The Wellington Phoenix have recorded their first win of the 2024-25 season in clinical style to celebrate Kosta Barbarouses’ 100th Isuzu UTE A-League match for the club.
Headed goals either side of halftime have secured the Phoenix a 2-0 win over Perth Glory in their second round match at HBF Park in Perth.
Centre back Scott Wootton put the Nix in front late in an evenly contested first half before fullback Tim Payne doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half.
The goals were set-up by the team’s Japanese signings Hideki Ishige and Kazuki Nagasawa.
Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano was “very happy” when he spoke to media post-match.
“Always delighted, it doesn’t matter what game it is, to pick up three points,” Italiano said. “Especially away from home. Coming to Perth is such a long trip.
“We dug in deep, especially the first 20 [when] I felt they were on top. They made it very difficult for us.
“Once Payney I think it was maybe 25 in… made a big chance…the boys lifted after that.
“And after that we scored. Perfect timing five to seven minutes before halftime, which is always a crucial period in football, and then in the second half we scored early, and I think that was pretty much the game.
“I’m stoked. In the A-League I can honestly say that any team can beat any other team. It’s also good to get the monkey off the back.”
Giancarlo Italiano made just one change to the XI which started the season opening draw with Western United, with Sam Sutton back at left wingback in place of 18-year-old forward Nathan Walker, who moved to the bench. New signing Stefan Colakovski was also named amongst the substitutes.
Perth had the first chance of the match in the 12th minute when their captain Adam Taggart headed over at the back post after Abdelelah Faisal cleverly won a corner.
Taggart then attempted an ambitious strike from well outside the area, but Phoenix ‘keeper Josh Oluwayemi was alert and able to parry the shot around his near post.
Wellington’s first real opportunity came in the 24th minute, when Payne fired in a low cross which just evaded Ishige before Sutton elected to pass rather than shooting himself and was unable to find a teammate.
Sutton was becoming increasingly involved, and the Phoenix took the lead in the 39th minute after his driving run drew a free kick just outside the Glory penalty area.
From the resulting set piece Ishige chipped a teasing ball to the edge of the Perth six yard box, where Wootton flicked his header past Oli Sail and into the corner of the net for his first A-League goal in two and a half years.
Just three minutes into the second half the Nix doubled their advantage, with Nagasawa looping a left-wing cross to the back post where Payne ghosted in unmarked to head home.
It was the All Whites fullback’s fourth A-League goal after he found the back of the net three times last season in his breakout campaign.
Perth nearly pulled a goal back instantly when Carluccio’s deflected cross-come-shot looked like it would find the bottom corner of the Wellington goal before Oluwayemi clawed the effort away to prevent a freak goal.
Former Phoenix midfielder Nicholas Pennington was next to come close for the home side, but his header in the 62nd minute was narrowly wide of the far post.
Italiano turned to his bench three minutes later, making a triple change. Mo Al-Taay, Oskar van Hattum, and Walker all entered the match, replacing Fin Conchie, Ishige and Nagasawa.
Colakovski and centre back Corban Piper also came on to make their Nix debuts in the final quarter of an hour, in place of Sutton and Barbarouses respectively.
The substitutes all made an impact, but it was Alex Rufer who came closest to scoring Wellington’s third goal when he rattled the Glory crossbar in the 76th minute after a corner fell to his feet.
The Phoenix were untroubled at the other end of the pitch to secure the clean sheet and the three points.
The Wellington Phoenix will now make the long journey home before quickly turning their attentions to next week’s inaugural New Zealand derby against Auckland FC at Sky Stadium on Saturday evening.
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Wellington Phoenix: 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 4. Scott WOOTTON, 5. Fin ROA CONCHIE (12. Mo AL-TAAY 65th), 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES (3. Corban PIPER 88th), 9. Hideki ISHIGE (24. Oskar VAN HATTUM 65th), 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES, 19. Sam SUTTON (11. Stefan COLAKOVSKI 76th), 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (41. Nathan WALKER 65th), 27. Matt SHERIDAN.
Unused substitutes: 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 36. Xuan LOKE.
Perth Glory: 1. Oli SAIL (gk), 3. Anas HAMZAOUI (15. Zach LISOJALSKI 86th), 5. Lachlan BARR, 6. Brandon O’NEILL (14. Nathanael BLAIR 72nd), 11. Hiroaki AOYAMA (7. Nicholas PENNINGTON 46th), 12. Taras GOMULKA, 16. Adam BUGARIJA (9. David WILLIAMS 46th), 17. Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 21. Abdelelah FAISAL (26. Khoa NGO 46th), 22. Adam TAGGART (c), 33. Luis CANGA.
Unused substitutes: 13. Cameron COOK (gk), 24. Andriano LEBIB.
Goals:
4. Scott WOOTTON (Wellington Phoenix) – 39th
6. Tim PAYNE (Wellington Phoenix) – 49th
Cards:
17. Jarrod CARLUCCIO (Perth Glory) – yellow – 38th
19. Sam SUTTON (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 70th
3. Anas HAMZAOUI (Perth Glory) – yellow – 72nd
24. Oskar VAN HATTUM (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 74th
