Roar 4
Phoenix 1
The Wellington Phoenix' long unbeaten home run is over with last night's loss to now top-of-the-table Brisbane Roar at Westpac Stadium.
Outplayed by the Queenslanders who have gone ahead of previous A-League pace-setters Adelaide, who they play on Saturday, the Phoenix must quickly regroup or also wave away any play-off hopes.
Early or late goals in any half of football always hurt. The Phoenix tasted the frustration of both from the slick-passing Roar in the opening 45 minutes.
In between they got one back but in giving up the opening goal inside 3 minutes they were left to play catch-up against a team who attack at will.
Coach Ricki Herbert again re-jigged his line-up with Jade North brought back to replace Troy Hearfield at right back and join Ben Sigmund, Andrew Durante and Manny Muscat in a defensive quartet.
They were quickly tested.
A slick switch from the left, where Reinaldo turned North, to the right where Ivan Franjic carved through to play the ball to Kosta Barbarouses who provided a sweet left-foot finish started the scoring.
Encouraged by that, the visitors continued to press with their attack often aimed at Muscat and Durante on the left side of the Phoenix defence.
Not to be outdone, the hosts too had their chances with Paul Ifill in the thick of the action. He set up a chance which Chris Greenacre sent just wide of the near post while Leo Bertos had former Football Kingz goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos fully stretched in pushing clear for a corner.
Ifill went close midway through the spell but it was not until the 37th minute the Phoenix were rewarded when the Roar defence was caught flat-footed. The ball fell nicely for Tim Brown lurking just outside the penalty area from where he deftly aimed a shot away from Theoklitos and into the Roar goal.
But that joy turned to despair within sight of the break when German Thomas Broich was left in an acre of space. Relishing that he unleashed a shot which took a deflection to undo Mark Paston in the Phoenix goal for 2-1.
The visitors continued to pile on the pressure in the second spell, hitting the post, forcing a couple of crucial saves from Paston and eventually increasing their lead 15 minutes from time when Massimo Mudocca ran on to a defence-splitting ball to angle the ball away from Paston.
They were still not done with as substitute Mitch Nichols plunged a cruel stoppage time dagger in Phoenix hearts to complete the richly-deserved victory and snap the unbeaten streak at 24.
Brisbane Roar 4 (Kosta Barbarouses, Thomas Broich, Massimo Murdocca, Mitch Nicholls)
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Tim Brown). HT: 2-1.
