The Newcastle Jets have ended the Wellington Phoenix’s unbeaten start to 2026.
The high flying Jets have run away with a 4-1 win over the Phoenix at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle after holding a slender 1-0 lead at halftime.
The Nix fell behind just seconds after the kick-off but had multiple chances to draw level during a breathless first half.
However they were unable to find a way past Jets goalkeeper James Delianov until the 86th minute when new Norwegian attacking midfielder Sander Kartum scored just a handful of minutes into his club and A-League debut.
Wellington remain eighth, two points outside the top six, while the result moves Newcastle level with Auckland FC at the top of the ladder.
Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano was disappointed with the final result.
“Always disappointed when we lose, especially when it was pretty even in terms of big chances created,” Italiano told media post-match.
“It was a 50-50 game in terms of possession, we just got punished for some sloppy defending.
“It’s not ideal when you concede after 30 seconds or whatever it is. It was good goal, well taken by (Lachlan) Bayliss, but I think we need to defend those moments a little bit better.
“And then we mistimed a couple of things on the press in the second half and we got punished.
“But in fairness they probably deserved the points.”
Italiano doesn’t believe his side has taken a step backwards after two wins and a draw to start the year.
“If we didn’t make any chances, we got torched 4-1 and we weren’t in the game then I would be a little bit worried.
“On a better day honestly it could have been four-all. If we defend a little bit better we could have won the game 4-3.
“I’m still positive with how the team played in certain periods.”
Giancarlo Italiano named the same XI which started Sunday’s 2-0 win over Sydney FC and included Kartum on the bench following his arrival from Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
The tone of the match was set inside the opening 30 seconds when Jets midfielder Lachlan Bayliss picked out the top right corner with a stunning strike from outside the box.
It was end-to-end for the first half an hour with a remarkable 21 shots, 9 of which were on target.
Phoenix centre back Isaac Hughes produced a big block in the eighth minute to deny Clayton Taylor from scoring Newcastle’s second before the Nix started threatening the hosts’ goal.
Ifeanyi Eze dragged a shot wide of target moments later before Ramy Najjarine had a shot blocked in the Jets’ penalty area.
Newcastle ‘keeper James Delianov made his first a quarter of an hour into the match to deny Corban Piper after he was on the end of a free-flowing attack from Wellington.
Carlo Armiento called Delianov into action again a couple of minutes later after creating a small opening for a shot on the edge of the box.
The Jets’ goalkeeper spilled a dangerous ball across the six yard box from Eze soon after but his defence was able to scramble clear.
Phoenix ‘keeper Eamonn McCarron made two sharp saves in a matter of seconds midway through the first half to first deny Eli Adams’ shot from the top of the box and then keep out Lachlan Rose’s follow-up header.
The Nix should have drawn level in the 28th minute. Delianov made a double save of his own, keeping out Najjarine’s header and then Eze’s follow-up from close range. Piper and Eze also came agonisingly close to getting on the end of an enticing cross from Armiento.
A couple of minutes later McCarron made another good save to keep out another effort from Taylor.
The last 15 minutes of the first half were relatively sedate. McCarron made a great reflex save to keep out a sharp shot from Newcastle centre back Mark Natta following a Jets corner in the 37th minute and the hosts missed an open goal four minutes out from halftime, but remarkably it remained 1-0 at the interval.
Newcastle doubled their lead in the 56th minute when Taylor found a bit of space in the Phoenix penalty area, stood up his defender and threaded a shot past McCarron, who was unsighted.
The Nix struggled to create the openings they had in the first half, despite having a greater share of possession.
Najjarine produced a big block to deny the Jets their third in the 65th minute, but a handful of minutes later the Jets did make it 3-0 when Eli Adams stroked home a pinpoint pass from the penalty spot.
Italiano responded by making a quadruple substitution, bringing on Luke Brooke-Smith, Nikola Mileusnic, Bill Tuiloma and Paulo Retre in place of Eze, Armiento, Isaac Hughes and Najjarine.
He made a further change eight minutes from fulltime, with Kartum coming on for his Nix debut.
The Norwegian scored with one of his first touches in the 86th minute, curling a shot into the top left corner after being left free inside the Newcastle penalty area.
Any faint hopes of a comeback were extinguished in the 89th minute however when substitute Xavier Bertoncello scored the Jets’ fourth by completing a free-flowing attack.
The Phoenix kept pushing for a second goal and Katum volleyed narrowly off target in the first minute of time added on.
But it wasn’t to be as the Jets held on for the 4-1 win.
The Wellington Phoenix will return home tomorrow and will quickly turn their attentions to next Friday’s match against Melbourne City at Sky Stadium.
Wellington Phoenix: 40. Eamonn MCCARRON (gk), 3. Corban PIPER, 4. Manjrekar JAMES, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Ifeanyi EZE (29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH 71st), 11. Carlo ARMIENTO (10. Nikola MILEUSNIC 71st), 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES (28. Bill TUILOMA 71st), 20. Ramy NAJJARINE (8. Paulo RETRE 71st), 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (16. Sander KARTUM 82nd), 27. Matthew SHERIDAN.
Unused substitutes: 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD.
Newcastle Jets: 1. James DELIANOV (gk), 5. Joseph SHAUGHNESSY, 7. Eli ADAMS (18. Kota MIZUNUMA 71st), 8. Lachlan BAYLISS (41. Lucas SCICLUNA 80th), 9. Lachlan ROSE (11. Ben GIBSON 80th), 13. Clayton TAYLOR (43. Xavier BERTONCELLO 71st), 14. Max BURGESS (c), 22. Joel BERTOLISSIO, 23. Daniel WILMERING, 28. Will DOBSON (24. Alexandro NUNES 90+1), 33. Mark NATTA.
Unused substitutes: 20. Alex NASSIEP (gk), 42. Maxwell COOPER.
Goals:
8. Lachlan BAYLISS (Newcastle Jets) – 1st
13. Clayton TAYLOR (Newcastle Jets) – 56th
7. Eli ADAMS (Newcastle Jets) – 70th
16. Sander KARTUM (Wellington Phoenix) – 86th
43. Xavier BERTONCELLO (Newcastle Jets) – 89th
