Reigning Isuzu Ute A-League champions Western United came from two goals down to overcome Wellington Phoenix in dramatic fashion in front of 5,203 fans at Sky Stadium on November 13, the visitors prevailing 3-2 in the last match for both teams before the FIFA World Cup Finals bring a month-long halt to A-League action.
The opening exchanges were dominated by niggly fouls, but referee Tim Danaskos was quite content to keep his cards in his pockets. Indeed, it wasn't until thirteen minutes from time that he had reason to brandish the yellow card, and you'd have got extremely long odds on the first booking in the contest not being a player!
If Wellington coach Ufuk Talay aspires to be the All Whites' gaffer, his sideline temper tantrums can't be part of the package - behaviour unbecoming, etc.. Results of this nature, i.e. bottling a two-goal lead, won't stand him in good stead for that role either.
Yet things could have been a great deal different had the home team taken their early chances. Oskar Zawada enjoyed two opportunities to break the deadlock in the opening fifteen minutes, dragging his first attempt wide of the mark just 75 seconds into the contest, then being thwarted by Leo Lacroix's timely tackle after Western goalkeeper Jamie Young's misjudgement of Ben Old's ball forward.
Josh Risdon - how he managed to avoid a yellow card until ten minutes from time, Lord alone knows, as he was a serial offender throughout proceedings - endured an untimely stumble on the quarter hour, but Bozhidar Kraev, Zawada and Ben Old were unable to capitalise thanks to United's rock-solid rearguard.
Sam Sutton also found the visitors weren't going to be easy-beats when he swept down the left a minute later, sweeping past Risdon to the by-line. With Wellington players queuing up in anticipation of the fullback's cross, Jacob Tratt, once of this parish, stepped in to deny his former club from opening the scoring on this occasion.
Wellington was knocking on the door rather loudly, however, and continued to pound away in the nineteenth minute. Zawada led the charge on the counter-attack, pouncing on a Rhys Bozinovski error before powering into Western's half of the pitch.
With Clayton Lewis storming up in support, the striker opted to play a through ball for Kraev to exploit. But with Costa Barbarouses lurking unmarked on the far post, the Bulgarian was unable to cap off the move with a measured cross thanks to the combined efforts of Risdon and Young, who snuffed out this particular raid.
The home team wasn't to be denied, however, and finally broke the deadlock halfway through the first half. Concerted pressure culminated in Kraev and Lewis working a tidy one-two before the former slipped Zawada through the inside left channel, from where he clipped the ball beyond Young and into the net - 1-0, to the undisguised delight of the natives.
Only a fine save by Young, diving to his right, prevented Callan Elliot from doubling Wellington's advantage in the 29th minute, the fullback having stormed down the right into the penalty before swerving past two opponents and letting fly from fifteen yards.
Two minutes later, Elliot was involved again, this time on receipt of a delightful switch of play by Kraev. The fullback's cross arced narrowly over the head of Zawada, who flew in in vain to meet it.
The visitors finally mustered an effort on goal nine minutes before half-time, with Neil Kilkenny's shot being blocked. James Troisi's resulting corner arced right into the zone, but Wellington survived on this occasion, and wasted little time in resuming normal service at the other end of the park.
This time, however, they spurned a glorious opportunity to double their advantage. Barbarouses led the cavalry charge this time, before picking out Zawada with a cross. The striker was tripped by Risdon, prompting referee Danaskos to point to the penalty spot. Up stepped Barbarouses, but Young plunged to his left to turn the spot-kick round the post in the 38th minute.
Lewis' resulting corner was cleared back to him. The All Whites' midfielder slung in another cross, this time seeing it flicked on by Zawada to the far post, where Scott Wootton was mere inches away from getting on the end of it and turning the ball home.
Eager to make amends for his penalty miss, Barbarouses embarked on a swashbuckling run in the 42nd minute, taking on all-comers and beating three of them before looking to pick out Kraev on the far post.
