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24Feb23
Wellington Snatch Late Equaliser Against Nine Men
by Jeremy Ruane
An exquisite stoppage time equaliser by Oskar Zawada earned Wellington Phoenix a 1-1 draw against nine-man Central Coast Mariners in a helter-skelter Isuzu Ute A-League encounter at Industree Group Stadium on February 24, with the 5,462 fans present letting referee Jack Morgan know what they thought of his contribution to proceedings after the final whistle.
There wasn't the slightest hint of what was to come during the early stages of the match, with Zawada twice threatening Central Coast's rearguard with marauding runs inside the first five minutes of play.
The home team responded in the eleventh minute, Max Balard playing a pass into the feet of Jason Cummings, who wriggled past two opponents before directing a shot past the post as Scott Wootton came in with a well-timed challenge.
Sixty seconds later, Central Coast opened the scoring via a player who only seems to score against his old club. James McGarry started his A-League career at Wellington Phoenix, and scored against them earlier in the season for Newcastle Jets before undertaking this loan move to their Northern New South Wales neighbours.
The fullback secured possession on halfway and played the ball inside to Balard, who evaded a challenge before sweeping the ball across field to another Kiwi, Storm Roux. His angled cross in behind the defence found McGarry arriving on cue, and the former Wellingtonian volleyed home beyond Oli Sail into the far side of the net.
The visitors took a few minutes to respond to this setback, but once Alex Rufer picked out Bozhidar Kraev in the eighteenth minute, Wellington fans were thinking, "Here we go!" Alas, the wide man fired tamely at Danny Vukovic, whose goal didn't come under threat again until the dying minutes of the half.
The second-placed team, meanwhile, called the tune. A Beni Nkololo-led raid down the right gave Wellington cause for concern aplenty before they scrambled the ball to safety, while in the 24th minute Sail grabbed the rebound after tipping Sammy Silvera's initial angled drive onto the near post, the winger having given Tim Payne the runaround to engineer space for the shot.
Sail saved a twenty-five yard free-kick from Nkololo on the half-hour, while Wellington survived penalty claims against them eight minutes later as Silvera went to ground in the area under a challenge from Wootton.
That incident seemed to stir things up between the sides, who, it must be said, had largely cancelled each other out to this point, with defences dominating proceedings. Sail stopped a Marco Tulio piledriver with his face in the 42nd minute, to which Wellington responded with a counter-attack which saw David Ball and Yan Sasse link up with Zawada, whose twenty-yarder was smothered by Vukovic.
Sail then parried a Silvera strike to safety as the Mariners stormed straight back down the other end of the park, while in first half stoppage time, prior to Vukovic grabbing a Steven Ugarkovic curler, the home team squandered a glorious chance to double their lead.
Sam Sutton stumbled while controlling the ball just outside his penalty area, which allowed Cummings to pounce on the opportunity and set up Josh Nisbet for what looked a nailed-on goal. But with the target at his mercy, he somehow shot straight at Sail when scoring seemed by far the easier option.
The second half began in much the same manner as the first half finished, with both teams going at it hammer and tongs. Joshua Laws and Wootton blocked successive shots from Cummings in the 48th minute, moments before the latter intervened to thwart a Balard shot.
Wellington counter-attacked instantly, only for Zawada, in the act of shooting, to be brilliantly denied by a stunning tackle from Jacob Farrell on the edge of Central Coast's penalty area - the timing had to be perfect, otherwise Mr Morgan would have had reason to point to the penalty spot.
Ah, yes, Mr Morgan. He'd had his moments up until this point, but after Cummings had just failed to get on the end of Silvera's curling cross, and Zawada had again been denied by Farrell - the defender blocking his shot this time round, the official really stuck his head above the parapet, earning the ire of the locals in the process.
'Twas in the 58th minute when things started to go awry. Ball went into a challenge with Brian Kaltak, who got to the ball first, only to slip at the vital
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moment. As a result, the foot he had on the sphere flew high into Ball's lower leg, felling the striker.
