Two splendid penalty shoot-out saves by Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Liam Reddy broke the
hearts of Perth Glory at Westpac Stadium on February 21, as the visitors were ousted 4-2 on
spot-kicks after two hours of Hyundai A-League play-offs football had resulted in a 1-1
stalemate.
The 24,267-strong crowd - a new record figure for attendees at a non-international football
match in New Zealand - were itching to see a Wellington win, knowing that victory would see
them back in action on home turf in a fortnight's time, for the visit of Newcastle
Jets.
Perth, too, were hoping to secure the same prize, and they made a decidedly aggressive start
to proceedings, sturdy tackles galore giving referee Strebre Delovski plenty to keep him
occupied during the opening stages of a match.
Amongst the initial incidents was a sixteenth minute penalty claim by the visitors, but Todd
Howarth went to ground far too easily after working an opening with Steven McGarry.
The first genuine threat on goal came in the eighteenth minute of the contest, through one
of the usual suspects. Wellington's Paul Ifill made light work of two Perth opponents
near the left-hand touchline, and dashed into the penalty area, where his progress was
halted by Andy Todd's vital covering tackle.
The striker had shot tamely at Perth goalkeeper Tando Velaphi just prior to that, while the
visiting custodian looked on in the nineteenth minute as Leo Bertos' desperation to
score against one of his former employers resulted in his unleashing a shot which threatened
the corner flag more than the goal.
The first save of note by either goalkeeper befell Reddy in the 22nd minute. Ifill - not his
best display by a long chalk! - was caught in possession by Scott Neville, who gave his all
and then some throughout. He played the ball inside to the hard-working Danny McBreen before
racing forward for the return, which enabled him to let fly from the edge of the penalty
area.
Reddy smothered this effort, then blocked with his feet seconds afterwards after Neville had
muscled his way through three challenges, including that of the outstanding Manny Muscat -
he was immense for the home team. Neville then set up an opening for Wayne Srhoj which
Wellington captain Andrew Durrante swiftly snuffed out.
After Velaphi and Chris Greenacre had collided - both emerged unscathed, Perth's
pressure grew in its intensity, with Chris Coyne squandering a great chance to open the
scoring in the 34th minute when his unchallenged header, from another Neville-supplied
cross.
Wellington responded by taking the lead with a well-practised move, eight minutes before
half-time. Troy Hearfield and Vince Lia worked a one-two which allowed them to bring Jon
McKain into play.
He played the ball forward to Ifill, whose deft touch inside allowed Muscat to set off on a
surging run prior to fizzing a low cross into the goalmouth. Greenacre was sliding in on cue
- 1-0, and over 24,000 fans going ever so slightly potty as a result!
The scorer sent a snapshot fizzing over the crossbar two minutes later, while on the stroke
of half-time, Velaphi produced a stunning fingertip save to paw to safety a curling effort
from Ifill which was destined for the top far corner of the net.
The resulting corner was snaffled by Velaphi, whose downfield clearance saw McGarry and
McKain collide in mid-air. The rebound fell perfectly into the stride of Neville, whose shot
was blocked by Durante, off whom the ricocheted into the path of Wayne Srhoj, whose drive
was saved well low to his right by Reddy.
Five minutes after the second half commenced, Wellington came desperately close to scoring.
Bertos burst forward before slipping the ball to Ifill, who ran around Naum Sekulovski
before flighting a cross to the far post where Greenacre was lurking.
Jamie Coyne averted the danger at the expense of a corner, which Bertos delivered with
venom. Srhoj's headed clearance landed at the feet of Greenacre, who drilled the ball
in towards the penalty spot. Lia let fly with a twelve-yard snapshot which Velaphi did
superbly simply to see, let alone save superbly, given it was going like a rocket!
Back came Perth, the offside flag cutting short Srhoj's goal celebrations soon after,
before Hearfield headed off the line to deny McBreen, following a Jacob Burns corner in the
56th minute.
