A night to forget for the Wellington Phoenix in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Phoenix have been beaten 2-0 by Melbourne City in their first match of 2025, stretching their winless run at AAMI Park to 22 matches.
The Nix only registered one shot in the defeat and weren’t able to force City goalkeeper Patrick Beach to make a single save.
Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano believes the game could have turned out differently if they hadn’t conceded inside 10 minutes.
“It was a poor first half,” Italiano told media post-match. “It was a very poor goal to concede early on and that really puts you on the back foot.
“We conceded and then we kind of got pinned for large parts of that first half.
“Halftime we went to a 4-2-3-1 and I felt the first 10-15 were actually quite good.
“When we were brave enough to find that forward pass we were actually dangerous. We had a couple of good chances, but again just the linkage player into that final third…just wasn’t good enough.
“There were chances there, that’s what it felt like on the ground, and then I made a sub and we conceded straight away. At two-nil the game was done.”
Italiano remains “very optimistic” he can turn his side’s fortunes around.
“But that really comes down to the focus of the group and how I can refocus them.
“For me it’s now just going back to the drawing board, seeing what players I have available and finding a style that suits the players.
“It’s very important for the coach to steer the direction, but I need to make sure that my players know that they have my confidence and the other way around as well that we can do something still in the season.
“You look at Mariners with the way they started last season. It was four games where they lost and then they turned it around.
“I think we’re maybe one or two performances short of turning our season around.”
Giancarlo Italiano made just the one enforced change to the XI which started the 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets on Saturday, with centre back Isaac Hughes returning to the side in place of captain and midfield linchpin Alex Rufer, who is sidelined indefinitely with illness.
The first half was an especially tough watch for Phoenix fans with City pinning Wellington in their half for most of the opening 45.
Harry Politidis put the hosts in front in the seventh minute from a sharply worked short corner routine, after Josh Oluwayemi had done well to make his first save of the night to deny Callum Talbot from long-range.
Oluwayemi made a further three saves before halftime, to deny Arion Sulemani (twice) and Benjamin Mazzeo, but none of them really tested the Nix ‘keeper.
However all three shots came after the Phoenix were careless with possession inside their half.
They weren’t able to register a shot of their own before the break as they found it difficult to break City’s press.
Italiano made a couple of attacking switches at halftime, bringing on forward Oskar van Hattum in place of midfielder Kazuki Nagasawa and changing from a back five to a back four, with Matt Sheridan pushing into midfield in Nagasawa’s absence.
The changes had an impact with the Nix more comfortable in possession and able to make more regular forays into the opposition half.
Teenager Luke Brooke-Smith registered Wellington’s first shot shortly before the hour mark when he burst into the City box. Unfortunately for him and the Phoenix his effort was well-blocked.
Brooke-Smith was replaced soon after, following a tireless 60 minutes on the right wing, with fellow teenager Luke Supyk making his way on the pitch for the first time this season.
There were few memorable moments for the next quarter of an hour with Giancarlo Italiano making further positive substitutions with 10 minutes remaining, bringing on Nathan Walker and Lukas Kelly-Heald on in place of Sheridan and Sam Sutton.
Moments later City doubled their lead, with Nathaniel Atkinson putting the final touch on a sweeping move into the Nix penalty area to all but seal the three points.
Italiano made his final change shortly before the start of time added on, bringing on Corban Piper for an ailing Tim Payne.
But the Phoenix were unable to test Patrick Beach in City’s goal and threaten a dramatic late comeback.
The Wellington Phoenix have no time to dwell on the defeat as they will return home tomorrow to prepare for next Saturday’s match against high-flying Adelaide United at Sky Stadium.
Wellington Phoenix: 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 4. Scott WOOTTON (c), 6. Tim PAYNE (3. Corban PIPER 89th), 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Paulo RETRE, 9. Hideki ISHIGE, 15. Isaac HUGHES, 19. Sam SUTTON (18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD 81st), 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (24. Oskar van HATTUM 46th), 27. Matt SHERIDAN (41. Nathan WALKER 81st), 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH (23. Luke SUPYK 64th).
Unused substitutes: 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 12. Mo AL-TAAY.
Melbourne City: 33. Patrick BEACH (gk), 2. Callum TALBOT, 6. Steven UGARKOVIC, 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 16. Aziz BEHICH (c), 20. Arion SULEMANI (35. Medin MEMETI 65th), 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 27. Kai TREWIN, 30. Andreas KUEN (19. Zane SCHREIBER 19th (22. German FERREYRA 81st)), 38. Harry POLITIDIS (50. Michael GHOSSAINI 81st), 46. Benjamin MAZZEO (47. Kavian RAHMANI 65th).
Unused substitutes: 40. James NIEUWENHHUIZEN (gk), 41. Lawrence WONG.
Goals:
38. Harry POLITIDIS (Melbourne City) – 7th13. Nathaniel ATKINSON (Melbourne City) – 83rd
Cards:
27. Kai TREWIN (Melbourne City) – yellow – 60th
