Another positive weekend for the Wellington Phoenix in the National League as both teams picked up points on the road.
The men’s reserves had the statement result of the round, beating Auckland City 4-3 at Kiwitea Street on Sunday afternoon in a rollercoaster of a match.
Jayden Smith opened the scoring with a powerful header before Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues struck twice for the Phoenix to send them into the break 3-0 ahead.
However, an astonishing fightback from City saw them score three times in 15 minutes to equalise late on.
The Nix ended up snatching all three points in injury time, Luke Flowerdew latching onto a loose ball to fire home and severely dent Auckland City’s title hopes.
Earlier, the women’s reserves had left Dunedin with a point, drawing 1-1 with Southern United at Logan Park on Saturday afternoon.
After going behind early, Olivia Ingham’s rocket from outside the box levelled the match, and the Nix couldn’t manage to find a winner before full time.
In the youth National League, the U-17 girls’ side secured the title with a 3-1 win over Southern United in Dunedin.
Isabella Temple’s second-half brace added to an own goal to ensure an unassailable lead with one round left.
This triumph comes on the back of the Phoenix triumphing in the boys’ youth National League last week.
Replays and highlights of all senior National League games are available to watch for free on FIFA+.
Main image: Ryan Imray/Imray’s Snaps
