Loss drops Phoenix to third
AUCKLAND: The 10man Wellington Phoenix has missed the chance to secure a place in the ALeague finals after a disappointing 10 loss to the Western Sydney Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium.
Substitute Kwame Yeboah was the hero for the Wanderers, heading home the game's only goal in the 73rd minute on Friday night after Wellington defender Luke Devere was sent off for a second yellow card eight minutes earlier.
The loss drops Wellington to third place on goals scored behind Melbourne City, which beat runaway league leader Sydney FC last night.
It also leaves the Phoenix still needing at least one point from its final two regularseason matches to guarantee its playoff spot.
The game was marred by a sickening collision midway through the first half which left Western Sydney's German striker Nicolai Muller knocked out after a clash of heads with Louis
Fenton. Fenton earned a booking and was perhaps fortunate to avoid a red card for his mistimed — but not malicious — aerial challenge. Muller regained consciousness and was monitored by the club doctor for the remainder of the evening.
The lengthy delay seemed to affect the Phoenix, which produced a strangely disjointed display.
The Wanderers were far more fluid, their best firsthalf chance coming in added time when Mitch Duke fired a shot straight at Stefan Marinovic from 10m.
After rotating his squad in last weekend's 11 draw with Adelaide, Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay selected his strongest available 11. But the Phoenix coach now has some thinking to do after his side's worst outing since the competition restart.
Wellington's best chance came after just three minutes when, at the end of a sweeping movement, David Ball's curling effort struck the post and all but crossed the line before rolling to safety.
The Phoenix next faces fourthplaced Brisbane on Wednesday evening in its penultimate regularseason game.
Talay will be without Devere through suspension, but will welcome back fellow defender Tim Payne who has now completed a fourmatch ban for his golfcart joyride in March. — The New Zealand Herald