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28Jan23
Perth Peg Back Ten-Man Phoenix
by Jeremy Ruane
Perth Glory came from two goals down to hold Wellington Phoenix to a 2-2 draw in front of 4,518 fans at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North on January 28, after the home team's hopes of winning this Isuzu Ute A-League encounter had been severely impacted by the VAR-influenced dismissal of defensive stalwart Tim Payne.

The slippery pitch made certain aspects of play more challenging than others, something which was first seen in the sixth minute of play, when Oli Sail lost his footing as he came out of goal to receive a back-pass. He was just able to recover his poise and flick the ball to the sideline before David Williams could pounce and turn the ball home into an empty net.

Sixty seconds later, Zach Duncan pinged a ball forward which sent Johnny Koutroumbis scampering to the right-hand by-line, from where he drilled in a low cross for Ryan Williams to convert. Payne stepped in to avert the danger, much to the relief of the home fans - this was just the second occasion A-League football has graced the Manawatu region.

Those fans were delighted in the eleventh minute when Wellington opened the scoring with their first attack. Payne's pinpoint thirty yard ball into the penalty area picked out Oskar Zawada, who rose above all-comers to head home into the far corner of the net.

Perth looked to hit back virtually straight away, Jordan Elsey's ball forward rewarding David Williams' angled run from left to right. This, along with the bounce of the ball deceived the advancing figure of Sail, who had to beat a hasty retreat and grab the sphere inside his penalty area before the visitors' talisman could exploit the open goal yawning invitingly before him.

Sail then grabbed a teasing, wind-assisted cross-shot from Koutroumbis beneath his crossbar as the visitors continued their pursuit of an equaliser, but their quest for same was made decidedly more challenging in the twentieth minute, as Wellington doubled their lead.

Alex Rufer's superb defence-splitting pass rewarded Lucas Mauragis' rampaging run down the left. The fullback's low cross was spilled by Perth's goalkeeper, Cameron Cook, much to the delight of Costa Barbarouses, who punished the error in merciless fashion - 2-0.

Straight from the kick-off, Perth reduced the arrears. Captain Mustafa Amini teamed up with Keegan Jelacic to send Koutroumbis careering to the by-line once more, from where he drilled in a cross to the near post. Sail parried it straight back to the wing-back, who headed the ball across to the far post, where David Williams was lurking to head home from close range.

Wellington were next to threaten, despite Rufer being felled in the centre circle in the 28th minute. Referee Lachlan Keevers played a good advantage, as Callan Elliot picked up the baton and ran with it before delivering a cross which was spilled by Cook. Zawada's resulting shot was blocked to safety by Duncan.

Back came Perth, Mark Beevers releasing Jelacic on the left, from where his driven low cross was diverted goalwards by Payne, forcing Sail into a parried save at his near post, the same upright past which Jelacic fired narrowly wide in first half stoppage time.

The second spell began in controversial fashion, with Payne being booked for clipping David
Williams near the edge of the penalty area as he looked to latch onto a ball over the top in the 53rd minute.

That appeared to be that, but the Video Assistant Referee had other ideas, and three minutes later referee Keevers was convinced by the footage that Payne had denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity, or DOGSO, in refereeing terms, an offence punishable by a red card.

Off Payne trudged, with all present well aware he had been extremely harshly penalised. Put it this way - if that was an obvious goalscoring opportunity, then the nightmayor that is Wayne Brown is the greatest mayor in the history of Auckland!!

From that point on, Perth largely dominated proceedings in Palmerston North. Sail plunged to his left to keep out Beevers' twenty-five yarder in the 62nd minute, then pawed out a spectacular Amini volley nine minutes later, soon after Bozhidar Kraev had gone close to restoring the ten men's two-goal advantage with a brilliant solo raid.

Weaving his way in off the left between two defenders, he worked a one-two with Barbarouses before jinking through a further four opponents into the heart of Perth's penalty area, from where his shot was parried to safety by Cook - the Bulgarian deserved better reward for a terrific piece of individual brilliance.

Ten minutes from time, Perth made their numerical advantage count as they drew level on the scoreboard with a fine goal. Ryan Williams spread play wide to substitute Jacob Dowse, who delivered a measured cross to the near post area, into which David Williams was making a well-timed angled run. He launched himself into a full-length diving header and sent the ball soaring above Sail and into the top near corner of the net - 2-2.

Wellington immediately looked to regain the lead, only for Zawada's penalty claims to be waved away by referee Keevers as the striker took a tumble in the area. Cook grabbed a free-kick from Mauragis in the 87th minute as the home team sought a winner, but it was Perth who went closest of all to claiming all three points in the time remaining.

Prior to Mauragis' free-kick, Dowse cut in off the left and saw his shot deflect off Steven Ugarkovic into the grateful gloves of Sail, who then looked on as a Jelacic drive deflected to safety off Finn Surman.

Twice in stoppage time, the visitors hit the crossbar with headed attempts, substitute Giordano Colli doing so on receipt of a cross from Dowse, while Colli's corner saw Beevers batter the woodwork with a near post header, the rebound from which was headed wide by Adam Zimarino.

2-2 was the outcome, however, a result which Perth would have happily taken before kick-off, but by which they'll feel a tad hard done by in light of how things transpired on a day when Wellington maintained fourth place on the table as they commenced a run of five matches away from their Sky Stadium home.

Wellington:     Sail; Elliot, Payne (sent off, 56), Laws, Mauragis; Barbarouses, Rufer, Ugarkovic, Kraev (Old, 72); Ball (Surman, 57), Zawada (booked, 15) (Sasse, 89)
Perth:          Cook; Elsey, Lachman, Beevers; Koutroumbis (Burke-Gilroy, 63 (booked, 64)), Amini (Bodnar, 77), Duncan (booked, 35) (Zimarino, 63), R. Williams (Colli, 86), Forde (Dowse, 63 (booked, 90)); Jelacic, D. Williams
Referee:     Lachlan Keevers




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