Phoenix on ropes after thrashing
THE sinking feeling associated with this Wellington Phoenix season is getting worse after they fell to their third-straight loss.
At least this time there was a dose of bad luck, but it didn’t hide the fact they were second best for most of the 5-1 thrashing from Melbourne City at Westpac Stadium in Wellington last night.
Things could have been so different if Kosta Barbarouses had of scored his 15th-minute penalty.
He won the spot kick, making sure he tripped over the outstretched leg of former Phoenix turned City right back Manny Muscat. He picked himself up to thump the penalty against the crossbar.
They say bad things happen in threes and the Phoenix’s next two pieces of rotten luck came in the next five minutes.
First, Roly Bonevacia narrowly missed a one-on-one chance, then Ryan Lowry deflected in a Bruno Fornaroli cross for an own goal.
Muscat could well have been sent off three minutes later when collecting Tom Doyle with an elbow to the head, but it was missed by referee Jonathan Barreiro. Replays suggested there were at least claims for a yellow card.
Things just kept getting worse for the Phoenix from there.
Glen Moss handled the ball outside the box in the 28th minute to give City a freekick on the edge of the area. Muscat scuffed his shot from the low cross, but it fell fortuitously to Fornaroli at the back post to tap home.
Luke Brattan was immense in the first 45 minutes for City, shutting Bonevacia out of the game for the most part while kickstarting a lot of City’s good play at the other end.
Phoenix striker Roy Krishna had to be substituted early in the second spell, with Shane Smeltz coming on, after a heavy challenge from Osama Malik left him with a sore knee. Smeltz was returning from a one-week suspension, but saw his starting spot given to Hamish Watson.
It didn’t help matters at the defensive end as Anthony Caceres piled further misery on the 6131 fans in attendance when getting on the end of a deflected Josh Rose cross at the back post in the 59th minute.
Sarpreet Singh was handed his debut two days before his 18th birthday, given 25 minutes by the coaches to show what he’s capable of. It can be difficult for an attacking midfielder to function in a struggling team, but he wasn’t afraid to get on the ball and GETTY IMAGES showed some nice touches.
Barbarouses gave the fans something to cheer 20 minutes from time, beating two men down the left flank before cutting inside and nutmegging Thomas Sorensen in the City goal. If only such a cool finish had come from the penalty spot in the first half.
The joy was shortlived as Neil Kilkenny and Nicolas Colazo completed the rout in the final 10 minutes.
The win moves City to third on the ladder for now, while the Phoenix are eighth, level on points with the ninth-placed Central Coast Mariners, but only two points off the top six. PHOTOSPORT record held by former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum [52 balls], while playing for Otago against Auckland in the 2007-08 final.
Wellington threatened early on, but once skipper Hamish Marshall departed for 59 they fell away as the run rate soared.
Canterbury captain Andrew Ellis, playing with a broken right thumb, bowled tidily, taking 4-28 from his four overs.
Fulton, the lone member of Canterbury’s successful playing XI when they last won the domestic one-day title in February 2006, produced a belligerent innings, carting Wellington’s bowlers around the ground.
He brought up his third domestic 50-over ton in the 18th over, working a single through midwicket off Matt Taylor.
His century, consisted of nine fours and seven sixes.
Pinch-hitter Tim Johnston provided some handy runs in the closing stages of Canterbury’s innings, blasting 17 from nine balls as the red-and-blacks set Wellington a large target.