Goalless draw puts Phoenix on edge of dream

By Michael Burgess

The Wellington Phoenix are on the edge of a dream.

They are 90 minutes away from their first A-League grand final, and they will like their chances after an absorbing 0-0 battle in the first of their two-leg semifinal against Melbourne Victory.

It sets things up perfectly for next Saturday in the capital, a fixture that is expected to draw the biggest crowd in Phoenix history.

While they would have preferred to be returning across the Tasman with a goal, the key was maintaining a clean sheet.

As they have done all season, the Phoenix defied football logic and statistics, as they faced 19 shots from the opposition, without really looking like conceding.

They also struggled to create much themselves. Wellington had intent – especially in the first half – but couldn’t make the most of some promising half chances and didn’t record a single shot on target.

Captain Alex Rufer gave a superb display in the centre of the park, while central defenders Finn Surman and Scott Wootton continued their remarkable, impassable work this season.

It was a performance of grit, organisation and courage, especially considering the lack of finals experience across their squad. It was even more impressive considering their historical struggles across the Tasman come playoff time, while AAMI Park has also generally been a graveyard, with just one win – and a number of defeats – since 2017.

But not this time.

It was always going to be a close match. The teams had finished second and third in the regular season and the three league encounters were tight affairs, with two draws and the last-minute Wellington win in April.

The Phoenix have often been conservative on the road this season – especially against big teams – willing to absorb pressure and play on the break. Here, they were more assertive from the start, as promised by coach Giancarlo Italiano. It made for an open, entertaining first half, even if chances were at a premium.

Victory had more of the play as they created pressure in the final third, but most of their efforts were from long range, though Bruno Fornaroli and Jordi Valadon both shot too close to goalkeeper Alex Paulsen. The Phoenix were well organised, marshalled by Surman and Wootton, with midfielders Nico Pennington and Rufer doing well to clean up when danger threatened.

The visitors showed courage to play through the Victory press, which was high and swarming. They took some chances and got away with it, though Tim Payne was fortunate on a couple of occasions. The best chance in the first period came just after the half-hour, but Pennington and Kosta Barbarouses got in each other’s way, as they both attempted the shot.

The pressure lifted in the second half. Melbourne began to find momentum, while the Phoenix struggled to retain possession in the opposition half. An excellent Surman block shut down a dangerous Jordi Valadon shot from close range just after the hour before Victory coach Tony Popovic introduced three substitutes. Oskar van Hattum replaced David Ball – who had been booked in the first half – soon afterwards, with Oskar Zwada [for Bozhidar Kraev] and Youstin Salas [for Pennington] coming on in the 75th minute.

Melbourne were knocking on the door but couldn’t find the final pass and got frustrated, resorting to shots from outside the penalty area, while there were more heroics from Surman and Wootton, who were always where they needed to be, with Paulsen safe as ever.

The home side got more desperate – flinging crosses from everywhere – and the Phoenix wall held.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission