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Played
February 12, 2012 3:00 PM EST
Westpac Stadium — Wellington
Referee: J. Gillett
Attendance: 13009
February 12, 2012 3:00 PM EST
Westpac Stadium — Wellington
Referee: J. Gillett
Attendance: 13009
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| Wellington | 71.00 | 2.62 | 2.80 | 2.65 | 3.00 |
| Draw | 34.00 | 3.20 | 3.40 | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Brisbane | 1.00 | 2.40 | 2.40 | 2.50 | 2.41 |
Match report: Wellington Phoenix 0 Brisbane Roar 2
The Roar wrest back second on the A-League table with their win over the Phoenix, showing their mid-season slump is a thing of the past.
By Emma Stoney
Getty
Brisbane Roar have ended Wellington Phoenix's four-match winning run with a crucial 2-0 victory at Westpac Stadium.
The win sees the defending A-League champions reclaim second spot from the Phoenix, with six games of the regular season to go.
Besart Berisha broke the deadlock with a quality finish just before half-time and substitute Mitch Nichols sealed the three points for the Roar with a fierce strike with just over 10 minutes to go.
The Phoenix's woes were also compounded by injury to centre-back Ben Sigmund, who limped off, and a fifth booking of the season each for defensive partner Andrew Durante and Tim Brown.
The cards mean both will be suspended for next Saturday's game against league leaders Central Coast Mariners.
After a moment's silence for Lloyd Morrison - a member of the Welnix consortium, who died during the week - Wellington were content just to sit back and soak up the pressure in the first half, hoping to catch Brisbane on the break.
But while they had several opportunities, they did not have the polish to finish.
Leo Bertos butchered a golden chance in the 13th minute when he collected a ball from Paul Ifill then ran strongly into the box.
But with just Michael Theoklitos to beat, he struck a weak shot which the goalkeeper comfortably gathered.
The home side's only other chance of the half came in the 32nd minute, when Ifill again provided the ball into the box and Tim Brown back-heeled to Alex Smith, who rushed his shot and volleyed well wide and high.
Brisbane looked far more settled on the ball and created several openings with their fluid passing game.
Ivan Franjic had an early shot deflected for a corner, then Berisha got clear of the Phoenix defence but his shot on the turn flew over.
The controversial Roar striker got the vital breakthrough four minutes before the break, however. In a rare moment Erik Paartalu opted for the long ball and Berisha lost marker and Phoenix captain Durante and fired the ball home first time.
The Phoenix changed approach in the second half, putting far more pressure on the Roar and as a result won far more of the ball. They also made better use of it, finally stringing their passes together.
Ifill forced a superb save from Theoklitos four minutes after the re-start when he broke from half-way and under pressure from Shane Stefanutto got his shot away.
Another smart piece of interplay between Lia and Ifill earned the Phoenix a free-kick right on the edge of the 18 yard box in the 55th minute, after Matt Smith had brought Ifill down. But Dani Sanchez fired his attempt over.
Brisbane started to live dangerously by passing the ball in and around their own box. A poor clearance by Theoklitos fell to Chris Greenacre, whose speculative long-range chip was only just off-target.
Ifill then shot wide from a corner attempt, before Lia's header picked out the Roar goalkeeper after a good cross in from Tony Lochhead.
Frustrations began to boil over with Matt Smith and Greenacre shown yellow cards after earlier bookings for Stefanutto, Lia and Mohamed Adnan.
The Phoenix then saw Sigmund limp off with a leg injury. And with striker Mirjan Pavlovic brought on as his replacement, the back three of Lochhead, Durante and Lia became exposed.
It meant Nichols was left with acres of space and plenty of time to rifle his shot home from the edge of the box.
The drama was not over for the Phoenix, however, and the match ended on a sour note, with Durante and Brown both shown yellow cards.
The win sees the defending A-League champions reclaim second spot from the Phoenix, with six games of the regular season to go.
Besart Berisha broke the deadlock with a quality finish just before half-time and substitute Mitch Nichols sealed the three points for the Roar with a fierce strike with just over 10 minutes to go.
The Phoenix's woes were also compounded by injury to centre-back Ben Sigmund, who limped off, and a fifth booking of the season each for defensive partner Andrew Durante and Tim Brown.
The cards mean both will be suspended for next Saturday's game against league leaders Central Coast Mariners.
After a moment's silence for Lloyd Morrison - a member of the Welnix consortium, who died during the week - Wellington were content just to sit back and soak up the pressure in the first half, hoping to catch Brisbane on the break.
But while they had several opportunities, they did not have the polish to finish.
Leo Bertos butchered a golden chance in the 13th minute when he collected a ball from Paul Ifill then ran strongly into the box.
But with just Michael Theoklitos to beat, he struck a weak shot which the goalkeeper comfortably gathered.
The home side's only other chance of the half came in the 32nd minute, when Ifill again provided the ball into the box and Tim Brown back-heeled to Alex Smith, who rushed his shot and volleyed well wide and high.
Brisbane looked far more settled on the ball and created several openings with their fluid passing game.
Ivan Franjic had an early shot deflected for a corner, then Berisha got clear of the Phoenix defence but his shot on the turn flew over.
The controversial Roar striker got the vital breakthrough four minutes before the break, however. In a rare moment Erik Paartalu opted for the long ball and Berisha lost marker and Phoenix captain Durante and fired the ball home first time.
The Phoenix changed approach in the second half, putting far more pressure on the Roar and as a result won far more of the ball. They also made better use of it, finally stringing their passes together.
Ifill forced a superb save from Theoklitos four minutes after the re-start when he broke from half-way and under pressure from Shane Stefanutto got his shot away.
Another smart piece of interplay between Lia and Ifill earned the Phoenix a free-kick right on the edge of the 18 yard box in the 55th minute, after Matt Smith had brought Ifill down. But Dani Sanchez fired his attempt over.
Brisbane started to live dangerously by passing the ball in and around their own box. A poor clearance by Theoklitos fell to Chris Greenacre, whose speculative long-range chip was only just off-target.
Ifill then shot wide from a corner attempt, before Lia's header picked out the Roar goalkeeper after a good cross in from Tony Lochhead.
Frustrations began to boil over with Matt Smith and Greenacre shown yellow cards after earlier bookings for Stefanutto, Lia and Mohamed Adnan.
The Phoenix then saw Sigmund limp off with a leg injury. And with striker Mirjan Pavlovic brought on as his replacement, the back three of Lochhead, Durante and Lia became exposed.
It meant Nichols was left with acres of space and plenty of time to rifle his shot home from the edge of the box.
The drama was not over for the Phoenix, however, and the match ended on a sour note, with Durante and Brown both shown yellow cards.
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Goal
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Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
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Results
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Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
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Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daniel McBreen Striker Central Coast Mariners |
19 | 4 |
|
Jeremy Brockie Striker Toronto FC |
16 | 2 |
|
Marco Rojas Midfielder Melbourne Victory |
15 | 0 |
|
Alessandro Del Piero Striker Sydney FC |
14 | 4 |
|
Besart Berisha Striker Brisbane |
14 | 4 |