An understrength Wellington Phoenix have conceded a last gasp goal to lose 1-0 to Western Sydney Wanderers in their FFA Cup round-of-32 clash at Campbelltown Stadium.
With the game headed for a penalty shootout after 120 goal-less minutes, the Wanderers' new Spanish marquee Oriol Riera made himself an instant hero,rising highest from a corner to head home the decisive goal with just seconds remaining.
On the weight of chances, the home side probably deserved their victory, but this was a contest between two teams showing all the hallmarks of a relatively short time together, still more than two months out from the start of the A-League season. Flowing passing movements were rare and while there was no shortage of endeavour, clear-cut chances were few and far between.
Despite the defeat, new coach Darije Kalezic will be encouraged by what he saw from the Phoenix in his first competitive match in charge. While Western Sydney had by far the better opportunities, Wellington were well-organised defensively, something the new mentor has been focusing heavily on.
That solidity at the back was even more impressive given skipper Andrew Durante was one of eight players unavailable for the game through injury and his regular central defensive partner Marco Rossi pulled a hamstring during the warmup and was ruled out. As a result, Tom Doyle was forced into the heart of the back four alongside reserve team player Liam Wood.
The home side enjoyed the majority of first half possession without really testing Phoenix goalkeeper Lewis Italiano. The best opening fell to Roly Bonevacia, but the former Wellington favourite was unable to finish after being played through by Riera.
Chances were scarce at the other end, Roy Krishna causing the most headaches for the Wanderers defence with his familiar pace and close control. The Fijian flier looks likely to again be the Phoenix's main attacking weapon this season, but he could certainly do with some help. The imminent arrival of an overseas striker can't come quickly enough.
Wanderers skipper Robbie Cornthwaite came closest to scoring early in the second half, but his stinging volley was turned away by a flying Italiano. The chances continued to come for the home side but they were denied by a combination of stern defending and their own wastefulness.
The Phoenix's new Croatian midfielder Goran Paracki showed himself to be a very handy off-season acquisition, shielding the rookie defence and regularly dropping deep to collect possession. Alongside him, Alex Rufer also had a tidy game while Doyle marshalled the makeshift defence impressively, but was lucky to avoid a red card for an ugly late challenge in the closing stages.