After Velaphi had denied Bertos, following good lead-up play involving Ifill and Tim Brown,
Perth's increasing probings finally gained their reward in the 66th minute, when
Neville was left completely unmarked on the far post, and gleefully headed home
Burns' free-kick.
It was a goal the visitors deserved, and they looked more and more likely to go on and win
the game inside regulation time, even though there was now an element of caution in evidence
across the park, with some subsequently scrappy spells of play resulting.
Both teams came close to clinching victory eight minutes from time. Andrew Durante - another
fine display - fed substitute Adrian Caceres, who spotted Brown's surging run and
duly supplied the midfielder with the ball, which he unleashed goalwards.
Velaphi smothered his twenty-yarder, and promptly cleared the ball downfield, picking out
Neville, whose shot was smothered by Reddy. That brief flurry of end-to-end action got the
crowd going again, they, too, having succumbed to the nervousness of the situation - each
team's entire season was at stake, lest it be forgotten.
Both teams went close again before the final whistle, Wellington substitute Eugene Dadi
appealing in vain for a penalty after Todd appeared to use foul means rather than fair to
spirit the ball away from his former team-mate in the area a minute from time.
Perth responded by forcing Reddy to make a flying stoppage time save to his left to thwart a
Mile Sterjovski effort, the substitute's shot arising after Ifill had failed to get
adequate power behind an attempted headed clearance.
So to extra time, with the scores locked at 1-1. Attempts to alter that status in the
additional half-hour were few, willing spirits gradually succumbing to tired legs on both
sides of the pitch.
Durante thwarted Neville in the act of shooting three minutes into the spell, after Scott
Bulloch had combined with McBreen and Sterjovski. Wellington responded via Lia, whose
dipping twenty-five yarder landed on the roof of the net, before the midfielder picked out
Caceres wide on the left.
Muscat - a terrific performance - provided a supporting run which his team-mate used to
perfection, allowing the Maltese international to dash into the clear on the left inside
Perth's penalty area. Shooting was an option, but instead he crossed, over-hitting
the ball and extinguishing this 96th minute opening in doing so.
In the 102nd minute, McKain headed a Caceres corner over the crossbar. Two minutes later,
the defender's day was done, an ill-timed lunge felling an opponent and earning him
his second booking of the game - referee Delovski had no option but to wield the red card,
and leave the home team to hang on for the final fifteen minutes with ten tiring men.
The crowd sensed it, and so did Perth, who knew that the game was now theirs for the taking.
They came closest to doing so in the 107th minute, Burns' free-kick releasing
Bulloch, whose cross to the far post was headed down well by Neville. Reddy's
reactions were cat-like, however, and kept Wellington in the contest.
A contest in which both teams were very soon running on empty, the sight of cramp-stricken
players the feature of the final ten minutes of the match, the conclusion of which meant the
dreaded penalty shoot-out was upon us.
McGarry and Ifill exchanged spot-kicks before Sekulovski stepped up. Reddy saved well low to
his left, and, after Durante had netted, dived in the other direction to deny Bulloch with
his trailing left boot, as the Perth man looked to drive the ball home down the middle.
That meant Wellington were just two spot-kicks away from victory, and when Brown converted
the first of them, the pressure on McBreen to convert was immense. He had toiled tirelessly
up front for little reward throughout proceedings, but his cool conversion meant it fell to
Caceres to win the game at the expense of his old club.
Over 24,000 fans went ballistic as he sent Velaphi the wrong way from the spot to clinch
Wellington's place in the last four of the play-off series, and another sudden death
match against Newcastle in a fortnight.
Perth, meanwhile, faced one of the footballing world's longest league trips home, knowing
that it would seem even longer than ever, given the outcome of this match. Dave
Mitchell's side came so close to progressing, but like five other A-League teams,
their season is now over, and they are left to look on as Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC,
Newcastle Jets and Wellington Phoenix dispute the championship ring in March [Ed. Aware of the gollum reference, but The Toilet Seat I believe is the correct technical term].
A-League 2009/2010 - Championship Finals - Minor Semi Final (4v5)
pm, Sunday 21 February, 2010 - Westpac Stadium, Wellington NZ
