terms might prove beyond them on this occasion.
Unperturbed, Wellington pressed on, Cacace intercepting a pass on the edge of his penalty area and setting off on a swashbuckling run downfield before delivering a sumptuous pass into the stride of Ball, who held it up well before rewarding Davila's darting run through the inside right channel with a precise pass.
Young was right behind the resulting shot, however, but was finally beaten eight minutes from time when Rufer picked out Cacace's darting run in behind the defence with a peach of a pass, allowing the fullack to guide the ball past the 'keeper.
He did, only for the ball to bounce against the post. Much to the delight of the incoming figure of Hooper, it rebounded back into his stride - 1-1, with both teams going for the three points in the time remaining.
Inman went close with a curling effort for Brisbane, to which Wellington responded with a concerted last-gasp raid deserving of better fate. Substitute Callum McCowatt combined with Cacace, whose teasing cross to the far post was headed across goal and just past the near post by Hooper - a dramatic finale to this well-contested clash.
Brisbane: Young; Hingert, Aldred (booked, 10), Gillesphey, Brown; O'Shea, Neville, Kim, Inman (Amadi-Holloway, 87); Wenzel-Halls (Ridenton, 66 (booked 74)), McDonald
Wellington: Marinovic; Elliot, Taylor, Hudson-Wihongi, Cacace; Davila (McCowatt, 73), Devlin (Rufer, 62), Steinmann (booked, 12), Piscopo (Sautirio, 80); Ball, Hooper
Referee: Alex King
|