Adelaide Utd 1
Hometown hero Ben Sigmund scored with 10 seconds of stoppage time remaining to hand the Wellington Phoenix a come-from-behind 2-1 win over A-League soccer high-flyers Adelaide United in a dramatic match at Christchurch tonight.
Adelaide were under siege in the second half but the Wellington Phoenix could not find a winner until Sigmund, playing in front of his home crowd at AMI Stadium, rose above the pack from a Marco Rojas corner in the 94th minute to secure a deserved win for the Phoenix.
Second-placed Adelaide took a 1-0 lead into halftime after an early goal from Dutch striker Sergio van Dijk but they could not hold on in a frantic second half, which saw Adelaide skipper Travis Dodd harshly sent off in the 83rd minute and Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert sent from the sidelines by New Zealand referee Peter O'Leary moments before Sigmund's winner.
All Whites midfielder Tim Brown got the hosts on level footing with an equaliser a minute after halftime after van Dijk had fired the visitors ahead in the 14th minute, but brilliant goalkeeping by Adelaide stopper Eugene Galekovic looked to have thwarted hopes of a home winner in an entertaining match played before a season-best crowd of 14,000 at the Phoenix's home away from home.
At least until Sigmund capped a man-of-the-match performance with a rare but vital goal.
The result sees Adelaide remain second with 34 points, six behind leaders Brisbane Roar, while Wellington have climbed from eighth to fifth on 22 points with their sixth win of the season.
Herbert stayed loyal to the starting team which lost at Sydney and while there was some encouraging play in the first half, there was very little to test Galekovic.
Nick Ward, who along with Sigmund and midfielder Manny Muscat, was the Phoenix's best player, blasted two shots over the bar, Vince Lia forced a save from Galekovic from an acute angle, and Paul Ifill found the sidenetting after a mazy run, but it was the visitors who made the most of a rare chance.
Wellington had only scored one goal from set play all season until Sigmund's winner and their delivery was again lacking today, but they were shown how it is done by van Dijk, who outjumped the defence to get his head on a Cassio free kick and deflect the ball in off the post.
It was the potent Dutchman's sixth goal against the Phoenix and his seventh of the season.
Whatever the message in the Phoenix dressing room at halftime it did the trick as Tim Brown found an equaliser for the home team just one minute into the second half after some good leadup play from Ward and Sigmund.
Ward provided the defence-splitting ball to regular centre-back Sigmund who, playing out of position on the right flank, made the perfect run and delivered an even better pass for Brown to score his fifth goal of the season after a customary well-timed late run into the box.
Ifill uncharacteristically fluffed his lines when put free on goal by substitute Marco Rojas, who also had a shot saved by Galekovic, while Brown could easily have had a hattrick had it not been for the Adelaide goalkeeper's top form.
Dodd was sent off for kicking Lia but it appeared accidental, while O'Leary took exception to advice from Herbert and sent him from the field, before Sigmund capped a frenetic finish with a dream goal in front of his adoring fans.
- NZPA
