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05May23
Adelaide Calls Time On Talay's Tenure
by Jeremy Ruane
Adelaide United ended Wellington Phoenix's Isuzu Ute A-League play-off ambitions at the first hurdle on May 5, their 2-0 win at Coopers Stadium setting up a two-legged semi-final against Central Coast Mariners, while calling time on the four-year tenure of Ufuk Talay as the vanquished team's boss, statistically the most successful gaffer in Wellington's history.
Both teams came into this quarter-final in far from perfect form, with the visitors only confirming their play-off berth six days ago. You'd never have known it from the way both started the contest, however, Adelaide and Wellington going all out from the first whistle, with the latter firing the first shot in anger after just 66 seconds.
Oskar Zawada pounced on a defensive blunder by Ben Warland to let fly from twenty yards, only to direct his shot straight at Joe Gauci, who was called upon eleven minutes later to prevent Wellington from breaking the deadlock, punching a Costa Barbarouses cross off the head of Zawada following a Louis D'Arrigo blunder.
This sparked an Adelaide counter-attack, with Ben Halloran haring down the right before picking out Craig Goodwin, who had supplied a third minute corner which Javi Lopez headed narrowly past the far post. On this occasion, United's talisman saw his shot blocked by Callan Elliot, who endured a torrid time throughout proceedings.
Wellington were set up for counter-attacking football, so it was Adelaide who enjoyed the lion's share of possession during the first spell, and they made it count in the nineteenth minute. D'Arrigo's deep cross from the right picked out Goodwin beyond the far post, where he did Elliot a treat before slamming the ball home across Oli Sail and into the far corner of the net.
That goal gave Adelaide a massive confidence boost, and they started to turn the screw. Halloran teamed up with Lopez in the 24th minute, the pair working a delayed one-two which culminated in the former's low cross being blocked at the near post by Scott Wootton.
Three minutes later, Warland teamed up with Jay Barnett, whose first-time pass released Goodwin down the left, from where he delivered a first time cross which George Blackwood guided just past the far post.
Twelve minutes before half-time, with Zawada having a blocked a Barnett drive, Lopez flighted an inviting cross to the far post, where Blackwood rose above all-comers only to direct his header inches past the upright.
Seconds later, Ryan Kitto's raking cross-field ball found Halloran racing down the right again, from where he delivered a low cross just behind Blackwood as Wellington tried their level best to keep United at bay.
The home team weren't going away, however, D'Arrigo sending Goodwin down the left once more in the 35th minute. His low cross found Halloran flying in to meet the ball at the near post, but he couldn't direct his effort on target under pressure.
A rare Wellington shot - a twenty-yarder from Yan Sasse - fizzed narrowly past Gauci's left-hand upright four minutes before half-time to remind United that while they had dominated possession, their one-goal lead wasn't yet suffice, something the visitors repeatedly made known in the minutes leading up to half-time.
Zawada had penalty claims waved away by referee Alireza Faghani upon going down under Lopez's challenge two minutes later, before Steven Ugarkovic sent Barbarouses away down the right, the midfielder racing forward into the penalty area in anticipation of a cross, which was duly delivered, only for the retreating figure of Barnett to divert it for a corner.
Sasse's delivery was dealt with poorly by Adelaide, and they nearly paid a big price for their efforts, with Alex Rufer hitting the post from close range.
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The ball rebounded onto Lopez and back towards the target, with Gauci swooping on the sphere six inches shy of the goal-line.
Wellington looked to carry that momentum into the second spell, Wootton seeing a shot blocked after Tim Payne's free-kick had been partially cleared. They continued to press throughout the next fifteen minutes, but United's rearguard stood firm in the face of adversity, and was the springboard for a couple of dangerous counter-attacks during this phase of the match.
Such as in the 49th minute, when Gauci's punched clearance of a Payne corner off the head of Zawada was latched onto by Goodwin. He teamed up with Barnett to create an opening for Blackwood which the striker fired at Sail, who was soon in action again, this time keeping out a long-range missile from Barnett following a cleared Goodwin corner.
The home team weathered Wellington's storm and gradually regained the ascendancy, something which the introduction of Bayern Munich-bound substitute Nestory Irannkunda ensured, especially after his first involvement in the game culminated in the match-clinching goal.
The vibrant seventeen-year-old led the charge out of defence on the counter-attack in the 65th minute, surging over halfway before bringing Goodwin into play. United's captain powered into the penalty area where he was clumsily fouled by Elliot, prompting referee Faghani to point to the spot. Goodwin duly did the honours from twelve yards, leaving Wellington with a mountain to climb of Everest-like proportions.
They looked to reduce the deficit in the 71st minute, Lucas Mauragis and Bozhidar Kraev teaming up on the left, with the latter's cross picking out Zawada, who was unable to direct his looping header under the bar from eight yards.
Adelaide charged straight down the other end from the resulting goal kick, with substitute Hiroshi Ibusuki playing in Goodwin for a potential hat-trick goal. Wootton had other ideas, however - "Not on my watch, sonny!"
The visitors continued to probe for a way to goal, but United kept them firmly at arm's length, and in the dying minutes went desperately close to administering the coup de grace. Irankunde turned Mauragis this way and that on the right before inviting Ibusuki to attempt an audacious back-heeled flick from the resulting cross.
The ball crept narrowly past the far post on this occasion, while when United next attacked, Irankunde went for goal himself, directing a fierce drive straight at Sail after Mauragis had again been given the slip.
Wellington immediately counter-attacked, but Gauci was out smartly to deny Zawada. And after Irankunde's pullback from the by-line, intended for fellow substitute Ethan Alagich, had been dealt with by Wootton, the visitors threatened once more, Kraev beating a couple of opponents before inviting Clayton Lewis to let fly, a piledriver which Gauci tipped over the bar.
It proved to be Wellington's last throw of the dice, and as Adelaide celebrated advancing to the semi-finals on the final whistle, the beaten side came to terms with the fact that, as well as departing gaffer Talay, this was the final game for at least three other senior members of the team, with Sail, Lewis and Ugarkovic destined for pastures new before Wellington next kick an A-League ball in anger.
Adelaide: Gauci; Lopez, Ansell (Barr, 86), Warland, Kitto (booked, 34); Halloran (booked, 85) (Alagich, 86 (booked, 90)), D'Arrigo, Isaias, Goodwin; Barnett (Irankunda, 63), Blackwood (Ibusuki, 64)
Wellington: Sail; Elliot, Wootton, Payne, Mauragis; Sasse (booked, 80), Rufer (Lewis, 68), Ugarkovic (Van Hattum, 86), Barbarouses (Kraev, 46 (booked, 83)); Ball, Zawada
Referee: Alireza Faghani
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