Phoenix hold on as Wanderers let chance slip
The Wellington Phoenix closed in on a place in the A-League Men finals series with a narrow win over Western Sydney Wanderers at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday.
Ben Waine scored the only goal of the match midway through the first half, while Steven Ugarkovic slipped and sent a penalty wide when he could have equalised shortly before the break.
The win moved the Phoenix up to fourth on the ladder and extended their unbeaten run when scoring first this season to 14 matches.
They are three points away from clinching a place in the top six with three matches to play once they return to their Sydney base.
Jaushua Sotirio was deployed in the unfamiliar position of right wingback and brought an attacking mindset to the role.
Chances were missed to play him in early on, while it was somewhat of a surprise that the Wanderers didn’t try to test him more.
A recovering tackle on Western Sydney left back Adama Trarore showed that he was up to the defensive requirements.
The Phoenix’s opener came after Gael Sandoval found David Ball in space in the middle of the park in the 22nd minute.
After running from right to left, he checked back and played a onetwo with Reno Piscopo to break clear on goal.
He opted to pass rather than shoot and Waine was on hand to tap it home and give the Phoenix the lead.
The Wanderers were handed a golden chance to equalise seven minutes from halftime when Nicholas Pennington blocked a shot from Alessandro Lopane with his hand.
But Ugarkovic slipped as he tried to slot the penalty past Oli Sail and sent it well wide.
Western Sydney goalkeeper Daniel Margush had to come off his line to head clear when Waine broke free in the first half.
The Phoenix striker had another chance early in the second, but sent his shot across goal just wide of the left post.
Ball was also denied before departing just after the hour mark, around the time the painkilling injection in his injured toe was due to wear off.
The Wanderers came close to equalising when a John Koutroumbis shot took a deflection off a Phoenix player and hit the crossbar with 20 minutes to play.
They rattled the woodwork again when Ramy Najjarine met a Tate Russell cross from the right with a strong header, while Margush had to stretch to deny Ben Old.
But they couldn’t find an equaliser by the time the final whistle blew, and the Phoenix fans had a moment to cherish when Western Sydney coach Mark Rudan – their old boss – was sent off in stoppage time.
The big moment
There was no argument to be had about whether the Wanderers had won a penalty, but they failed to capitalise on it in unfortunate fashion. Players slipped over a * fair bit on an afternoon when rain came and went, but it was Ugarkovic’s mishap at the penalty spot that proved the most costly.
Where the game was won
The Phoenix went into this match winless when conceding first this season and unbeaten when scoring first. Getting in front after just 22 minutes allowed them to shut up shop, and they kept Western Sydney well in check from there with a solid defensive effort.
Player of the day
Ball may have only had an hour’s action in him, as a result of his toe injury, but he put in 90 minutes worth of effort, and was the key figure in the Phoenix’s goal. He’s putting off some muchneeded rest to ensure there’s some experience on the park and delivered on this occasion.