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06Feb22
Sotirio Makes Amends For Squandered Chances
by Jeremy Ruane
Not for the first time this season, Wellington Phoenix climbed off the bottom of the Isuzu Ute A-League ladder on Waitangi Day, this time courtesy a 3-1 win over Macarthur Bulls at Campbelltown Stadium which propelled the club into the giddy heights of mid-table.
It's a match which they should have won by a far greater margin, however, with Jaushua Sotirio squandering a hat-trick of first half chances before bagging two in six second half minutes which put the game out of reach of Macarthur, for whom this was an away fixture, even though it was their home ground.
Such are the quirks of the A-League fixture list in this Covid-affected campaign. Confusing matters even further was the sight of Macarthur in an all-yellow kit, while Wellington, the home side according to the schedule, donning their all-blue away kit. The TV commentator should be forgiven for getting the teams mixed up on the occasions that he did.
Playing their second match in five days after not kicking a ball in anger since Boxing Day due in large part to Covid's impact, Macarthur were first to threaten in this encounter, Moudi Najjar's fine ball down the line from halfway in the second minute inviting Apostolos Giannou to make a darting run into the penalty area to meet.
Oliver Sail, back to full fitness and returning twixt the sticks for "The Nix", hurtled off his line to save at the striker's feet, and was in action twice more inside the next seven minutes, smothering shots from Ulises Davila on each occasion as the Mexican looked to open the scoring against his old club.
Danny De Silva engineered both these openings, and looked to create one for Lachlan Rose as Macarthur counter-attacked in the tenth minute, only for his return pass to be cut out by Finn Surman.
This prompted Wellington's first attack of note, and from it, they opened the scoring in the twelfth minute. Reno Piscopo fed the outstanding Sam Sutton - he had a terrific game in the overlapping fullback role on the left, although on this occasion he was clipped just inside the penalty area by the retreating figure of Craig Noone.
Referee Alex King had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, from where Piscopo drilled his shot narrowly past the diving figure of Filip Kurto, who pounded the ground in frustration after just failing to get his fingertips to the ball.
The foul which led to the penalty was the first of a string of niggly interruptions to proceedings, brought on in part by a brief downpour which made conditions slippery underfoot. Just one opportunity materialised in the next fifteen minutes - Clayton Lewis blazed wide from twenty yards - before, just like buses, three came along in as many minutes just before the half-hour.
And all three were chances Sotirio should have buried! In fairness, he did convert the first opening, pouncing on the rebound after Kurto could only parry Piscopo's twenty yard piledriver. But he was offside when the original shot was struck.
Come the 28th minute, route one looked to have worked for Wellington when Joshua Laws pinged one over the top to send Sotirio scampering clear of all-comers through the inside left channel. But with just Kurto to beat, and Aleksandar Susnjar in hot pursuit, the striker sent his shot soaring into the stratosphere - high, wide and far from handsome!
As if that miss wasn't enough, Sotirio completed his unwanted hat-trick on the half-hour. David Ball sent Sutton steaming down the left at pace, and the fullback delivered a buffet ball into the heart of Macarthur's goalmouth.
Racing in to meet it was Sotirio, who contrived to direct his header over the bar from six yards with the goal at his mercy - it was the sort of chance you'd expect your grandparent to convert, with bells on! But Sotirio failed in his quest, and Wellington very nearly paid the price for his profligacy prior to the half-time whistle.
Ten minutes before half-time, Laws diverted a Rose effort to safety after Noone and De Silva had combined to good effect. The resulting corner was cleared to Davila, who evaded a challenge before drawing a solid parried save from Sail.
There was a clash of heads in the immediate aftermath, but before anyone could react from a well-being perspective, Susnjar was battering a drive through the crowded goalmouth. Sail once again saved the situation for Wellington, the rebound this time falling to Rose, whose shot was diverted across the face of goal by Tim Payne.
Four minutes later, Lewis was caught in possession by De Silva, who scampered downfield with the midfielder hot on his heels, Lewis eventually succeeding in his quest to overhaul the Macarthur man in the penalty area. This time, the ball broke for Rose, but Wellington's rearguard stood firm again.
