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11Apr21
Wellington Pip Western At The Death
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix came from behind to down Western United 3-2 at WIN Stadium on April 11, Ben Waine's deft stoppage time header concluding a rollercoaster ride of an A-League encounter in fitting fashion as 1226 excited fans looked on.
There was no indication of the drama which was in store throughout the first half-hour of the contest, which was dominated by an accidental clash of heads between Joshua Laws and Lachlan Wales in the eleventh minute which left the United player needing treatment initially.
Other incidents during the opening half-hour saw Ulises Davila let fly in the thirteenth minute - Ryan Scott was right behind it - and, as seen in just about every A-League game in which he plays, a Besart Berisha penalty claim soon afterwards which referee Kurt Ams summarily dismissed with the contempt it deserved.
These apart, though, the first thirty minutes were dominated by defensive displays, although in David Ball, Wellington boasted the player who was doing most to try and change the pattern of proceedings, something Western's rearguard will certainly testify to.
It was Wellington's most consistently performed defender who changed the course of the contest, however, in the 31st minute. Berisha had a shot blocked by a defender, and played the rebound wide to Dylan Pierias. His deep cross beyond the far post found Connor Pain arriving on cue, and his pass inside found Wales arriving at the near post.
Tim Payne was hard on his heels, and inadvertently clipped the player who had returned to the pitch following his earlier head injury, but was to leave the fray for good after this penalty-earning incident. For referee Ams was in no doubt that a foul had occurred, and Berisha duly did the honours from twelve yards to open the scoring in the 32nd minute.
Buoyed by the goal, the visitors soon sought a second, with Iker Guarrotxena's deft header keeping the ball in play, allowing the overlapping Tomoki Imai to latch onto it and drive in a low cross intended for Berisha.
Laws' intervention prevented the player who, prior to this match, had never been on the losing side when scoring against Wellington, from doubling his and Western's tally in the contest.
The Wellingtonians regrouped, forcing a 42nd minute corner which Clayton Lewis delivered into the danger zone. Scott pawed the ball out to Waine, whose volley struck the arm of former Wellington captain Andrew Durante before ricocheting past the post.
Penalty appeals on this occasion went unheeded, but from the resulting Lewis corner, referee Ams had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, the ball striking the outstretched hand of Durante, who pleaded vehemently that the sphere had struck his side before ricocheting onwards.
Why was his hand so far away from his body, however, if he had no intention of using it to control the ball? The Video Assistant Referee backed up Ams' decision, and Davila duly sent Scott the wrong way from the spot - 1-1.
Immediately before half-time, the largely rugged nature of the match took a further twist as Cameron Devlin took umbrage to Ball being afforded harsh treatment by Victor Sanchez as the striker was bullied over the sideline.
The feisty Wellington midfielder then found himself attracting the attentions of both Berisha - no shrinking violet where fraying tempers are concerned - and Guarrotxena after his initial dispute with Sanchez had resided, prompting referee Ams to take the wisest course of action and blow his whistle for half-time, thus giving all those involved time to calm down and get their game heads back on.
Wellington were swiftly out of the blocks in the second spell, Waine going close with an overhead kick on receipt of a Lewis cross to the far post, before Davila's darting run across the penalty area culminated in a Ball shot being blocked by Brendan Hamill.
Seconds later, Davila's teasing cross-shot had Scott back-pedalling, the goalkeeper colliding with his own post as he watched the ball drift narrowly past
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it - neither the goalframe nor Scott suffered undue harm from this 48th minute incident.
Back came Western four minutes later, with Pain and Luke Duzel combining to bring Imai into play as he raced up from fullback into the far side of Wellington's penalty area, in behind the home team's rearguard. He should have done better than to rattle the near post side-netting - this was a 'must hit target' moment.
Wellington did just that sixty seconds later. Ball's driving run into the penalty area was thwarted, but the ball broke for Louis Fenton, who slipped it inside to Davila. He engineered some space for a shot, which the ever-alert Jaushua Sotirio deftly diverted past the now wrong-footed figure of Scott to give the home side the lead.
Western responded swiftly, Pierias the beneficiary of a corner, and he duly headed the ball into the goalmouth. On the six-yard line, Durante swivelled and slammed a shot against the bar, the rebound falling invitingly for Guarrotxena, who headed home from close range despite Ball's despairing bid to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
2-2, with just 56 minutes on the clock. Sixty seconds later came the game's first booking, and no prizes for guessing who was involved. Berisha literally flew into Devlin on half-way, his boot at head height, and the combative Wellington midfielder was as fortunate to avoid serious injury as the offender was to avoid a red card.
Things were now bubbling along nicely, and United took charge of proceedings, initially via a lovely move on the hour which featured Guarrotxena and a teasing cross from Pain which had Oliver Sail doing a fine impersonation of a windmill as he flapped in vain at the ball.
Western couldn't capitalise on that occasion, while Steven Lustica went close soon after as they looked to regain the lead, something which only a fine save from Sail prevented Tomislav Uskok from doing in the 67th minute.
Wellington responded well to these threats, and mounted a few of their own as the game entered the final twenty minutes. Ball sent a shot sizzling over the bar from the edge of the penalty area, while Davila wasn't far away with a curling effort upon receiving a pass from Devlin.
Both the Mexican and Sotirio went close with shots on the run as time wore on, while with seven minutes to go, a Lewis corner was met by the head of Payne, only for Pain to spare Western some pain by heading off the line.
Davila and Sotirio combined to present Waine with a chance sixty seconds later, but he dragged his shot across the face of goal, while Ball volleyed over under pressure from Durante as the game entered the final five minutes.
Western pounced on a brief lull in Wellington's concerted pressure to threaten via Kaine Sheppard, but Sail was little troubled by this header, unlike in stoppage time, the goalkeeper forced to save at the feet of Imai as United sought a last-gasp equaliser.
For as the game entered stoppage time, Wellington scored what proved to be the winner. Davila's darting run across field culminated in a switch of play to young Sam Sutton, who had been afforded a rare start in this match.
The Wellington Phoenix Academy graduate picked out fellow Academy alumni Waine with a cross which the striker deftly headed back across Scott and into the top corner of the net.
Cue scenes of undisguised delight, which swiftly turned to horror at the sight of a raised offside flag. Cue a VAR check, which summarily dismissed the evidence for the prosecution. Cue more celebrations from Waine, Sutton and company, with Wellington now officially 3-2 up - a vital three points to ensure their play-off prospects are, for now, still realistic ones and not just mathematical.
Wellington: Sail; Fenton, Payne, Laws, Sutton; Devlin, Davila, Lewis; Sotirio Waine (Taylor, 90), Ball
Western: Scott; Imai, Durante, Wales (Hamill, 37); Pierias, Berisha (booked, 51) (Sheppard, 82), Sanchez (Lustica, 63), Pain; Duzel (booked, 68) (Inman, 82), Uskok, Guarrotxena (Pasquali, 82)
Referee: Kurt Ams
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