Phoenix juggernaut makes roadkill of Victory

BOTH sides came to play with intensity but only one pressed with great speed –
and the result was a beautiful footballing collision at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday night.

In the end it was the Wellington Phoenix, spearheaded by a sublime performance from teenage sensation Marco Rojas, which comfortably won the Hyundai A-League encounter 2-0 before a bumper holiday crowd of 9496. Rojas set up the opening goal to Dylan Macallister and scored the other to further underline his footballing credentials and value.

The match marked the 100th time Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert held the reins in the Hyundai A-League, and the way his charges ran free on their home turf it was evident the leash he was holding was a long one.

The result lifted the Phoenix to one point outside the top six, trailing the Melbourne Heart but with a game in hand. Equally important, it closed the gap to three points in the competition standings on the visiting Victory, ensuring the run-in to the playoffs will go to the wire.

The Phoenix, sparked by darting runs down both flanks by Rojas, opened with attacking spirit and adventure in the opening quarter. Midfielder Tim Brown had the best of the early opportunities, his strike in front of goal from a Rojas pass cleared by Victory defender Roddy Vargas.

For all the early domination of territory and possession it was the Victory, through dangerman Carlos Hernandez, that had the best chance but his scuffed shot from close range was easily gathered by Phoenix custodian Danny Vukovic.

The Phoenix continued to push through the midfield – creating several half chances that kept the Victory defence well employed. Rojas collected a loose ball in midfield, beat two defenders to get into the penalty area, but not the third as he looked to break the deadlock in the 33rd minute. Moments later, Phoenix captain Andrew Durante was unmarked near goal but his header was directed straight at Victory No 1 Michael Petkovic.

Phoenix midfielder Nick Ward warmed Petkovic’s gloves with a strike from distance to close the opening, entertaining half.

Attacking their favoured Yellow Fever end in the second half, big Ben Sigmund’s shot from inside the six-yard box was smothered by Petkovic in the 52nd minute as the home side continued to push forward. It was Petkovic that was on hand, literally, to deny a powerful, goal-bound header from Vince Lia five minutes later and then – again – a strike by Rojas that he tipped over the crossbar.

Rojas’ exhilarating play could not be denied, however, and in the 67th minute he delivered a delightful left-flank cross to Macallister on the far post. The Phoenix frontman’s header was initially rejected by Petkovic but not his following stab home from close range to open the scoring.

Rojas went from provider to scorer four minutes later when his right-footed strike from inside the penalty area – set up by Macallister – found the left-hand corner of Petkovic’s goal to effectively finish the visitors off.

Coach Herbert ensured Rojas received a standing ovation when he was substituted five minutes before fulltime. Midfielder Vince Lia performed tirelessly, as did defender Tony Lochhead, playing a full game after returning from injury that had him sidelined since round seven.

The Phoenix next play the Central Coast Mariners away on Sunday, January 9.