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On the stroke of half-time, however, Sail was giving those in front of him a right royal earful, Lewis in particular. Having dispossessed Davila, he turned straight into another challenge, Charles M'Mombwa promptly recovering the ball for Macarthur, only to send his twenty yard shot soaring over the bar. The goalkeeper was not a happy camper.
Wellington began the second half brightly, Payne's hooked clearance being flicked on by Ball to Sotirio, who, in between defenders, spotted Kurto off his line and unleashed a lobbed volley which arced over the stranded 'keeper, only to cannon off the post to safety in the 51st minute.
It was a let-off for Macarthur, who endured another close call three minutes later as Gael Sandoval's quick throw-in on the right invited Sotirio to get in behind the defence and look to pick out Ball with a low cross. The intervention of half-time substitute Adrian Mariappa spared the locals' blushes on this occasion.
Back came Macarthur, Davila leading the charge. He held off the pursuing figure of Alex Rufer before seeing his shot blocked by the combined efforts of Laws and Sutton in the 55th minute, but was celebrating three minutes later as he scored against his old club.
Surman was guilty of doing what defenders shouldn't - dribbling out of defence. Giannou closed him down near halfway, and De Silva picked up the pieces, racing through the inside left channel before delivering a cross to the penalty spot, from where the lurking figure of Davila duly despatched the equaliser.
This prompted a response from Wellington, who should have been well out of sight in this contest, and not contemplating parity on the scoreboard. Rufer took things in hand, his smart 62nd minute turn followed up by holding off challenges from both De Silva and Rose.
Piscopo stepped in to take over, but then stepped on the ball inadvertently. Thankfully, Rufer was following up, and thundered a twenty yarder a yard past Kurto's right-hand post. Soon afterwards, the massed ranks of Macarthur's defenders blocked a shot from Wellington's captain, following a Piscopo corner.
After referee King had turned away Jake Hollman's penalty claims following Lewis' well-timed challenge in the area, the All White turned defence into attack with a pass which invited Piscopo to cut in off the left and let fly, his shot ricocheting off a defender and just past the far post.
Seconds later, Piscopo worked a one-two with Rufer before seeing his shot well parried by Kurto, who came desperately close to ensuring the scores remained level in the 71st minute. A stray pass from Najjar was pounced on by Sotirio, who stormed through from halfway with just the 'keeper to beat. Kurto got his hand to the shot, but after having missed so many chances in the match, the bounce of the ball finally favoured Sotirio - 2-1 Wellington.
Macarthur looked to level the scores again, Rose's looping header arcing past the post after Hollman and Noone had combined on the right. But there was no way back for the newest team in the league in the 78th minute, as Wellington clinched victory.
Sutton's early ball over the top caught the Macarthur defence napping, and Sotirio was onto it in a flash, going on to finish coolly beyond Kurto with a match-clinching shot into the far corner of the net - 3-1.
Macarthur looked to reduce the deficit, only for Sail to prevail at the expense of Hollman, firstly smothering his twenty-five yarder, then brilliantly tipping his twelve-yard header over the bar after the substitute had been brilliantly picked out by Tommy Oar's perfectly flighted cross, the freshly introduced replacement having got the better of two players on Wellington's left.
Wellington substitutes Oskar Van Hattum and Ben Old had, between them, the chance to further extend their team's advantage in stoppage time, but the latter's shot was blocked to safety by Susnjar, following some fine creative play by the former, who turned two defenders before setting up his team-mate.
Wellington's win propels them up to seventh place in the table, and gave them the ideal start to an itinerary which sees them playing four more games in the next fortnight, as the quest to catch up on the A-League fixtures postponed due to Covid's unwelcome intervention picks up apace.
Wellington: Sail; Payne, Surman (Fenton, 67), Laws, Sutton (booked, 90); Sandoval (Old, 89), Rufer, (Pennington, 89), Lewis, Piscopo; Ball (Waine, 90), Sotirio (Van Hattum, 89)
Macarthur: Kurto; Uskok, Jovanovic (Mariappa, 46), Susnjar, Najjar (booked, 73); Davila (Hollman, 65), M'Mombwa (Mutch, 46 (booked, 60)), De Silva; Noone (Oar, 78), Giannou (Toure, 65), Rose (booked, 50)
Referee: Alex King
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