Nix navigate Mariners but win’s far from plain sailing
The Wellington Phoenix have continued their strong start to the A-League season but it was a nervy affair in Wollongong.
They trumped Central Coast Mariners 2-1 last night at WIN Stadium for their first win of the campaign in a frenetic second half.
But the Phoenix made hard work of it, gifting a goal to the Mariners soon after taking the lead, then missing an 86th-minute penalty which would have made the game safe.
That meant they had to navigate
seven minutes added time before sealing the victory with second half goals from Gary Hooper and Jaushua Sotirio.
It extends the club’s unbeaten run to 13 matches, with their last defeat in April against Melbourne City.
The first half was a cagey affair, with few clear-cut chances in blustery conditions.
Sotirio used his pace to good effect and should have done better in the 35th minute, when he spun off his marker delightfully, but then looked in two minds, with his side-foot effort eventually deflected for a corner.
In some ways, that indecision was a theme of the half for the Phoenix, who couldn’t get the balance right in the final third.
Sometimes they lacked patience on attack, trying to thread the needle when retaining possession was the better option, and on other occasions, the final touch or pass let them down.
The Mariners used the ball to good effect, with former All White Storm Roux a regular outlet. They shaded the first half, with captain Oliver Bozanic forcing Oli Sail into two strong saves in the space of a minute from long-range drives.
The Phoenix came out strongly after the break, with a superb Reno Piscopo free kick producing a flying save from Mariners goalkeeper Mark Birighitti. From the resultant corner, they were ahead, with Hooper reacting quickest to a loose ball to tuck home, with the goal cleared after an exhaustive VAR check.
But the lead lasted only four minutes after they gave up a calamitous goal. From a Mariners clearance, Josh Laws mishit his back pass, allowing Marco Urena to swoop and easily finish past a stranded Sail.
The match opened up and took another turn in the 62nd minute, when Sotirio produced a fine angled finish from the edge of the area.
From there, it was about game management, with Ben Waine, Nicholas Pennington and Ben Old introduced, while Louis Fenton replaced the injured Callan Elliott (shoulder).
They were guilty of sitting too deep at times, inviting pressure.
The Phoenix could have made the game safe in the 86th minute, after Old won a penalty, latching on to a James McGarry pass. Waine looked distracted and Birighitti saved well at his right hand post.
That gave the Mariners hope but the Phoenix held on.
Wellington Phoenix 2 (Gary Hooper 48, Jaushua Sotirio 63) Central Coast Mariners 1 (Marco Urena 52). HT: 0-0.