Alex Rufer of the Phoenix reacts after missing a direct penalty during the A-League semifinal against the Melbourne Victory. Photo / Getty Images
Alex Rufer of the Phoenix reacts after missing a direct penalty during the A-League semifinal against the Melbourne Victory. Photo / Getty Images
Wellington Phoenix 1 Melbourne Victory 2 (AET)
Michael Burgess in Wellington
This is going to hurt for a long time. It is home heartbreak for the Wellington Phoenix on a massive scale. There’ll be angst at what might have been and the failure to seize a historic opportunity. When the dust settles, there will be pride, after a magnificent season, but that will take a while because this was definitely the one that got away, sporting pain on an industrial scale.
On an occasion set up for local heroes, it was instead Melbourne Victory forward Chris Ikonomidis who grabbed the headlines, his scrappy 102nd-minute goal proving the difference, with the visitors prevailing 2-1 after extra-time and moving to the A-League grand final.
Earlier the Phoenix had provided the greatest escape in their history, with Oskar Zawada’s incredible 99th-minute equaliser.
The home side had looked dead and buried – after Victory took a late lead in normal time through a rare goal from defender Adama Traore – and time was virtually up.
But they found something, against all odds, with a clever team move capped up by Zawada’s clinical finish. That was the cue for wild celebrations from the huge 33,270 crowd, with the party finally getting started.
Oskar Zawada of the Phoenix celebrates after scoring a goal during the A-League men semifinal match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory. Photo / Getty Images
The Wellington Phoenix were the better team, with more possession and clearer chances. But they couldn’t make it count. Captain Alex Rufer – who otherwise had a fine game – will be haunted by his penalty miss in the 63rd minute, while the outstanding Ben Old hit the woodwork in the second half.
It was a match of fine margins, with the Victory’s greater finals experience probably key, while the Phoenix couldn’t find their best in the attacking third.
They will be particularly haunted by giving up two goals on their biggest night of the season, after the incredible defensive record they have put together this season.
The first half was a typically cagey affair between two sides that know each other so well. The Phoenix had entered to a huge reception, with a wall of noise from the capacity crowd. Given the occasion, the players settled quickly, with Old on a surging run to beat three defenders.
The midfielder then set up Kosta Barbarouses, who couldn’t lift his chip high enough over Victory keeper Paul Izzo. The Melbourne side took a physical approach – trying to unsettle – but also had sugar with the spice, with Daniel Arzani particularly dangerous. One of his shots skimmed the crossbar, while another forced a timely block from Finn Surman. Surman and Scott Wootton were everywhere they needed to be, with captain Rufer an effective shield in front.
The Phoenix had the better chances in the first period, with a Barbarouses shot blocked and an Old header – from a delightful Nico Pennington pass – not having enough loop. But the Victory had their moments, with their intricate passing in the final third.
The home side lifted after the break, as the game started to open up. Bozhidar Kraev headed agonisingly wide, after clever work from Old. A flashpoint came just after the hour, with the controversial penalty awarded, after a lengthy VAR check. It looked an extremely harsh call against Arzani, with the ball bouncing off his torso onto his armpit as he slid in to block a Tim Payne cross. But the Phoenix couldn’t capitalise on their luck, with Rufer’s penalty anticipated well by Izzo, diving to his right.
Alex Rufer of the Phoenix reacts after missing a penalty during the A-League semifinal against the Melbourne Victory. Photo / Getty Images
The Victory should have scored soon afterwards, but Bruno Fornaroli hit his shot straight at Paulsen. Old then almost provided the lift-off moment, his well-struck shot finding the post, with Izzo beaten, after some magic on the edge of the area.
Then, out of absolutely nothing, the Victory got their hammer blow. It was a beautiful strike from Traore – as sweet as a whistle, just inside the far post, though the failure to close him down will hurt. It was unlikely too - his first A-League goal since 2013.
That stunned the crowd and the Phoenix. They threw the kitchen sink, laying siege to the Victory goal, but they looked gone, until Zawada’s magic moment. It came from a Sam Sutton long ball, headed on by Oskar van Hattum. Barbarouses had the presence of mind to flick into Zawada’s path, and the Polish striker finished coolly, sparking celebrations at a Phoenix game we haven’t seen in more than a decade.
The Phoenix had all the momentum in extra time, before another sucker punch, with Ikonomidis stealing in at the far post from a corner in the 102nd minute, in a rare set-piece lapse from the Phoenix.
Youstin Salas and Zawada both went close before coach Giancarlo Italiano emptied his bench but there was no time for a second fairytale.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics’, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
