Football: Late heartbreak for Phoenix

Roly Bonevacia opened his Phoenix account against Adelaide. Photo / Getty

Adelaide 2
Wellington 1

An Adelaide winner with the last kick of the game continued a stretch of futility for the Phoenix in South Australia.

Wellington were run ragged by an dominant opposition midfield at Coopers Stadium tonight but looked set to earn a share of the spoils thanks to Roly Bonevacia's early strike.

While a point would have left Ernie Merrick more than satisfied, that feeling was dashed in the 94th minute when Sergio Cirio pounced on a set-piece defence that was shaky for much of the match.

Considering the the obstacles the Phoenix were encountering, it's hardly surprising they walked away from Adelaide with another defeat. The Reds have been the early pace-setters in the A-League and, after winning through to the final of the FFA Cup mid-week, they entered the clash unbeaten in their last nine competitive matches.

They've been even more difficult to defeat at home, with their last loss coming in December, while the Phoenix were without a win away to Adelaide since the start of 2012.

Their last visit produced a 5-1 defeat in February and, on another night, today's scoreline could have been similar. The disparity between the teams was clear as soon as Adelaide warmed to their work, though they were already a goal in arrears by that stage.

Wellington had begun brightly in a manner that belied what was to follow, finding success down the flanks to get behind the defence and forge a number of half-chances. And reward for that early enterprise arrived after 15 minutes, when pure pace from Roy Krishna saw a quick counter-attack result in Bonevacia's first goal for the club.

But the goal saw the tide turn as Adelaide continued to show the comfort in possession they've exhibited in recent weeks. The home side completely controlled the middle of the park, with Isaias running proceedings while sitting in front of the back four and both Marcelo Carrusca and Jimmy Jeggo finding success in the front third when Adelaide opted to up the tempo.

Adelaide were able to switch the point of attack with ease and it almost seemed unfair, given the flair they had displayed, for the equaliser to arrive from a routine corner, although Nigel Boogaard's thumping header was worthy of a goal.

Glen Moss was forced into a few decent saves to restrict Adelaide to the solitary goal and keep the Phoenix level, with Awer Mabil hitting the post as the Phoenix struggled to break up the long periods of possession.

Despite Ernie Merrick urging his side to avoid such an approach pre-match, the Phoenix were largely left to settle for attacking on the break. They had the speed in Krishna and Nathan Burns to effectively employ such a tactic but, by ceding so much of the ball, the visitors had to soak up a lot of pressure.

The defence looked set to do so with success but, constantly pinged for some questionable fouls by referee Strebre Delovski, the pressure eventually paid in the final seconds.

Adelaide 2 (Boogaard 36, Cirio 94)
Wellington 1 (Bonevacia 15)
HT: 1-1