Gritty Phoenix hold on against Wanderers
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Wellington Phoenix extended their unbeaten A-League run to five games with a gritty 1-0 victory over the winless Western Sydney Wanderers in Sunday’s match at Westpac Stadium.
The win consolidates Wellington’s fourth place on the ladder, while the Wanderers remain mired in 10th with just three points from 10 games.
Roy Krishna’s 13th-minute penalty gave the Phoenix a 1-0 lead and they worked hard to hold on for their seventh win of the season.
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Both teams were missing players through suspension with Western Sydney without skipper Nikolai Topor-Stanley, who is serving a one-match suspension from the recent Club World Cup in Morocco.
Phoenix defender Manny Muscat missed his second match for an infringement in the 1-1 draw against the Mariners two weeks ago.
Wellington were also without midfielder Alex Rodriguez, forced out after picking up a minor hand fracture in training earlier in the week.
They still started brightly, striker Nathan Burns hunting his 11th goal of the season with a stinging shot which tested Wanderers keeper Ante Covic in the sixth minute.
Krishna put the home team ahead with the 13th-minute penalty after he was clipped by young defender Daniel Alessi. Covic did well to cover the shot, but the ball spilled clear for the Fijian to slot home.
Western Sydney gradually worked their way back into the match with Nikita Rukavytsya, Antony Golec and Tomi Juric all testing Phoenix keeper Glen Moss as halftime approached.
The Wanderers continued to build pressure in the second half but were unable to convert a series of corners and even without Krishna – subbed with a thigh injury five minutes after the restart – they continued to threaten.
Rukavytsya’s pace and power in front of goal set up Juric in the 68th minute, but the Phoenix’s defence somehow scrambled the ball clear.
Three minutes later Labinot Haliti sliced through to force another good save from Moss as Western Sydney continued to amass corners without reward.
They finished the game with 12 to the Phoenix’s six, having created plenty of chances but lacking the killer finish when it was needed.
-AAP