Isuzu UTE A-League Round 8 Match Review

The Wellington Phoenix have emphatically ended Macarthur FC’s unbeaten start to the season to return to the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League.

The Phoenix have beaten Macarthur 3-0 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Sydney to jump from fifth to first after eight rounds.

Bozhidar Kraev’s fourth goal of the season gave the Nix a deserved 1-0 halftime lead before Kosta Barbarouses scored a brace early in the second half to put Wellington in control.

The Phoenix could have and should have scored more, but head coach Giancarlo Italiano was happier with the team’s defensive performance to bounce back from last week’s 3-0 home defeat to Newcastle Jets.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 18: Alex Paulsen, Scott Wootton and Finn Surman of the Phoenix celebrate victory during the A-League Men round eight match between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown Stadium, on December 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

“Delighted for Kosta [scoring] two goals, BK was good, the whole team was good. I can’t really fault anyone,” Italiano told media post-match.

“I was looking for was an up in performance this week in terms of defence and making sure that we stick to our game plan, and it was irrelevant if we won or not.

“I base everything around the performance and if we defend well that solves half the problem and we don’t lose the game.

“I was really stoked, especially in that first half. They had a lot of chances and we defended well. They didn’t really have clear shots. They had a lot of half chances, which is done by design.

“And then once we scored it opened up and they had to go to plan B and plan C, and I felt like we exploited that quite well so I was very happy.”

Young Nix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen also “came out clutch again”, saving his third penalty of the season to secure the team their fourth clean sheet of the season.

“At three-nil it’s a big moment right because you give them a sniff and then all of a sudden it goes 3-1 and then 3-2 and then everyone starts getting a little bit nervous.

“That penalty save definitely kept the momentum with us.”

Giancarlo Italiano made three changes to the XI which started the seventh round defeat to Newcastle, with Sam Sutton, Ben Old and David Ball replacing Lukas Kelly-Heald, Mo Al-Taay and the injured Oskar Zawada. Kelly-Heald and Al-Taay were named amongst the substitutes.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 18: Benjamin Old of the Phoenix runs with the ball during the warm-up before the A-League Men round eight match between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown Stadium, on December 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Paulsen was the first of the ‘keepers to be called into action in the fifth minute when an attempted clearance from Nicholas Pennington ricocheted off Macarthur captain Ulises Dávila and fortunately deflected straight into Paulsen’s arms.

The Phoenix however looked the more threatening going forward.

Macarthur goalkeeper Filip Kurto made a good save down to his right to deny Kraev who headed a left-wing cross from Sutton on target in the 11^th minute and a few moments later Kurto pushed away a cross-come-shot from Old who beat his man one-on-one in the box.

The Bulgarian was looking most likely to break the deadlock. Kraev twice had shots blocked in the Macarthur penalty area on the half hour mark, with the first block from Jonathan Aspropotamitis preventing a near certain goal.

Pennington came close to opening the scoring shortly after, finding the side netting after bursting into the Macarthur box and shooting with the outside of his right foot.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 18: Bozhidar Kraev (r) of the Phoenix celebrates with Timothy Payne of the Phoenix after scoring a goal during the A-League Men round eight match between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown Stadium, on December 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Kraev eventually found the breakthrough five minutes from halftime. Ben Old made a lung-busting run down the left flank to get on the end of a return pass from Barbarouses and then picked out the forward, who beat a Macarthur defender to Old’s cut-back and found the back of the net.

Paulsen was only called upon to make two comfortable saves in the first half, holding on to tame efforts from Dávila and Jake Hollman.

He made a sharper stop early in the second half to push away a near post effort from Hollman, but the Nix continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides after halftime.

Barbarouses doubled Wellington’s lead in the 58^th minute after Kraev showed great strength to hold off his opposition defender and then found the veteran forward who slotted home from six yards out to score his first goal of the season.

He had his second soon after when Tim Payne found Barbarouses in the box and he produced a quality first-time finish with his left foot to give the Phoenix a commanding lead.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 18: Kosta Barbarouses of the Phoenix celebrates with team mate David Ball of the Phoenix after scoring his first goal during the A-League Men round eight match between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown Stadium, on December 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Centre back Scott Wootton gave Macarthur a lifeline moments later when he brought down French striker Valere Germain in the Wellington box, but Paulsen came to Wootton’s rescue, winning the battle of wits to deny Dávila from the penalty spot.

The Nix had good chances to make it four or five-nil in the final half an hour. Kurto made two quality saves to deny Ball and Sutton in the 74^th minute and substitute Oskar van Hattum pulled his shot wide of goal in the 90th after Ball slipped him in behind the Macarthur defence.

But the penalty aside Alex Paulsen was largely untroubled in the Wellington goal as the Phoenix defended resolutely to secure the clean sheet and their fifth win of the season.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 18: Phoenix supporters cheer during the A-League Men round eight match between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown Stadium, on December 18, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The Wellington Phoenix will return home tomorrow before quickly turning their attentions to this Saturday’s match against third-placed Western Sydney Wanderers at Sky Stadium on Saturday evening.

Tickets for the Nixmas double-header, also featuring the Phoenix women’s match against Newcastle Jets, are available now.

Wellington Phoenix: 40. Alex PAULSEN (gk), 3. Finn SURMAN, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Ben OLD (5. Fin CONCHIE 76^th), 10. David BALL, 11. Bozhidar KRAEV (24. Oskar VAN HATTUM 85^th), 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Nicholas PENNINGTON (12. Mohamed AL-TAAY 67^th), 19. Sam SUTTON (18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD 85^th).
Unused substitutes: 25. Jack DUNCAN (gk), 23. Luke SUPYK, 26. Isaac HUGHES.

Macarthur FC: 12. Filip KURTO(gk), 5. Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITIS, 6. Tomi USKOK, 8. Jake HOLLMAN, Ulises DAVILA (c) (36. Ali AUGLAH 76^th), 15. Kearyn BACCUS, 22. Yianna NICOLAOU (17. RAPHAEL 76^th), 23. Clayton LEWIS (7. Danny DE SILVA 59^th), 32. Isaac HOVAR (16. Oliver JONES 46^th), 44. Matthew MILLAR (37. Jed DREW 60^th), 98. Valere GERMAIN.
Unused substitutes: 1. Danijel NIZIC (gk), 24. Charles M’MOMBWA.

Goals:
11. Bozhidar KRAEV (Wellington Phoenix) – 40^th7. Kosta BARBAROUSES (Wellington Phoenix) – 58^th& 61^st

Cards:
22. Yianna NICOLAOU (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 9^th
14. Alex RUFER (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 13^th15. Nicholas PENNINGTON (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 26^th5. Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITIS (Macarthur FC) – yellow – 53^rd15. Kearyn BACCUS (Macarthur FC) – yellow – 85^th