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09Jan21
Ten-Man Wellington Earn Deserved Point At Macarthur
by Jeremy Ruane
Ten-man Wellington Phoenix earned a deserved point from a 1-1 draw at A-League newcomers Macarthur FC on 9 January after wrongly being forced to play the last thirty minutes or so of this Campbelltown Stadium encounter with ten men.
'Twas the home team which should have found themselves numerically challenged after an over-the-top challenge on the hour by Denis Genreau felled Alex Rufer, whose momentum, as he went to ground, saw his outstretched leg make contact with the perpetrator of the incident, Genreau instantly going to ground clutching his knee.
Referee Stephen Lucas waved play on, as Macarthur were on attack at the time, but once Luke DeVere's timely intervention had foiled Lachlam Rose's progress, and the ball had gone out of play, the referee came back to the scene of the incident, as both players were still recovering from the clash.
The referee then booked Rufer for his part in proceedings, the Wellington man left shaking his head in disbelief as a result. But worse was to come, as the Video Assistant Referee, Kris Griffiths-Jones, put in his ten cents' worth, and after viewing the footage, referee Lucas rescinded the yellow card and instead issued a red one to the midfielder, deeming that he had kicked out in retaliation.
Quite frankly, the red card was issued to the wrong man - Genreau should have been the player heading to the dressing rooms, but he's got away scot-free with one of the worst fouls you can commit in football, an over-the-top tackle.
It's this offence which should have been picked up and punished by VAR Griffiths-Jones. But it would seem at times that a different set of rules apply when a Wellington player is involved in contentious incidents of this nature, and this episode merits its own chapter in that as yet unwritten tome.
Wellington bossed the opening ten minutes of proceedings, leaving Macarthur to chase shadows as the ball fizzed around the pitch in front of 2,609 fans. Three minutes in, Tomer Hemed sparked a right wing raid, releasing David Ball to the byline with a pass which the striker crossed to James McGarry, who met the ball perfectly on the volley, only for Ivan Franjic to block the effort to safety.
Five minutes later, Ulises Davila combined with Hemed to send Ball through once more. His progress was blocked, but Cameron Devlin to over possession and powered his way to the byline before fizzing a low cross into the goalmouth.
Macarthur scrambled the sphere out for a corner, which Clayton Lewis delivered into the danger zone. The ball was headed out to Rufer, who unleashed a sumptuous fifteen yard volley a foot over the crossbar - it deserved better fate.
Two minutes more elaped when Hemed combined with Davila again, the striker this time playing his captain through the inside right channel. The Mexican slipped a pass inside to Ball, whose clever back-heeled effort was foiled by the covering figure of Franjic - he was immense in Macarthur's rearguard throughout proceedings.
The home team weathered the storm, and created their first chance of the match in the sixteenth minute. Benat Extebarria and Markel Susaeta combined on the right, the latter's cross parting the hair of Rose, who curled an effort past the far post two minutes later after Matt Derbyshire and Genreau had combined for the youngster's benefit.
A scrappy phase of play followed, but the sight of Joshua Laws blocking a twenty-five yarder from Genreau soon ended that lull in proceedings. Extebarria's super 27th minute free-kick to the far post found Aleksandar Susnjar stealing in round the back, but Stefan Marinovic stood his ground well to block the shot at his near post.
On the half-hour, DeVere skied a great chance from six yards upon being picked out by Lewis' pinpoint corner. Then when Hemed threatened to dash through onto a pass two minutes later, Adam Federici hurtled out of goal to clear his lines well, in doing so creating a chance at the other end - Derbyshire's dipping volley, from fully forty yards, only just cleared the crossbar of the retreating figure of Marinovic.
Wellington's 'keeper plunged to his left to turn away a twenty yard free-kick from Extebarria two minutes later, and solidly blocked a low drive from James Meredith to safety in the shadows of the half-time whistle, while Wellington were down to ten men with Hemed receiving treatment for a cut on the bridge of his nose following a head clash.
