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180425
Adelaide Steal Win After Bottling Two-Goal Lead
by Jeremy Ruane
Adelaide United pinched a priceless three-point haul in their final home game of the Isuzu Ute A-League season at Coopers Stadium on Good Friday, downing Wellington Phoenix 3-2 after storming into a two-goal lead inside twelve minutes before dropping their bundle in a big way.
Their victory keeps them well in the hunt for a play-off place with two rounds remaining, and should have been secured inside the first twenty minutes of this contest, during which time United were in imperious form.
They opened the scoring just eight minutes into the contest, Panagiotis Kikianis' thumping downward header on the far post the result of his being picked out by Zac Clough's well-flighted corner.
Four minutes later, Adelaide doubled their advantage. Yaya Dukuly did Tim Payne a treat on the left before miscuing his cross. Ethan Alagich retrieved it and worked a one-two with Dukuly before delivering a cross from the by-line which was headed home unchallenged by Stefan Mauk from six yards, despite numerous Wellington defenders being in close proximity.
Only a fine save by Josh Oluwayemi prevented Dylan Pierias from making it 3-0 on the quarter hour after the flying fullback swept past three opponents on a run off the right flank, while Wellington's defence was all over the shop five minutes later as Alagich, in yards of space, played in Mauk, whose thumping drive crashed against the post.
Not even Alex Rufer was immune from Wellington's awfulness, the captain being caught in possession on the edge of his own penalty area by Alagich on the half-hour. Archie Goodwin was the beneficiary of his team-mate's toils, and a clever back-heeled pass invited Pierias to let fly, a low drive which sizzled past the near post.
On the basis of the first thirty minutes of play, you would have been thought certifiable if you had picked Wellington to be back on level terms within the next five minutes. "Das ist fussball!! 2-2 it was, with ten minutes of the first half still to play, a scoreline no one saw coming.
Wellington's first goal, in the 31st minute, came completely against the run of play. Hideki Ishige outmuscled Ryan Kitto and threaded a pass through to reward the ever-willing-running of Costa Barbarouses, who slipped through the defence to tuck the ball home first time beyond Max Vartuli, who, until this point, had been an on-field spectator.
Four minutes later, he was fishing the ball out of his net again. This time, Sam Sutton hoisted an angled ball to the far side of the penalty area, where Scott Wootton rose to head it inside. Amidst a glut of United defenders dived Isaac Hughes, who managed to direct a looping header beyond the reach of Vartuli and into the far corner of the net to unbelievably level the scores.
Two minutes later, Vartuli was racing out to prevent Barbarouses from latching onto Matt Sheridan's ball over the top, as Adelaide's defence took on the colander-like connotations which Wellington's rearguard had displayed during the opening half-hour of play.
The lack of mental strength being shown by
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United's defence was clearly upsetting Mauk, whose frustrations prompted him to tangle with Payne in the centre circle just before half-time, an incident which drew a gathering of the clans and resulted in a booking for both protagonists.
Wellington's wingback was in the thick of things again in the 49th minute, this time for all the right reasons upon being picked out by Sutton. Payne's low cross zoomed past Ishige en route across the goalmouth - the striker could perhaps have made more of the opportunity.
He made amends five minutes later, Ishige's flick allowing Barbarouses to dash through and lift the ball over the approaching figure of Vartuli, only for the retreating figure of Kikianis to head the ball to safety as it bounced towards the net.
In the 57th minute, Barbarouses threatened Adelaide again, this time upon being gifted possession by Mauk. Without hesitation, the striker let rip from halfway with Vartuli in no man's land, well away from his goal. The 'keeper looked on with quite some degree of relief as Barbarouses' impulsive effort drifted just past the post.
Both teams threatened in the next ten minutes, Alagich seeing a shot blocked by Wootton, while Corban Piper was foiled by Vartuli as he looked to give Wellington the lead. But Adelaide were building up a head of steam, and in the final twenty minutes, they kept on coming, urged on by the 11169 fans in attendance.
Jonny Yull's inswinging corner thirteen minutes from time was headed over the bar from directly beneath it by Hughes, while seven minutes later, the substitute's twenty-five yard free-kick was tipped over the bar by Oluwayemi.
Wellington counter-attacked from the resulting corner, Luke Brooke-Smith's through ball inviting Barbarouses to threaten once again. United snuffed out this attack, and launched an instant raid of their own, Kikianis threading the ball through to the by-line for Pierias to latch onto. His low cross had Goodwin's name written all over it, but Wellington managed to avert the danger.
They failed to do so in the 89th minute, however, and paid a heavy price. Mauk's ball into the danger zone was headed away by Piper, but only as far as Pierias, whose driven low cross was prodded home from close range by Goodwin to the delight of the natives - 3-2 Adelaide, and victory now surely theirs.
It was, and could have been achieved by a bigger margin, had Wootton not curtailed the progress of Ben Folami in stoppage time. But the odd goal in five victory kept Adelaide in play-off contention, and allowed departing coach Carl Veart to sign off on a winning note on home turf.
Adelaide: Vartuli; Pierias, Vriends, Kikianis (booked, 52), Kitto (Isaias, 78); Barnett (Jovanovic, 87), Mauk (booked, 43), Alagich; Clough (Yull, 68), Goodwin, Dukuly (Folami, 78)
Wellington: Oluwayemi; Hughes (Walker, 90), Wootton, Piper; Payne (booked, 43), Sheridan (Supyk, 90), Rufer, Kelly-Heald (Brooke-Smith, 79 (booked, 85)), Sutton; Ishige (Nagasawa, 83), Barbarouses
Referee: Tim Danaskos
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