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14Jan23
Wellington Extend Unbeaten Road Streak To Five
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix extended their unbeaten run on the road in the Isuzu Ute A-League to five matches on 14 January, as they eked out a 1-0 victory over Brisbane Roar in front of 6183 fans at Kayo (formerly Moreton Daily) Stadium.
The home team began brightly, Nikola Mileusnic being denied a goal by the offside flag in the eighth minute after seeing Oli Sail turn his first-time volley of a lofted Rahmat Akbari pass onto the post five minutes earlier.
Wellington responded in like manner, Tim Payne's ball over the top seeing Oskar Zawada get in behind Scott Neville in the eleventh minute, only to shoot tamely at Jordan Holmes. Four minutes later, the Brisbane defender was booked for clattering into Yan Sasse in an aerial duel, and should have seen a further card following a post-match melee his actions instigated.
Referee Adam Kersey, who was generally well-performed throughout, dropped the ball on this occasion, instead booking Wellington's David Ball for his part in proceedings, the striker reacting strongly to Neville's retaliatory action for a late challenge on him by Oskar Van Hattum, who was shoved to the ground by the Brisbane player after the final whistle.
In the 22nd minute, Akbari released Jack Hingert down the right on the occasion of his 250th A-League appearance. The wing-back evaded a challenge before slipping the ball inside to Riku Danzaki, whose poor touch allowed Wellington's defenders to avert the threat posed by the Japanese striker, for whom this match may have been his last in a Brisbane shirt - the January transfer window is active at present.
That raid was followed five minutes later by Kai Trewin switching play to the left flank, where wing-back Jordan Courtney-Perkins was in full flight on the overlap. His cross to the far post was destined for Danzaki, but Joshua Laws' timely intervention forced a corner, the delivery of which, by Carlo Armiento, only just arced over the far angle of Sail's goal.
Wellington were enjoying the majority of possession by this stage of proceedings, but their perspiration wasn't matched by their penetration, with Brisbane's rearguard swarming anyone in blue who threatened to enter the penalty area.
It was the home team which threatened again five minutes before half-time, when they were twice prevented from taking the lead by the timely blocks of Laws and the outstanding Payne - he had a fine game at the heart of a Wellington defence bereft of the services of the injured Scott Wootton.
Hingert and Armiento were the players their efforts frustrated, and those efforts prompted the visitors to finally make some in-roads into Brisbane's rearguard in the shadows of the half-time whistle.
Callan Elliot's near post cross, intended for Sasse, was punched out by Holmes, who was relieved to see the fullback's header clear the crossbar after Alex Rufer had picked out Elliot's angled run in behind the defence with a beautifully flighted chip over the defence.
Right on half-time, the influential Clayton Lewis worked a one-two with Zawada before playing in Ball, who cut inside before seeing his twenty yard drive smothered by Holmes, the first save of note either goalkeeper had to make since Sail's third
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minute denial.
Wellington's custodian looked on as Mileusnic wasted two great free-kick opportunities either side of the half-time whistle - he'd have picked up three points from both of them had the ball been oval and the posts extended skywards - but it was the visitors who went close to opening the scoring in the 53rd minute.
Lewis' free-kick was cleared to Sasse, whose thunderous twenty-yarder left Holmes rooted to the spot - he was mightily relieved to see the side-netting rippling, rather than the top corner of his net.
Eight minutes later, Lewis' lobbed ball over the top was flicked on by Zawada for Ben Old, the freshly introduced substitute who was up in support of the targetman. Thankfully for Brisbane, Connor Chapman was aware of the danger on this occasion, but when he wasn't, in the 65th minute, Wellington opened the scoring.
Old led a raid down the right to the by-line, from where he over-hit his cross. Fullback Lucas Mauragis picked up the pieces and sold Hingert a dummy to create some space from which to deliver a cross to the far post, a ball which Chapman appeared to have covered. But unbeknown to the defender, Zawada was stealing in behind him, and 'twas the striker who gleefully headed home from close range to break the deadlock in this tight contest.
Cue a Brisbane onslaught as they sought an equaliser, pressure which Wellington withstood in resolute fashion - the home team created very little of note in the final half-hour of play, it must be said.
Thirteen minutes from time, substitute Louis Zabala sent a header flashing past the far post on receipt of a measured cross from Mileusnic, while nine minutes later, patient Brisbane approach play culminated in Neville picking out Joseph Knowles - another substitute - on the penalty spot.
He controlled the ball neatly and swivelled, but as he unleashed his hip-turn volley Payne and substitute Finn Surman lunged at him, the ball taking a deflection off the former. That made Sail's spectacular save even more noteworthy, the goalkeeper flying to his right to turn the goal-bound ball to safety - it was destined for the top corner of the net without his intervention.
Sail stood tall again in stoppage time, blocking Knowles' effort at his near post after Trewin's defence-splitting pass had played in the substitute near the left-hand by-line. But the 'keeper's save ensured Wellington would head home from their latest visit to West Island with back-to-back victories - they edged Sydney FC by the same scoreline a week ago - and an appearance among the top four teams on the league table for the first time this season.
Brisbane: Holmes; Neville (booked, 15), Aldred, Chapman (Knowles, 73); Hingert (Brindell-South, 73), Akbari (Zabala, 57), Trewin, Courtney-Perkins; Danzaki (Lofthouse, 73), Mileusnic, Armiento (Hore, 57)
Wellington: Sail; Elliot, Payne, Laws, Mauragis (booked, 90); Sasse (booked, 31) (Old, 57), Rufer (Ugarkovic, 57), Lewis, Ball (booked, 90); Barbarouses (Surman, 73), Zawada (Van Hattum, 90)
Referee: Adam Kersey
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