Mr Morgan was on the scene in an instant, and was already reaching for his back pocket en route. Out came the red card - Kaltak was off, for the third time this season. Suffice to say, Central Coast's players were ropable, and the Vanuatu international didn't depart immediately, believing that the referee had made a clear and obvious error.
But the official was not for moving, and further incensed the natives by marching across the pitch and brandishing the yellow card to Central Coast's coach, Nick Montgomery, who, understandably, was more than a tad brassed off with what he'd seen unfolding before him.
Once order had been restored, the ten men gave Wellington little respite. Wootton's vital headed clearance prevented Cummings from getting on the end of a cross from Nkololo, while in the 68th minute, a delightful piece of skill from Silvera left three Wellington defenders bemused as he led a counter-attack which culminated in a Moresche shot being blocked to safety, the substitute's first contribution to proceedings, and by no means his last.
The eleven men responded, Ball heading over from six yards upon being picked out by a Tim Payne free-kick, while a lovely move in the 74th minute culminated in another Central Coast substitute, Daniel Hall, blocking a shot from Sasse, seconds before Farrell intercepted a Payne cross intended for the head of Zawada.
Back came Central Coast, Moresche getting the better of Wootton ten minutes from time to leave himself one-on-one with Sail. The 'keeper produced a fine save to turn the ball round the far post, but surpassed that denial with a fabulous one-handed save seconds later to deny McGarry's missile, the fullback having been picked out by Christian Theoharous' cross from the corner which Sail's initial save brought about.
Wellington piled on the pressure, always mindful that they had to keep the back door shut, such was Central Coast's counter-attacking effectiveness. Vukovic was right behind a Kraev blockbuster in the 85th minute, to which Silvera responded with a sizzling fifteen-yard drive which blistered the paint around the base of the far post as it rocketed past it.
Four minutes into stoppage time, Wellington earned a corner, one which Central Coast failed to clear. Zawada was lurking on the edge of the six-yard box, and produced a brilliant piece of improvisation to level the scores, his deft back-heeled flick evading all-comers en route to the far corner of the net - 1-1.
Resistance broken, the ten men looked to snatch a late winner, with the ball launched downfield in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Wootton and Moresche contested an aerial duel which resulted in the defender wrapping his arms around his opponent to prevent him from racing off downfield - a clear yellow card offence, and Wellington's fifth booking of the match.
Alas for the Mariners, Moresche retaliated, poking Wootton in the eye. Down went the defender, and out came Mr Morgan's red card once more - rightly on this occasion, even though it reduced the home team to nine men. Moresche's actions amounted to violent conduct - on your bike, lad!
He was livid, as were the home team's on-field and sideline representatives, one of whom had already been booked. Across came Mr Morgan once more, raising his yellow card followed by the red one to Central Coast's coach.
Nick Montgomery headed down the tunnel shaking his head, and soon afterwards, the final whistle having been blown, referee Morgan and his team followed suit, their ears resounding to the ire of the Central Coast faithful, who had seen their side deservedly earn a 1-1 draw against a Wellington side which could very easily have lost this contest and, but for Zawada's brilliant stoppage time equaliser, would have done.
Central Coast: Vukovic; Roux, Kaltak (sent off, 58), Farrell (booked, 90), McGarry (Windust, 84); Nkololo (Theoharous, 75), Nisbet (Steele, 64), Balard, Silvera; Cummings (Moresche, 64 (sent off, 90)), Tulio (Hall, 64)
Coach Nick Montgomery (booked, 58, 90 - sent off)
Wellington: Sail; Payne, Wootton (booked, 90), Laws, Sutton; Sasse (Van Hattum, 75 (booked, 90)), Rufer (Old, 64 (booked, 65)), Ugarkovic, Kraev (booked, 34); Ball (booked, 70), Zawada
Referee: Jack Morgan
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