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Western's defence stood firm once again, however, and it was the visitors who carved out the final chance of the half on the stroke of half-time. Troisi's slide-rule pass played Lachlan Wales in behind the Wellington defence, and took the ball on in his stride before firing a low cross inches beyond the incoming figure of Dylan Wenzel-Halls, on the edge of the six-yard box.
United was first to threaten after the interval, the hitherto spectator-like figure of Oli Sail forced to block at the feet of Wales, after the striker's diagonal run had been picked out by Ben Garuccio's measured pass.
Wellington's response saw them double their lead on the hour. The introduction to the fray of David Ball and Ben Waine, minutes earlier, added renewed vim and vigour to the home team's attack, and when the latter was fouled, Lewis' free-kick found its way to Kraev, who controlled the ball before thundering a ten yard drive through a forest of legs and past the unsighted figure of Young - 2-0.
United had to score next, and after Troisi's lobbed attempt was grabbed by Sail, they did so in the 64th minute. Kilkenny's corner was flicked on by Connor Pain at the near post, and Tratt swooped on the dropping sphere, his stooping header from inside the six-yard box finding the far corner of the net - 2-1.
After Elliot's cross-shot had been grabbed beneath the bar by Young as Wellington looked to restore their two-goal lead straight from the kick-off, Ball found himself the meat in a Western sandwich, Lacroix and Risdon combining to leave the striker in considerable pain, which, given Ball's ability to withstand punishment and keep coming back for more, is saying something!
Quite how referee Danaskos failed to award anything other than a free-kick for this "challenge" beggars belief! Risdon's boorish behaviour had long rendered him public enemy number one as far as Wellington's fans were concerned, but an even greater threat soon had the home fans reacting nervously.
Italian playmaker Alessandro Diamanti and beanpole Serbian striker Aleksandar Prijovic were introduced to the fray in the aftermath of Western getting back into the match, and over the course of the final twenty minutes their influence turned the game the visitors' way.
Twelve minutes from time, Garuccio picked out Prijovic with a cross which he flicked onto the Italian midfielder, who unleashed a terrific angled volley which flew inches past Sail's right-hand post.
Wellington responded via substitute Oskar Van Hattum, who gave Western plenty of cheek before forcing an opening on the edge of the penalty area. Ball took over, but saw his shot diverted to safety by Garuccio's timely tackle.
Back came the visitors, and this time they drew level with six minutes remaining. A quickly taken free-kick by Young allowed Kilkenny to feed the overlapping figure of Garuccio, whose cross to the far post found Prijovic soaring above all-comers to thunder home a ten-yard header.
2-2, and a grandstand finish in store, as both teams went for the winner. Joshua Laws and Ball combined to send Kraev through the inside left channel into the penalty area. He looked to bring Waine into the equation, but Lacroix's intervention put the skids on that idea.
The visitors kept on pressing, but it was Wellington who enjoyed the best chance in the next few minutes, a thirty yard free-kick from Lewis which flew past the post. A stalemate looked the most likely outcome at this point, but from the resulting goal-kick, Western clinched victory via a magnificent free-kick from Diamanti, who let fly from just outside the area, the ball arcing over the defensive wall before beating Sail at his near post - 3-2 at the death to the visitors.
As first wins of the season go, they don't get more dramatic! And the reigning champions understandably celebrated their come-from-behind triumph wildly in front of Wellington's stunned fans, who had seen their team squander a two-goal lead in the final half-hour of play, a result which leaves Wellington in eighth place on the table at the conclusion of the pre-World Cup phase of the campaign.
Wellington: Sail; Elliot, Wootton (booked, 88), Laws, Sutton (booked, 90); Old (Van Hattum, 77), Ugarkovic, Lewis, Kraev; Barbarouses (Ball, 55), Zawada (Waine, 55))
Western: Young; Risdon (booked, 80), Tratt, Lacroix (booked, 90), Garuccio; Bozinovski (Prijovic, 67), Troisi, Kilkenny; Wales (Pierias, 80), Wenzel-Halls (Milanovic, 46 (booked, 90)), Pain (Diamanti, 67)
Referee: Tim Danaskos
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