Oskar Zawada and the Phoenix celebrate the only goal. Photo/Getty
Wellington Phoenix 1
brisbane roar 0
Polish striker Oskar Zawada has led the Fenix to victory for the second game in a row, and this victory came in a much easier way.
Seven days after surviving two red cards and two stoppage-time penalties in a heart-stopping 1-0 win over Sydney FC, Wellington repeated that scoreline tonight to pick up back-to-back wins for the first time this season in the A -League.
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Zawada scored the only goal again against the Brisbane Roar at the Moreton Daily Stadium, his fifth of the campaign, but that’s where the similarities between the meetings ended.
The Phoenix were largely comfortable controlling possession, and while they allowed their opponents more than ideal starts, they defended their lead well once Zawada headed them in the 65th minute.
Back-to-back clean sheets were a boon to a Wellington team that had the worst defensive record of any team in the top eight in the table, helping them move past Brisbane.
Skipper Oli Sail, who last week saved one of Sydney’s penalties before seeing the second sail over his bar, produced another pair of decisive late-match saves to preserve all three points.
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Sail’s intervention was also the start of the game, which in the third minute needed a finger from the goalkeeper to prevent Nikola Mileusnic from taking advantage of the best chance of the first half.
The first 45 minutes saw Brisbane enjoy the best opportunities, while Phoenix had the best possession, especially effective when moving the ball at a good pace. The visitors repeatedly stretched the Roar defense to create opening halfs, but were unable to work the goaltender regularly.
The Roar, on the other hand, particularly thrived when playing over the top and splitting the Phoenix centre-backs, with a Mileusnic offside slotting the ball into the back of the net midway through the half.
Both central defenders Tim Payne and Joshua Laws, taking over for an injured Scott Wootton, were soon forced to block shots on goal as the Roar continued to threaten.
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But otherwise, Phoenix did not bother before the break, and as the general trend of the game continued into the second period, it finally showed a clinical advantage to find a breakthrough.
Zawada had squandered his team’s clearest chance in the first half, fighting his shot with a good eye on goal in the corner, but the Pole couldn’t miss after the hour.
Loan fullback Lucas Mauragis did superbly to create space on the left and whip up an accurate cross to the far post, leaving Zawada with little more to do than head the ball into an empty net.
The Phoenix, notably and understandably, fell back after finding the lead, bringing on Finn Surman and switching to five on defense, and Sail was soon required to seal the result.
First, with five minutes remaining, the swooping goalkeeper volleyed Joe Knowles away. Then, in the 94th minute, Sail held his ground at the near post to deny the same player to back-to-back road wins.
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Oskar Zawada 65)
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brisbane roar 0
Half time: 0-0
Source: news.google.com