Marinovic saves best for last in Nix win
Keeper pulls out a save of the season to clinch victory over Jets
The Wellington Phoenix are back on track, though this performance was far from convincing.
They prevailed 2-1 over the Newcastle Jets, with the visitors extremely unlucky not to take something from last night’s match.
Maybe it’s a good sign, as not for the first time this season, the Phoenix found a way to get a result, despite not playing particularly well.
They huffed and they puffed against the wooden spooners, but never looked like blowing the Jets away.
And forget the myth about goalkeepers being unsung heroes; Stefan Marinovic was the difference, with three wonderful interventions late on, the last a save of the season contender, in a frenetic finale.
But the Phoenix took their chances clinically through Jaushua Sotirio and Ulises Davila, and that was the game, as the Jets could convert only one opportunity, despite creating plenty.
So the Phoenix will remain in the top four heading into their bye next week, with vital time on the training field to iron out the kinks of the past few weeks.
It was a strangely passive start from the Phoenix, as the Jets made most of the running. The Wellington team’s modus operandi has been fast starts — especially at home — and they had scored 25 per cent of their goals in the first quarter of their games across this campaign.
But they were tentative and loose last night, as the combinations that had worked so well previously seemed to break down.
It was hard to reconcile with the recent form of both teams: the Phoenix had lost only one of their last 10 games, while the Jets had just two victories all season.
Brandon Wilson replaced suspended midfielder Matti Steinmann, while David Ball started for the first time in three weeks. But Ball was stationed on the right, with Davila in the No 10 role behind Gary Hooper.
That seemed to unbalance the team; they missed Ball’s work rate, especially off the ball, as former
Norwich City striker Hooper is more of a penalty box poacher.
Newcastle had plenty of time and space at the back, and that flowed through the rest of their team.
They had nine shots to two in the first half and could have been a couple of goals ahead.
Jason Hoffman missed the best chance, scooping over from 10m with the goal at his mercy. Matthew Millar also went close, after Tim Payne was dispossessed on halfway, and striker Abdiel Arroyo was a constant threat. But they lacked a finishing touch, symptomatic of a team averaging less than a goal a game this season.
For the Phoenix, the little passes and touches weren’t coming off, Davila couldn’t find space, Hooper was isolated and Liberato Cacace was off beam with his crosses.
There were moments, but it was mostly a bit of a muddle.
Sotirio entered the fray early in the second half and his pace made an instant difference. The former Wanderer was released after some neat interplay from Davila and Hooper, before a crisp finish.
The Phoenix seemed to spark into life but didn’t completely convince and their lead lasted only 13 minutes. The home side dallied on the edge of their area, then seemed to panic when they lost possession, and Arroyo’s finish was unerring, after being first to a ricochet.
To the home side’s credit, they responded almost instantly, with Davila finding the bottom corner with a precise strike, after an Alex Rufer shot rebounded into his path.
A fine reaction save from Marinovic kept the Phoenix ahead, before a quite unbelievable reflex stop in the dying minutes from a fullblooded half-volley sealed the points. Wellington Phoenix 2 ( Jaushua Sotirio 53, Ulises Davila 69) Newcastle Jets 1 (Abdiel Arroyo 66) Halftime: 0-0