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05May22
Wellington Reach Play-Offs With Game To Spare
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix clinched a place in the Isuzu Ute A-League play-offs on May 5, edging Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 in front of 4,769 fans at CommBank Stadium to book their place in the top six with a round to spare.
In a match which in many ways mirrored the clubs' clash at Eden Park eleven days earlier, Wests were the more creative side, but it was Ufuk Talay's charges who again emerged with the points from the encounter, with the coach himself earning yet another booking for his less than exemplary sideline behaviour during proceedings.
On this subject, Mr Talay's antics are getting decidedly tedious. They are churlish, needless and, frankly, embarrassing. Every perceived wrong sees him giving the fourth official chapter and verse on why the decision made should be in Wellington's favour, even when it's blindingly obvious that the referee made the right call all along. All in all, not a good look!
The match started in lively fashion, Steven Ugarkovic thrashing a twenty-five yarder narrowly past Oliver Sail's right-hand post in the second minute of play, to which Wellington responded by taking the lead sixty seconds later.
The resulting goal-kick put Wests under pressure, and when Nick Pennington blocked Tate Russell's attempted clearance, the door was open for Ben Old to pounce. He slipped the ball inside to David Ball, who clipped the ball across to Sam Sutton. Despite not having scored previously so far this season, the fullback unleashed an unerring fifteen yard finish into the bottom far corner.
Wests' response to falling behind early doors saw them squander a glorious chance to level things up just two minutes later. Adama Traore and Keanu Baccus combined to play in Ramy Najjarine on the left, from where he picked out Keijiro Ogawa on the far post with a measured cross.
A first time finish would surely have seen the Japanese player lead Wests' goal celebrations, but his left foot is for standing on, it would seem, as his desire to get the ball onto his right foot allowed Wellington's defence to regroup, with Sail and Tim Payne combining to snuff out what was a gilt-edged chance to equalise.
Things got worse for Ogawa, who had a goal ruled out by the offside flag in the eighteenth minute, seconds after Old had stung the gloves of Daniel Margush with a twenty-five yarder, after Ball had led John Koutroumbis a merry dance down the right.
Wests eventually got their equaliser in the 29th minute. Baccus and Najjarine worked an opening, with the latter working a one-two with the overlapping Traore before inviting Tomer Hemed to unleash a shot on the turn which arrowed past Sail en route to the bottom corner of the net.
Five minutes before half-time, Wellington were prevented from regaining the lead by the offside flag. Gael Sandoval's free-kick wasn't cleared, and Sutton, the scent of goalscoring still fresh in his nostrils, latched onto the loose ball and slammed a twenty-five yarder against the underside of the crossbar.
The ball ricocheted off Margush into the goalmouth, where Ben Waine reacted quicker than anybody and launched into a diving header to turn the ball home. What would have been a great goal was denied by the offside flag, however … 1-1 it remained.
Reno Piscopo was next to chance his arm, Margush keeping out his drive before launching the ball downfield. Ogawa darted in behind Payne and fired in a cross which Scott Wootton headed out to Ugarkovic, whose shot from the edge of the penalty area flew narrowly over the bar.
On the stroke of half-time, Wellington was again thwarted in their bid to regain the lead before the interval, this time via the woodwork. Sandoval's super sixty yard run was brought to a halt by Koutroumbis on the edge of the penalty area, from where the Mexican unleashed a delicious up-and-down free-kick which beat Margush but not the crossbar - very close!
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Another Wellington goal was ruled out in the early stages of the second half, this time by technology. A Sandoval free-kick wasn't cleared, and Piscopo turned the ball into the path of Ball. His cross was volleyed home by Old, but the Video Assistant Referee ruled that Ball had been in an offside position when receiving the pass from Piscopo … needless to say, it would have stood back in the good old days!
Eight minutes into the second spell, Piscopo was on the charge, and worked an opening for Sandoval to deliver a cross. It struck the arm of Tomislav Mrcela, prompting penalty claims galore. But not from Old, who gathered Sandoval's cross and sent the ball flying over the top from eight yards.
The penalty claims were rebuffed, but not so Wests' sense of competitiveness. In the 56th minute, a Piscopo pass struck referee Stephen Lucas - an uncontested drop ball, no-brainer! Only Wests were insistent on contesting it, causing a delay in play until they reluctantly receded.
They were on the front foot seconds later, however, with Russell picking out Hemed with a cross. His lay-off to Ugarkovic was perfection, so good, in fact, that the midfielder overran the ball when seemingly poised to strike eight yards out from goal.
Back came Wellington, Waine raiding down the right before crossing to Ball, who was thwarted by Margush. He prompted a counter-attack in which Najjarine and Mrcela combined on the right, the latter's back-heeled pass inviting Hemed to let fly. He did so, tamely, much to Sail's relief.
In the 63rd minute, Russell picked out Hemed, who worked a one-two with Ugarkovic before unleashing a twenty yard shot on the turn which sizzled past Sail's left-hand post, a strike to which Wellington responded by taking the lead two minutes later.
This time, there was no chance of the offside flag or VAR denying them their due. Sandoval released Piscopo on half-way on the counter-attack, and the midfielder charged forward before standing up Mrcela, cutting inside and fair battering a belter into the bottom far corner from the edge of the penalty area - 2-1 to the visitors.
The goal stunned Wests, who took a good ten minutes to recover from the blow. But after Finn Surman and Wootton combined to foil Najjarine in the penalty area fourteen minutes from time, there was only one team which was going to score in this match.
Try as they might, however, Wests couldn't. Substitute Bernie Ibini-Isei almost caught out Sail in the 79th minute, while the 'keeper produced a stunning save to deny a volley from the same player seconds later, as Wests' pressure intensified.
The resulting corner saw Hemed direct an effort narrowly past the upright, while two minutes later, substitute Alessandro Lopane invited Russell to let fly, only for Sail to tip his effort onto the post. James Troisi latched onto the rebound, but Surman thwarted him with a timely tackle.
Ugarkovic saw a shot deflected over the bar with five minutes remaining, while from the resulting corner, Sail tipped Hemed's header onto the post. Lopane was unable to direct the rebound on target, which proved to be the last shot of the game, Wellington closing it down via a great deal of time-wasting, much to the home team's frustration.
The visitors achieved their objective, however, with their 2-1 victory guaranteeing them a play-offs spot with a round to spare. Such is their inferior goal difference, however, that they will almost certainly be facing a trip to the third-placed team for what they hope will be the first of four fixtures in their extended season, the last, of course, being the Grand Final.
W. Sydney: Margush; Russell, Mrcela (Carluccio, 77), Koutroumbis (Gordon, 46), Traore; Ugarkovic, Troisi (booked, 42), Baccus (booked, 24) (Antonis, 54); Ogawa (Ibini-Isei, 77), Hemed, Najjarine (Lopane, 77)
Wellington: Sail (booked, 90); Surman, Wootton, Payne; Waine, Pennington (booked, 11), Sandoval (Fenton, 87), Piscopo, Sutton; Ball (McGarry, 71), Old (Hooper, 64)
Referee: Stephen Lucas
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