Phoenix grabs last finals berth with match to spare
ALeague
AUCKLAND: The Wellington Phoenix has reached its promised land.
It will feature in playoff football once again, after an impressive 21 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney on Thursday night.
The result seals its topsix position with one game to spare, and caps a gutsy regular season campaign, during which it had to overcome considerable adversity.
A wonder strike from Reno Piscopo in the 65th minute proved decisive, but it was far from straightforward, as the Wanderers went close several times in the final 10 minutes, with goalkeeper Oli Sail producing two remarkable saves to deflect goalbound attempts on to the woodwork.
But it was a deserved victory, as the Phoenix also hit the crossbar twice in the first half and had two other goals chalked off for offside.
The scores Western Sydney Wanderers 1 Wellington Phoenix ................ 2
It is the seventh time the Phoenix has qualified for post season football and surely the most meritorious, given its young squad and the numerous obstacles it has had to overcome.
It is also remarkable given the resources available to much bigger clubs that will miss the cut this season, such as Sydney FC.
Sail was again superb but everyone in a Phoenix shirt rose to the occasion, Ben Waine’s shift as a makeshift right wing back typical of the effort.
The Phoenix opened the scoring with a peach of a goal in the fourth minute. David Ball and Ben Old combined to create space, before Ball’s cross found Sutton, who volleyed home sweetly from 3m.
It was Sutton’s first goal in his 36game A League career.
Sutton managed a brilliant block to deny Keijiro Ogawa, when the Japanese looked odds on to score, before Hemed popped up again to torment his former club.
The Israeli striker produced a neat turn and finish in the 29th minute. The equaliser sparked the Phoenix, which was increasingly dangerous on the counterattack. Another sweet Sutton shot smashed against the crossbar, Waine being fractionally offside as he turned in the rebound.
Just before halftime Gael Sandoval was also unlucky, watching his delicate free kick from the edge of the area hit the bar with the keeper well beaten.
Old looked to have scored early in the second half, but his precise volley was chalked off, with Ball judged to be millimetres offside.
Ball went close again before Piscopo bent a wonderful effort into the far corner from outside the box, after being released by
Sandoval on the counter.
That was the impetus for the Wanderers to lift again but Sail produced two stunning saves.
It made for a nervous finale, coach Talay being booked for timewasting over a substitution, but the Phoenix held strong to take another giant step forward. —