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09Mar24
Wellington Continues Poor Run At AAMI Park
by Jeremy Ruane
Melbourne City scored a well-deserved 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix in front of 4461 fans at AAMI Park on March 9, a result which continued the beaten side's poor run of form at this Isuzu Ute A-League venue.
Wellington, who lost their grip on first place on the league ladder as a result of this defeat, have picked up just seven points from their last twenty games at this venue, and never looked like threatening to take that tally into double figures in this contest, during which City was the team displaying winning intentions throughout proceedings.
Only after Giancarlo Italiano's team had provided the first threat on goal, however, a tenth minute volleyed strike from the unmarked Costa Barbarouses which bounced through to Jamie Young after the striker had been picked out by Tim Payne's corner.
Melbourne responded with a spell of persistent pressure, Tolgay Arslan blazing over from an acute angle in the twelfth minute after Callum Talbot's cross from the right had zoomed across the bows of the incoming Leo Natel.
Two minutes later, Alex Paulsen produced a stunning save at point-blank range to prevent the diving Max Caputo from heading home a cross from Natel at the near post, while under pressure from Scott Wootton - the defender may have got the final touch which directed it goalwards, but take nothing away from the save, which was top drawer material.
After Arslan had seen his twenty-yard drive headed away by Finn Surman, Caputo fired an eight-yard drive past the near post on receipt of another cross from Natel, who was giving Payne all sorts of problems on Wellington's right flank.
Paulsen denied Caputo again at close quarters in the 26th minute after Arslan and former Wellington midfielder Steven Ugarkovic had combined to pick out the striker, who was a surprise starter in place of City's goalscoring machine, Jamie Maclaren.
In the shadows of the half-time whistle, Arslan and Caputo combined to send Natel surging through the inside-right channel, from where his low cross was diverted to safety. This came soon after a rare Wellington raid had almost broken the deadlock, Barbarouses leading the charge down the right.
As he did, Ben Old made a storming run from deep through the middle of the park, beyond Bozhidar Kraev, who was the beneficiary of Barbarouses' cross. The Bulgarian duly turned the sphere into the stride of Old, who unleashed a ferocious rising drive which was tipped over the bar by Young, only for referee Alex King to award a goal kick …
City were swiftly into their stride in the second spell, Arslan splitting the defence with a delicious angled pass which would have found Natel, its intended target, but for the intervention of the retreating Youstin Salas. Wootton stepped in to complete the clearance, but only directed the ball to Vicente Fernandez, who drove his twenty-yarder
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straight at Paulsen.
In the 58th minute, Arslan oversaw a short corner routine from which City opened the scoring, the playmaker's cross to the far post finding Samuel Souprayen stealing in behind all-comers to direct a downward header between Paulsen and his near post to reward the home team's more adventurous approach to the game.
Wellington now had to come out and play, which can be quite a challenge when you've become used to playing to not lose, an approach they've employed in the bulk of their recent road trips. David Ball and Payne combined to present Kraev with a shooting chance which he directed wildly wide in the 63rd minute, to which City responded with an attack three minutes later.
Arslan was again central to the raid, inviting Marin Jakolis to send a vicious low cross screaming across the goalmouth. Alas for Melbourne, no one in sky blue had been anticipating such a buffet ball, but they threatened again five minutes later, goalscorer Souprayen this time sparking the attack by picking out Caputo, who somehow got in between Wootton and Paulsen to steer the sphere goalwards. Surman cleared the ball off the line.
After Young had dived to his right to keep out a volley from Wellington substitute Mohamed Al Taay, Paulsen diverted a low Jakolis cross to safety in the 78th minute, then tipped a free-kick from the same player to safety ten minutes later.
In between times, Wellington had twice gone close to equalising, firstly nine minutes from time when Kraev delivered a gorgeously weighted pass in behind City's defence for Barbarouses to dash onto. He found himself one-on-one with Young, past whom he fired the ball. Alas for the visitors, he steered it narrowly past the post as well.
Unperturbed, Wellington pressed again, substitute Nick Pennington rattling the stanchion five minutes from time, to which City substitute Maclaren responded by slamming a shot into the side-netting of Wellington's goal in stoppage time.
Soon after, Jakolis spurned a chance to seal victory for the home team, but City had already done enough to end Wellington's ten-match unbeaten run and boost their own chances of qualifying for the play-offs phase of the competition, an objective which last season's premiership phase winners and A-League runners-up have more than a vested interest in achieving.
Melbourne: Young; Talbot (Antonis, 68), Reis, Souprayen (booked, 72), Fernandez (Politidis, 76); Jeggo (booked, 14), Arslan (Lopane, 76), Ugarkovic; Natel (Nabbout, 64 (booked, 79)), Caputo (Maclaren, 76), Jakolis (booked, 84)
Wellington: Paulsen; Payne, Surman, Wootton, Kelly-Heald (Sutton, 67); Salas (booked, 34 (Al-Taay, 60)), Rufer (booked, 82 (Sloane-Rodrigues, 89)), Old; Barbarouses (booked, 70), Ball (Pennington, 67), Kraev
Referee: Alex King
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