The Wellington Phoenix’s 500th Isuzu UTE A-League match has finished in a 2-2 draw, as the club’s first game did back in 2007.
Melbourne City have scored twice in a five minute period midway through the second half after the Phoenix held a two-nil lead thanks to a brace from Ifeanyi Eze, who has moved, at least temporarily, to the top of the golden boot standings.
Manjrekar James had a chance to win the match for the Nix in stoppage time but his penalty was saved.
Head coach Giancarlo Italiano cut a frustrated figure post-match.
“I don’t know what to make of that game to be honest,” Italiano told media. “I’m disappointed. I feel as though if we play that game 20 times, that won’t be the result.
“It’s just a bit of a brain fade for about five minutes. The first goal we conceded, I was getting the subs ready, I turn around [and] even the bounce off Alby [Kelly-Heald] when he clears it goes straight to them.
“The second goal was just comical. I’m not going to sit here and blame anyone for it. Bill [Tuiloma] got caught in possession, but I thought he was outstanding for the rest of the game.
“I thought with the ball he gave us a different dimension, especially in the first half under pressure.”
Besides the penalty, Wellington had other opportunities to win the match.
“Once we conceded to go two all, we started playing again, and that was the frustrating part.
“I think City were really happy to get the point and just hit us on the counter, and all of a sudden spaces opened up and we endeavoured to move forward.
“We made a chance, in the end missed a penalty. But the penalty isn’t the reason we ended up drawing, it was that five minutes where we should have just done a little bit better.”
Giancarlo Italiano made three changes to the XI which started last Friday night’s 4-1 defeat to Newcastle Jets, with Alby Kelly-Heald, Bill Tuiloma and Paulo Retre coming into the side in place of Eamonn McCarron, Matt Sheridan and Corban Piper, who all were named as substitutes.
It was Tuiloma’s first start for the Phoenix and Kelly-Heald’s and Retre’s first of the season after recovering from injuries.
It was a cagey opening to the match with neither side threatening in either penalty area.
Tuiloma was calm and composed in the middle of the Nix back three and Kelly-Heald was assured in goal.
It wasn’t the case at the other end of the pitch as City goalkeeper Patrick Beach and centre back Samuel Souprayen collided on the edge of the box midway through the first half to gift Wellington the lead.
Eze put pressure on Beach and Souprayen as they tried to deal with a long ball from Carlo Armiento and was rewarded by scoring into an empty net for his sixth goal of the season.
City had a shaky spell after conceding and the Phoenix won a couple of corners.
Beach made a good save to push Tuiloma’s header over the bar and Ramy Najjarine flicked the resulting corner on to the side-netting.
Tim Payne came close to teeing up Najjarine 10 minutes out from halftime with a tantalising right wing cross, but it was just out of the attacking midfielder’s reach.
The visitors didn’t threaten in the first half, failing to register a single shot and the Nix held a deserved 1-0 lead at the interval.
Eze doubled Wellington’s lead six minutes into the second half with his seventh goal of the season. Kazuki Nagasawa took advantage of a City player slipping in the centre circle to win possession and then clipped a pass over the top for Eze, who squared up his defender and slotted a powerful shot past Beach.
The visitors responded by making a triple substitution and registered their first shot soon after with Medin Memeti forcing Kelly-Heald to make a sharp save after City won possession inside the Phoenix penalty area.
Italiano made his first changes shortly after the hour mark, bringing on Sander Kartum and Piper in place of Retre and Payne.
City scored from their second shot on target, with substitute Marcus Younis walking the ball into an empty net after he had won a 50-50 with a sweeping Kelly-Heald on the edge of the penalty area.
Italiano made another double substitution after conceding, with Nikola Mileusnic and Matt Sheridan coming on for Eze and Najjarine.
Moments later Memeti drew the visitors level after Tuiloma coughed up possession in the box. Kelly-Heald saved Memeti’s first shot but was powerless to stop his follow up.
Beach made a good save with 10 minutes remaining to ensure the scores remained level, keeping out a stinging volley from Mileusnic.
Wellington made their final substitution in the 89th minute, with Lukas Kelly-Heald replacing Nagasawa.
Mileusnic won the Phoenix a penalty in the final minute of the 90, with City substitute Liam Bonetig deemed to have committed a hand ball in the box. James stepped up to the spot but he couldn’t beat Beach, who silenced the home crowd.
The Socceroos goalkeeper made another save in time added on, keeping out an effort from Kelly-Heald, who shot from the edge of the area.
The Nix threw everything at City in the nine minutes of stoppage time but weren’t able to find another opening and the match finished in a frustrating draw.
The Wellington Phoenix will quickly turn their attentions to next Friday night’s Waitangi Day match against Melbourne Victory back at Sky Stadium.
Wellington Phoenix: 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 4. Manjrekar JAMES, 6. Tim PAYNE (3. Corban PIPER 64th), 7. Ifeanyi EZE (10. Nikola MILEUSNIC 75th), 8. Paulo RETRE (16. Sander KARTUM 64th), 11. Carlo ARMIENTO, 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES, 20. Ramy NAJJARINE (27. Matthew SHERIDAN 75th), 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD 89th), 28. Bill TUILOMA.
Unused substitutes: 40. Eamonn MCCARRON (gk), 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH.
Melbourne City: 1. Patrick BEACH (gk), 8. Ryan TEAGUE, 16. Aziz BEHICH (c), 17. Max CAPUTO (30. Andreas KUEN 54th), 19. Zane SCHREIBER (10. Takeshi KANAMORI 54th 41. Lawrence WONG 89th), 20. Benjamin MAZZEO (28. Marcus YOUNIS 54th), 21. Alessandro LOPANE (37. Peter ANTONIOU 72nd), 22. German FERREYRA, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 35. Medin MEMETI, 36. Harrison SHILLINGTON (4. Liam BONETIG 84th).
Unused substitutes: 40. James NIEUWENHUIZEN (gk).
Goals:
7. Ifeanyi EZE (Wellington Phoenix) – 23rd & 52nd
28. Marcus YOUNIS (Melbourne City) – 73rd
35. Medin MEMETI (Melbourne City) – 77th
