Wanderers pile on pain to end Phoenix dream
INSPIRED by Chris Ikonomidis, Western Sydney has buried Wellington’s woeful ALeague season, seeing off the Kiwi side 4-0 at ANZ Stadium.
Oriol Riera drew first blood before goals to Michael Thwaite, Ikonomidis and Jaushua Sotirio broke the Wanderers’ second-half hoodoo last night, ensuring the attimes wasteful side climbed back into sixth.
From 33 shots, the hosts managed 11 on target.
“Slowly, slowly we are playing good football,” coach Josep Gombau said. “We have eight more games and we need a good performance every single one.”
For Wellington, which had a sole shot on target from five, it marked a second-straight 4-0 loss and 11th of the season.
“Tonight was a last chance maybe for somebody who still dreams about playoffs,” Phoenix coach Darije Kalezic said.
“We didn’t show enough will and desire.”
Six minutes in, the everpresent Ikonomidis withstood pressure to keep the ball in and cut back for Josh Risdon, who provided Riera with the ammo he needed for a curling header past Lewis Italiano at the far post. Though the onslaught continued, the slaughter briefly halted.
So many of the Wanderers’ chances went awry it was only due to Wellington’s sheer ineptitude that the misses did not prove more costly.
Straight after the break it very nearly did when Andrija Kaluderovic’s header skewed just wide of the upright.
Dylan Fox came to the fore again to clear off the line and deny a sure thing from Risdon. The Wanderers kept coming but recent history suggested it would amount to little, in Gombau’s previous 13 matches in charge his side has scored just two second-half goals.
To its credit, it did it three times in one night.
Off a pinpoint Marcelo Carrusca corner, Thwaite beat Matija Ljujic in the air for a cracking maiden club goal.
Ikonomidis started and finished the Wanderers’ third, embarking on a one-two with Mark Bridge before the veteran provided a delightful backheel for Ikonomidis to slide a venomous shot home.
In the 82nd minute, Italiano denied substitute Brendon Santalab but followed a firm save with a fumble that allowed Sotirio’s follow-up shot to roll into the net.