Phoenix finish strong but must wait for title decider

By Christopher Reive

Heading into their match at home against Macarthur FC, the equation for the Wellington Phoenix was a simple one. If they were to claim the Premier’s Plate for the first time in club history, they had to win.

Two goals within a 10-minute period in the first half ensured they did just that, with Oskar Zawada adding a late penalty to see the Phoenix claim a 3-0 win in their final game of the regular season.

And now, they wait.

Had the Newcastle Jets been able to beat the Central Coast Mariners in Newcastle – a game played at the same time as the Phoenix’s own clash – the Phoenix would have been guaranteed to finish the regular season at the top of the ladder; the plate was even in Wellington in case those events transpired.

However, a 3-1 win to the Mariners means their game against Adelaide United on Wednesday night will decide who will win the Premier’s Plate. A draw will be good enough for the Mariners to finish the season at the top of the table.

The Phoenix finished the season with 15 wins and 53 points, both of which are club bests.

Saturday night’s performance was a bit of a mixed bag from the Phoenix with some dominance early and late but finding themselves under plenty of pressure in the middle stages.

They started the game strong, constantly finding space in behind the Macarthur defensive line and attacking in the final third.

The visitors were allowing their hosts plenty of room to travel with the ball, Macarthur showing little urgency on defence to try and dispossess the Phoenix. At times, Phoenix players seemed to have almost too much time at their disposal and were caught in two minds between shooting and trying to pick out a teammate.

While fairly even in terms of possession and shot attempts in the first half, the Phoenix had by far the better opportunities in the opening exchanges and ultimately opened the scoring through the reliable boot of Kosta Barbarouses in the 22nd minute.

The lead was doubled seven minutes later when Ben Old picked out Tim Payne with a looping cross at the back post; the fast-arriving defender making no mistake with his headed effort on goal – albeit helped on its way with a slight deflection.

Leading 2-0 at the break, the Phoenix found themselves under the pump for much of the second stanza.

Macarthur, who came into the match looking to secure fourth place on the ladder with a win or draw, began to find space to attack. The Phoenix responded by throwing plenty of bodies behind the ball and kept the visitors out, be it through scrappy clearances or the work of goalkeeper Alex Paulsen.

After withstanding that pressure, the Phoenix had the better of the final period of the game and extended their lead in injury time through Oskar Zawada, who cooly slotted home from the penalty spot.

Regardless of what happens between the Mariners and Adelaide on Wednesday, the Phoenix are guaranteed a top-two finish, affording them a bye in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

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