Wanderers far too clinical for Phoenix as Smeltz is sent off
In football, it doesn’t matter how much of the ball you have, all that matters is how you use it.
The Western Sydney Wanderers epitomised this on Saturday night when they beat a 10-man Wellington Phoenix 3-1 in their round 18 A-League match New Plymouth with less 40 per cent of possession.
While the Phoenix seemed to continually be launching attack from all over the field, the visitors made the most of what they had and put their high pressure attacking mentality to good use, clinical in their finishing in a scrappy affair.
The Wellington side weren’t done any favours when prodigal son Shane Smeltz was shown a second yellow card, one of of eight in the match, for a clumsy challenge midway through the second half with the score a 3-1, leaving the hosts a mountain to climb.
The tone for the first half was set early into the piece when Phoenix captain Andrew Durante was shown a yellow card for a shoulder charge Wanderers forward Brendon Santalab.
It took just 13 minutes for the Sydney side to find the net, with Santalab sending a header past Glen Moss , but was called offside much to the dismay of the small contingent of Wanderers fans in the crowd.
However, Santalab got himself on the scoresheet less than 10 minutes later when he put another past Moss at the end off a break up the middle of the pitch.
Santalab’s goal was the only real highlight in a scrappy first half. With the wind behind them in the second half, the Phoenix began with energy, but the Wanderers got in behind the Phoenix defence again just minutes into the second period, leaving Durante to clean up – barking ‘‘that can’t happen’’ after he cleared the ball.
However, it happened again in the 58th minute when Santalab caught the Phoenix defence napping out wide and found the space to whip a cross in for Martinez to hit home.
Santalab then got another one for himself in the 65th minute to give the hosts a mountain to climb if they were to get anything out of the match.
Smeltz gave the Phoenix some hope when he scored from the penalty spot after a hand ball in the box by a Wanderers defender in the 71st minute, his first goal in six games back with the club.