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16May21
Leaders Held By Plucky Wellington
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix earned a vital point in their quest for an A-League play-off spot at AAMI Park on May 16, coming from behind to hold league leaders Melbourne City to a 2-2 draw in front of 4,586 fans.
A match the visitors really needed to win was graced by a generally dire first half of play, during which just six incidents worthy of note were recorded - eight if you include the kick-off and the blowing of the half-time whistle. Yes, it really was that bad!
City dominated the early stages of the contest, but Wellington fired the first shot in anger, in the tenth minute. Ben Garuccio's poor clearance was pounced on by Cameron Devlin on the edge of the area, from where his shot deflected past the post.
Garuccio made amends for this blunder by blocking a Louis Fenton shot twelve minutes later, after the fullback had been set up by Tomer Hemed, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, sending Tom Glover the wrong way after Garuccio had felled Fenton in the area.
Only a vital save from Glover prevented David Ball from doubling Wellington's lead soon after, Hemed having dispossessed a City defender just outside the penalty area to create the opportunity while City were still reeling from finding themselves behind on the scoreboard, something which hasn't been the case too often this season.
The home team finished the half with a hiss and a roar, with Garuccio seeing his shot blocked to safety. But it was inevitable City's insipid first half display would see some personnel changes at half-time, coach Patrick Kisnorbo having chosen to rest six of his regular starting line-up for this match, an error of judgement which nearly cost the table-toppers dearly.
Half-time substitute Rostyn Griffiths was soon featuring in proceedings, his headed goal-line clearance denying Ben Waine Wellington's second goal of the game in the 51st minute, after the youngster had been released by Ball's pass then taken the ball around Glover before letting fly from an acute angle.
Seconds later, Sam Sutton got to the by-line on the left before pulling the ball back to Hemed, who executed the perfect air-shot when scoring seemed the easier option with City all at sea defensively - their performance was highly uncharacteristic, and that's being polite!
But they battled through, and after Scott Galloway and Marco Tilio worked a slick one-two on the right, the overlapping fullback duly drawing a save from Oliver Sail, Melbourne equalised in the 58th minute.
Galloway again featured in this attack, but the retreating figure of Devlin intercepted his cross on the edge of the penalty area, playing it back towards Joshua Laws in the process.
The central defender let it run past him, only to be surprised by Tilio, who stole in behind Laws and set up Naoki Tsubaki for a near post finish which City, to this point, hadn't threatened to produce.
The goal sparked them into life, however, as did the introduction, on the hour, of the league's leading goalscorer, Jamie Maclaren, whose individual tally of goals after this match - 25 - exceeded the totals struck by both Melbourne Victory (24) and Newcastle Jets (18), the teams propping up the A-League table.
His 25th goal of the season wasn't far away, but plenty of action unfolded before it came to pass. Ball had a 63rd minute shot blocked after Tim Payne had combined with Hemed to set up the chance, sparking a flurry of end-to-end activity which contrasted starkly with the uninspiring nature of the first forty-five minutes of play.
Tilio - a lively second half showing - surged forth in the 64th minute before feeding Craig Noone, whose shot was blocked. He directed the rebound to Connor Metcalfe, whose volley on the turn flashed past the post and prompted a goal-kick from Sail which sparked a Ball-led counter-attack, culminating in Reno Piscopo drawing a save from Glover.
Back came City, Garuccio's cross being flicked on
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by Maclaren towards Noone, who was just a stride away from connecting with the sphere. Wellington wasted little time in responding, a quickly taken throw-in inviting Ball to cross to the far post, where Piscopo was on hand to let fly. Griffiths headed his shot to safety.
Tilio deserved better fate twenty minutes from time. After being picked out by Aiden O'Neill's pass, his brilliant jinking run took him through Wellington's defence, only for Sail to block at his feet, an action which saw the goalkeeper pick up an arm injury which hampered his performance throughout the final twenty minutes of play.
City failed to capitalise on his partial incapacity, however. Indeed, it was the visitors who next went close to breaking the deadlock, Fenton's 77th minute cross to the far post allowing Hemed to head the ball down for substitute Jaushua Sotirio inside the six yard box. Glover did splendidly well to block his effort than grab the ball at close quarters - a vital denial.
That sparked the home team into life once more, with Tilio and Galloway combining on the right once more. The fullback's low cross picked out Noone, whose shot was blocked by the legs of Sail.
Wellington's goalkeeper hadn't a prayer in the 81st minute, however, Maclaren's superb twenty yard free-kick - awarded after a foul by Clayton Lewis which earned the midfielder a booking - arcing round the wall and into the top corner of the net to afford City a 2-1 lead.
Three minutes later, Sail was nearly embarrassed by Tilio. Intercepting a pass, the playmaker looked up and spotted the goalkeeper well off his line, so duly let fly. Sail, in his eagerness to retreat towards goal, stumbled and fell, and looked on with no little relief as the ball careered past the far post of Wellington's untended net - a real let-off for the visitors, who couldn't afford to lose this contest.
And they didn't. After Sotirio had unleashed a piledriver straight at Glover, Wellington equalised in splendid fashion in the 88th minute. Fenton's ball forward was latched onto by the tireless toiler that was Ball, whose beautifully weighted cross was matched by Hemed's delightful volleyed finish which guided the ball beyond Glover - 2-2.
The scorer's goal celebrations in this match courted controversy, particularly in light of the current tensions in the Middle East towards which his native Israel are making a significant contribution.
Referee Alireza Fagahani - he was far less confrontational in this match than had been the case when in charge of Wellington's previous fixture - duly booked Hemed, but it would not surprise to see the A-League's powers that be look to make more of this than is necessary. The referee took the appropriate course of action at the time of the incident - leave it at that.
The equaliser set up a grandstand finish, City piling on the pressure in search of the winning goal which would extend their advantage atop the table to eleven points and leave them a win away from clinching the Premiership Plate, as round-robin winners.
But Wellington denied them. Payne's splendid defensive work denied Maclaren as he looked to latch onto Noone's pass and leave himself with just Sail to beat, something which Metcalfe achieved in the fourth minute of stoppage time, only to see his twenty yard piledriver crash to safety off the post.
A minute later, Metcalfe intercepted a pass and picked out Tilio as he raced into the penalty area. No player deserved to score the winning goal in this match more than he did, but he lost control of the ball at the vital moment, and the chance was lost, meaning both teams would have to settle for a point from a contest both had hoped to win.
Melbourne: Glover; Galloway, Reis, Good (Griffiths, 46 (Georgievski, 76), Garuccio; Luna, Metcalfe, Berenguer (O'Neill, 61 (booked, 90)); Colakovski (Noone, 46), Tsubaki (Maclaren, 61), Tilio
Wellington: Sail; Fenton, Payne, Laws, Sutton; Ball, Devlin, Lewis (booked, 79) (Lokoli Ngoy, 86), Piscopo (McGarry, 86, booked 90); Waine (Sotirio, 72), Hemed (booked, 89)
Referee: Alireza Fagahani
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