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22May21
Record Crowd Inspires Wellington To Victory
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix kept their A-League play-off hopes alive on May 22, their 3-0 walloping of Western United inspired by a club record 24,105-strong crowd which converged on Sky Stadium to cheer on their heroes as the home team played their first game on Kiwi soil in 433 days.
With Covid-19 having forced the club to up sticks and relocate to Australia, where they've been based in Wollongong throughout this season, the opening of the trans-Tasman travel bubble a month ago created the opportunity for Wellington to play two games in their homeland - this match in the nation's capital, and one next Sunday at the national stadium in New Zealand's home of football, Auckland.
With Wellington's fans in fine voice from the outset, the game got off to a lively start, with plenty of action inside the opening twenty minutes. Western threatened first, Oliver Sail smothering Dylan Pierias's twenty yard drive in the fourth minute after Connor Pain and Alessandro Diamanti had combined to good effect.
Wellington wasted little time in responding, David Ball and Louis Fenton combining on the right before the former whipped in a cross intended for Ben Waine. Western's captain, former Wellington skipper Andrew Durante, had other ideas, however, his headed clearance sparking a counter-attack which culminated in Lachlan Wales wasting a great opportunity to open the scoring, shooting tamely at Sail.
Wellington's 'keeper was in action again in the ninth minute, grabbing the ball under his crossbar after Diamanti had spotted Sail off his line and tried an ambitious long-range effort from the half-way line.
That was the cue for Wellington to up their game, Tomer Hemed's twenty yard drive drawing Ryan Scott's first save of the game, while a flying header from Waine narrowly cleared the crossbar soon after as Clayton Lewis and Reno Piscopo combined neatly on the left.
On the quarter hour, Cameron Devlin and Ball combined with Hemed, who invited Ball to whip in a low cross for Waine to turn home. Scott had other ideas, saving at the striker's feet, but five minutes later he was deceived by a deflected twenty-yarder from Hemed which crept just past the post, much to the relief of Western's goalkeeper.
After that lively opening, a brief spell of play ensued where both teams cancelled each other out, before Western upped the ante, Diamanti inspiring a couple of attacks just after the half-hour mark which also featured Pierias.
The latter's twenty-yarder fizzed narrowly past Sail's left-hand post in the 33rd minute, while barely sixty seconds had elapsed when the Italian slipped Pierias through the middle, the striker then taking full advantage of Besart Berisha's diagonal defence-drawing run to surge into the inside left channel.
But Pierias was unable to let fly this time round, the intervention of Steven Taylor seeing the ball shepherded out for a goal-kick - a terrific piece of defending from the fit-again former English Premier League defender, who was captaining Wellington in this match given the absence of injured Mexican playmaker Ulises Davila.
Back came Wellington, and this time they were rewarded for doing so. After Piscopo's wild finish over the top following a cleared free-kick taken by Lewis, the former Auckland City star received a pass from Taylor seven minutes before half-time, cut inside and let fly.
A healthy deflection of Brendan Hamill deceived Scott, the 'keeper unable to change direction in time to prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net and unleashing an almighty roar from the biggest crowd to grace an A-League fixture so far this season.
They were nearly celebrating a second goal two minutes later. Devlin and Ball combined with Fenton this time round, the fullback's cross being met by a header from Hemed which Scott saved splendidly low to his left.
Piscopo went desperately close to doubling the home team's advantage in the shadows of the half-time whistle via a curling effort after he had dispossessed Durante, but Wellington had to settle
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for a one-goal lead going into the break, an advantage which the natives were well pleased by.
Western engineered the early openings in the second spell, with Diamanti pouncing on a loose ball in the 53rd minute and executing a superb reverse pass which allowed Berisha to make his way into the penalty area.
Taylor foiled further progress from the competition's all-time-leading marksman, who invited Pierias to let fly instead. His shot ricocheted out for a corner, which resulted in Tomislav Uskok heading the ball down for Berisha, who set up Pierias for another shot on goal. This time, there was no deflection, and Western soon came under siege.
Attacking their version of the "Kop End" in the second spell, Wellington were intent on building on their advantage. Only a fine save with his feet by Scott prevented Ball from doubling Wellington's lead in the 57th minute, following an attack which also featured Piscopo, Fenton, Waine and Hemed.
Scott's save was cleared by Western, but only as far as Taylor, who sparked another attack, which on this occasion was rewarded. Piscopo was the beneficiary of his captain's ball forward, and he powered through the inside left channel into the penalty area before fair hammering the ball home from twelve yards. Scott got a touch to the shot, but there was no way this one was staying out - 2-0.
Wellington's fans rejoiced, and after Waine and Piscopo had both been denied by Scott, they were singing louder still in the 63rd minute as Wellington increased their advantage still further.
A concerted attack had Western's defence in all sorts of bother, culminating in Ball slipping a pass into the stride of Fenton, who was charging through the inside right channel with Devlin just outside him.
The fullback's cross from the byline found Hemed completely unmarked six yards out from goal, from where he gleefully headed the ball home to the delight of the local faithful, long-starved of the chance to cheer on their heroes in full cry on home turf.
At this stage, Western looked like they could completely capitulate, but the introduction of Steven Lustica at least served to stop the rot. It didn't stop Wellington carving out more chances, however, with both Piscopo and Ball going close inside the next ten minutes, either side of Diamanti drawing a spectacular save from Sail after the Italian's swashbuckling run through three opponents.
Berisha was withdrawn from the fray at this point, and his replacement, debutant Adisa Bayew, nearly made a dream start to his A-League career within a minute of entering the fray. Weaving his way past three defenders on the left, the youngster let fly, only to see the ball ricochet off Taylor straight to Sail in the 74th minute.
Wellington calmed things down from this point, before a final flurry of chances in the last five minutes of play saw them twice threaten to add a fourth goal to the mix. Lewis' 84th minute free-kick was punched off the head of Waine by Scott, who then blocked well at close quarters to deny Jaushua Sotirio, after the substitute had started a move which also featured Ball, Lewis and Waine.
A brief gathering of the clans ensued after Western substitute Iker Guarrotxena took umbrage to an Alex Rufer challenge, after which Tim Payne blocked a Pierias shot as the visitors sought a consolation goal on a night their play-off hopes were all but ended by a Wellington side which well and truly kept theirs alive with this vital victory, one which significantly bolstered their goal difference as well.
Wellington: Sail; Fenton, Taylor, Payne, Sutton; Ball, Devlin (booked, 31) (Rufer, 87), Lewis (booked, 90), Piscopo (Old, 83); Waine (booked, 90), Hemed (Sotirio, 80)
Western: Scott; Imai, Durante, Hamill; Pierias, Pasquali (Lustica, 66), Uskok, Diamanti (Guarrotxena, 87), Pain; Berisha (Bayew, 73), Wales (Sheppard, 87)
Referee: Daniel Elder
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