High praise for beaten Phoenix

It's revealing when the coach of a winning team reserves most plaudits for the beaten team.

So it was tonight as Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar heaped praised on the Wellington Phoenix after the visitors grafted a gutsy 2-1 win in the Hyundai A-League 2007/08 round 15 clash at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

“I think Wellington are probably playing the best football in the competition at the moment and they were very, very good tonight and really put us under pressure all over the park,” a clearly relieved Vidmar said of Ricki Herbert’s Phoenix.

“So we see ourselves as quite fortunate that we got the three points. I think sometimes the way the competition goes and the longer it goes it sort of evens out at the end. We had some really good games this year where we’ve taken nothing out. I know Ricki will be very disappointed, but sometimes that’s the way it goes.”

In front of a record crowd for a domestic match in New Zealand of 18,345 – smashing the previous record of 14,421 set against the Melbourne Victory in round one of the competition – Adelaide were the party-poopers, with goals to Paul Agostino and Lucas Pantelis securing three crucial points to keep the Reds in the hunt for the playoffs.

It was a match the Phoenix could consider themselves very unlucky not to have won, particularly when Adelaide were reduced to 10 men in with 22 minutes left to play.

The Phoenix again started slowly and were punished in just the ninth minute when Adelaide captain Agostino headed Pantelis’ pinpoint cross past keeper Glen Moss. But as the game the progressed the Phoenix grew more confident and assured.

The scores might have been level in the 38th minute when Daniel slammed Michael Ferrante’s corner into the United net. However, referee Craig Zetter strangely disallowed the score after an apparent infringement in front of goal.

Down 1-0 at the break, the Phoenix returned fired up and made most of the play. Brazilian striker Felipe got more involved the game and the Adelaide defence began to look shaky. But it was the injection of veteran striker Vaughan Coveny in the 68th minute that really got things going for the home side, spurred on by the big crowd.

Coveny’s dangerous run into the Reds’ box was crudely halted by Milan Susak, the Adelaide defender marched after collecting his second yellow card. Daniel coolly slotted the penalty to make the score 1-1 and it appeared the increasingly dangerous Phoenix would run away with the match.

However, despite creating a myriad of good chances, the Phoenix were unable to capitalise and it was Adelaide that scored the decisive goal against the run of play in the 77th minute when Nathan Burns’ cross was wonderfully flicked on by Agostino to Pantelis, who made no mistake with his finish.

Agostino – inspirational leading a team run ragged in the second half – was as effusive as his coach about the performance of the unlucky Phoenix, but also proud of his team’s gritty effort.

“There were a lot of last-ditch efforts that saved us from conceding. They threw everything at us – not only the kitchen sink, there was a lot more they threw at us. But sometimes you’ve got to ride your luck. We’ve had a few things go against us and tonight they went for us.”

Phoenix coach Herbert again rued his side’s lack of decisiveness in the attacking third.

“We’ve really only got ourselves to blame,” he said.

"I thought we were quite comprehensive really, and we might have done enough to win the match again and again. But we didn’t and it’s a tough one to take. We really didn’t get forward. It was sloppy again and we shouldn’t have got ourselves 2-1 down.”

While the win puts Adelaide’s season back on track after a lacklustre run, the Phoenix’s hopes for a top four spot in their inaugural season have taken a significant blow.

But Herbert said there was still plenty to play for.

“We’ll make it difficult as much as we can for teams and if we can put a roll together of six wins that’s got to be the target for us. We won’t stop putting the foot on the throttle. We’ll get back up again with a couple of home games [against Perth Glory on Friday and Queensland Roar the following weekend] and we’ve got to drive it right to the end and try to maximise as much as we can.”


Match summary



Wellington Phoenix 1 (Daniel 68’p)

Adelaide United 2 (Paul Agostino 9’, Pantelis 77’)

HT: 0-1

Crowd: 18,345 at Westpac Stadium, Wellington