Phoenix holds Roar to draw
WELLINGTON: Wellington stymied Brisbane’s late run to the ALeague playoffs with a 22 draw at Westpac Stadium yesterday.
Fielding a youthful lineup after losing five players to the All Whites, and keeper Tando Velaphi to injury, the Phoenix delivered a gritty display against seventhranked Brisbane.
A win would have shunted the Roar into sixth place on the ladder ahead of Western Sydney, while 10thplaced Wellington is playing out its season with no hope of making the finals.
Neither team could find a finish in the first half, but delivered four goals in an entertaining endtoend display in the second spell.
Brisbane fielded an unchanged starting lineup from the one which beat league leader Sydney FC 21 last week, but lacked accuracy in front of goal despite creating plenty of opportunities.
Eric Bautheac was strong through the middle, and Matt McKay’s distribution created chances for Fahid Ben Khalfallah in behind Wellington’s defence.
Thomas Kristensen and Brett Holman also looked dangerous from a distance, but their longrange strikes lacked accuracy, and the two teams went into the break scoreless.
The Nix manufactured a few decent chances, but strong strikes from Monty Patterson, Nathan Burns and Liberato Cacace were all blocked by desperate Roar defence.
However, it took Brisbane just five minutes from the restart to seize the lead.
Massimo Maccarone’s cross found Holman in plenty of space, and the 33yearold veteran provide a composed finish to volley home past Oliver Sail for his fifth goal of the season.
Wellington responded clini cally three minutes later through Andrija Kaludjerovic before Logan Rogerson gave it an unlikely 21 lead after 65 minutes.
Kaludjerovic nailed his ninth goal of the season courtesy of a beautifully weighted through ball from Matija Ljujic, Rogerson climbing high 10 minutes later to nod home Nathan Burns’s cross.
Brisbane equalised just three minutes later, Maccarone’s header rebounding kindly for Kristensen to prod home.
Burns came close to sealing the win for Wellington with an 88th minute thunderbolt but Roar keeper Jamie Young delivered a topdrawer save in tipping the strike on to the crossbar to leave the scores level.