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22Oct23
Paulsen's Saves Punctuate Sterile Stalemate
by Jeremy Ruane
Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix battled out a scoreless opening round stalemate in the Isuzu Ute A-League at CommBank Stadium on 22 October, the saves of Alex Paulsen doing much to secure a point for the visitors and their new coach, Giancarlo Italiano, in sweltering 32C playing conditions.
Wellington was first to threaten, Alex Rufer's raking fourth minute pass inviting David Ball to go hunting. Lawrence Thomas was always favourite to win the race, but he lost control of the ball and was forced into a hurried clearance as the striker bore down on him.
Two minutes later, Nicholas Pennington gave the ball away cheaply, and new Wanderer Jorrit Hendrix was quick to pounce on the sphere. He slipped a pass inside to Nicolas Milanovic, whose shot on the turn from the edge of the penalty area had "top far corner" written all over it until Paulsen flew to his left to turn the ball over the bar.
Back came Wellington in the eleventh minute, Finn Surman pinging one over the top for Oskar Zawada to exploit. Thomas dashed out and saved at the striker's feet, but Zawada unnecessarily clipped the 'keeper as he went over him, and received a telling-off from referee Ben Abraham for his troubles.
From this point, the game evolved into an arm wrestle over the course of the next half-hour, the only excitement in that time materialising in the 33rd minute, when Paulsen plunged to his right to prevent Marcus Antonsson's header from finding the bottom corner, after the new striker had been picked out by Jack Clisby's measured cross.
On the stroke of half-time, Wellington were denied the opening goal by a fine save from Thomas, who turned Pennington's far post header over the bar after the midfielder had been picked out by the combined efforts of Bozhidar Kraev and Costa Barbarouses on the left.
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The second half was just five minutes old when Paulsen was once more called upon to keep the visitors on level terms, the 'keeper pawing away a twenty-five yarder from Clisby which was bound for the top corner of the net.
The home team was the superior combination in this match, and threatened to break the deadlock again eight minutes later. Brandon Borrello's lay-off invited Hendrix to let fly, but he directed his shot straight at Paulsen, who was right behind a fiercely struck acute-angled drive from substitute Lachlan Brook in stoppage time, the last chance of the contest.
In the minutes prior to that, Wanderers had twice gone close to stealing all three points. Ten minutes from time, Hendrix's deliciously angled ball to the far post found Clisby coming in behind, unsighted by anyone wearing yellow. The overlapping fullback headed the ball down and across goal, but no one in a striped shirt was on hand to capitalise upon a veritable gift.
Four minutes later, Tate Russell's cross couldn't be directed goalwards by Brook, but Hendrix was the next best option. The home team's best-performed player steered the sphere narrowly past the far post, and after Brook's aforementioned stoppage time effort, the final whistle sounded to ensure both teams began their campaign with a point apiece, with Paulsen the game's star turn - his saves were the difference between a draw and defeat for Wellington.
West. Syd.: Thomas; Russell, Bonetig, Marcelo, Clisby; Pierias (Brook, 59), Brillante (booked, 70), Hendrix (Beadling, 86); Antonsson, Milanovic (booked, 82 (Babolato, 86)), Borrello (Sapsford, 62)
Wellington: Paulsen; Payne, Wootton, Surman, Kelly-Heald; Pennington, Rufer, Kraev (Old, 70); Ball (Al-Taay, 62), Zawada, Barbarouses (booked, 90 (Conchie, 90))
Referee: Ben Abraham
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