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By this time, however, the visitors were a goal to the good. Rufer and Devlin combined in midfield in the 39th minute, Davila the beneficiary of their productivity. The captain's through ball split the defence and rewarded the overlapping run of McGarry, who steered the ball back from the byline into the stride of Ball. Federici barely had time to move as he thrashed the ball home from six yards - 1-0.
Macarthur came out fizzing in the second half, firing their first shot of the spell in anger within sixty seconds of the kick-off. Susnjar and Rose combined with the overlapping figure of Meredith, whose cross arced over the head of Derbyshire. It fell invitingly for Susaeta, darting in behind, but he was unable to direct his effort on target.
Two minutes later, further Macarthur pressure was scrambled clear by Wellington. The home team failed to regather possession, and Hemed swooped on it instantly. From inside the centre circle in his own half of the field, he let fly, forcing Federici to beat a hasty retreat in vain. Much to Macarthur's relief, the shot lacked the accuracy to embarrass the goalkeeper, the ball bouncing past the far post by not a lot.
That was Hemed's last contribution to the match, his nose wound suffering further aggravation following another aerial duel. He was replaced by Jaushua Sotirio, who was swiftly into the action, holding up Lewis' 52nd minute cross before setting up Davila for a shot which deflected through to Federici.
Back came Macarthur, Rose getting the better of Tim Payne before drawing a smothered save from Marinovic, who looked on with relief soon after as Extebarria directed a twenty-five yard free-kick past his right-hand post.
Cue the aforementioned incident which changed the course of the contest, particularly because Macarthur drew level shortly afterwards. Not before the ten men went close to doubling their advantage, however - Bell, on the right, delivered a delicious back-heeled pass into the stride of Sotirio, whose drive was parried by Federici, and cleared by Mark Milligan as the Wellington substitute homed in on the rebound.
The leveller came in the 67th minute, and Sotirio was responsible for its realisation, getting caught in possession on half-way by Extebarria. His delightfully weighted pass invited Susaeta to streak through the inside right channel, from where he fair hammered a fiercely struck volley inside Marinovic's near post, the 'keeper getting his hand to the effort in a vain attempt to deny parity.
Thus was set the pattern of the remainder of the contest, Wellington's ten men mounting a deep-lying rearguard action to preserve the point they now held, in the face of repeated attacks from a Macarthur side which should have been the one sporting reduced numbers.
Try as they might, the home team couldn't find a way through, and could well have gone behind again had Susnjar not intervened in the 73rd minute as McGarry and Lewis - both had fine games - combined to create a near post opening for Sotirio.
The final minutes was akin to the Alamo, with Macarthur throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the visitors, who rode their luck. Susnjar saw a twenty-five yarder deflect to safety with Marinovic committed to a dive in the direction the shot was initially heading in.
Milligan then finished wastefully, before Marinovic tweaked his groin while taking a goal kick, adding more drama to the match's conclusion. With Wellington having used their quota of substitutes, he couldn't be replaced, so had to be patched together to see out the last couple of minutes, during which Macarthur tested him once more.
Genreau picked out Derbyshire with a cross, the striker's header beating the leaping figure of Marinovic but hitting the crossbar, much to the relief of Wellington, who were more than a tad relieved to hear the final whistle sound seconds later.
Macarthur: Federici; Franjic, Jovanovic (Martis, 64), Susnjar (booked, 29), Meredith (Ruhs, 82); Susaeta (Oar, 75), Extebarria, Genreau (booked, 86), Milligan booked, 38), Rose; Derbyshire
Wellington: Marinovic; Payne, DeVere (booked, 54), Laws, McGarry (Fenton, 90); Davila (Ridenton, 64), Rufer (sent off, 62), Devlin (booked, 83), Lewis; Ball (booked, 74), Hemed (Sotirio, 51)
Referee: Stephen Lucas
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