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18Feb24
Barbarouses Double Sees Off Third-Placed Rivals
by Jeremy Ruane
A brace of Costa Barbarouses goals fired Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Wellington Phoenix past third-placed Macarthur Bulls at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on February 18, the visitors prevailing 2-1 to further strengthen their grip on a play-offs spot.
With nine rounds remaining, Giancarlo Italiano's charges are fourteen points clear of the seventh-placed team in the league, thus are just four wins away from locking in play-offs football in the gaffer's first season in charge - if Italiano doesn't win the A-League Coach of the Year award for his achievements in his maiden season in the role of head coach, one can only assume that the Video Assistant Referee will have something to do with it!!
Following an hour's delay due to a passing electrical storm, the 3024 fans' patience was swiftly rewarded by the home team, Jake Hollman's long-range effort drawing a smothering save from Alex Paulsen inside the first thirty seconds.
Moments later, Finn Surman's attempt to clear a loose ball in Wellington's penalty area saw him clip Valere Germain in the process, prompting strident spot-kick claims from the home team. Referee Shaun Evans deemed that the Frenchman had come back from an offside position, however - first offence applies.
The Video Assistant Referee had a different take on the situation, however, with the evidence revealing that Germain wasn't offside, prompting Mr Evans to review his original decision. After four minutes of deliberation, it was finally decided that play would resume with a drop ball, the official determining there was insufficient evidence to award a penalty against Surman.
That went down like a lead balloon with the natives, and a further period of inactivity soon followed after a clash of heads between Kealey Adamson and Lukas Kelly-Heald, who was seeing stars in the immediate aftermath but was allowed to continue.
Clayton Lewis was relishing the opportunity to play against his old club, and Macarthur's playmaker first influenced proceedings in the nineteenth minute, beating Ben Old superbly inside his own half before a super through ball into the stride of Jed Drew, who slipped inside Isaac Hughes before rattling the near post side-netting with his drive.
Seven minutes later, Wellington mounted their first noteworthy attack, Old's searching pass seeking out the run of Barbarouses, one which Ivan Vujica anticipated well, snuffing out the threat posed by the visitors' in-form front-runner.
On the half-hour, Macarthur, still riled after their dismissed penalty appeal, were incensed when referee Evans awarded Wellington the softest of spot-kicks after Tomislav Uskok clipped Kelly-Heald after the lanky fullback had got the better of Adamson.
VAR's review of the situation supported the referee's decision, and Barbarouses duly sent Filip Kurto the wrong way from twelve yards to open the scoring, two minutes before the striker was in on goal again, having been picked out by Old. Uskok forced Barbarouses away from goal, but he still managed to unleash a shot, albeit one directed straight at Kurto as the 'keeper covered his near post.
Six minutes before half-time, Macarthur stepped up their game as they sought an equaliser before the interval. Hollman and Lewis combined to pick out Ulises Davila, who swivelled then unleashed a rasping twenty yard drive which flew narrowly past the right-hand post of the diving figure of Paulsen.
Unable to threaten again before the break, Macarthur made it their duty to do so after the interval, dominating the early stages of the second half with a flurry of attacks. Three minutes in, Lewis delivered a delicious curling cross onto the head of Hollman, who contrived to head past
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Paulsen's right-hand post from close range.
Two minutes later, Lewis again gave his old club cause for concern, another gem of an angled cross curling in from the right, this time for the benefit of Germain. The ball somehow squeezed between the striker, Paulsen and Surman before creeping narrowly past the far post.
Macarthur continued to press, with Davila the next player to be denied by Paulsen, who got down well to his left to turn away the former Wellington playmaker's twenty yard volley. Paulsen then blocked a cross from Drew at his near post on the hour, by which time the visitors had twice gone close to doubling their lead.
Old was central to both opportunities, the first, in the 57th minute, seeing him win the ball on the left before threading it through to Barbarouses, who slipped inside a defender to leave himself with just Kurto to beat. The goalkeeper thwarted him superbly, and was on hand seconds later to keep out a shot from Old after he had worked a one-two with Wellington's first half goalscorer.
Old squandered a great chance upon receipt of Barbarouses' perfectly timed through ball in the 64th minute, blazing over from twelve yards. But Wellington kept on pressing, new signing Youstin Salas surging forward seconds later before linking with Barbarouses, who presented David Ball with the chance to let fly from twenty-five yards, an effort tipped over the bar by Kurto.
From the resulting short corner routine, Surman's downward header from six yards was brilliantly denied by the former Wellington custodian, and after the defender had headed a Lewis free-kick over his own crossbar in the 72nd minute, the visitors doubled their advantage sixty seconds later.
Matt Sheridan broke down the right before linking with Barbarouses, who swiftly brought Ball into play. His curled cross to the far post found Old stealing in beyond all-comers to steer the sphere back across goal. Barbarouses anticipated it well, and slid in to steer home beyond Kurto from close range - 2-0, a strike which surely cooked Macarthur's goose.
The home team thought otherwise, and spent the rest of the game pounding away at their opponents, with Kelly-Heald thwarting Kokola M'mombwa's bid to turn home a Lewis cross in the 76th minute.
Two minutes later, the deficit was halved, M'mombwa and Hollman working a one-two on the right which resulted in the former pulling the ball back from the by-line into the stride of Bernardo Oliveira, whose sublime first touch was swiftly followed by a rifled second which sent the ball hurtling past Paulsen - 2-1.
With renewed vigour now theirs to harness, Macarthur laid siege to Wellington's goal, Germain causing problems before Jerry Skotadis' low drive through the legs of Kelly-Heald was smothered by Paulsen, who was relieved to see Kelly-Heald blocking an Ali Auglah drive before diving in vain deep in stoppage time as Davila's diving header, on receipt of a cross from M'mombwa, flashed past his left-hand post.
It was the last act of a particularly enterprising effort by the home team, but Wellington's win sends them eight points of their third-placed rivals with nine rounds of A-League action left this season.
Macarthur: Kurto; Uskok, Jurman, Vujica (Smith, 79); Adamson (M'mombwa, 71 (booked, 75), Lewis (booked, 22 (Skotadis, 79)), Davila, Bernardo (Auglah, 79); Drew (Rose, 71), Germain, Hollman
Wellington: Paulsen; Suman, Wootton, Hughes (booked, 54); Al-Taay, Conchie (Salas, 61 (booked, 90)), Old (Zawada, 79 (booked, 90)), Kelly-Heald; Van Hattum (booked, 42) (Sheridan, 61), Ball (booked, 24), Barbarouses
Referee: Shaun Evans
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