A gust of good fortune has helped Wellington to a 1-0 win over Western Sydney as Ante Covic was left cursing the local conditions.
It was some surprise to see Covic so bamboozled by a first-half Phoenix cross given he watched them harmlessly float by throughout the second period.
The blustery weather was mostly to blame then, when, in the 22nd minute, Jeremy Brockie’s seemingly innocuous cross died in the wind and wrong-footed Covic, leaving the veteran feeling the kind of embarrassment only a goalkeeper could understand.
Western Sydney had earlier seen strong claims for a penalty turned down when Mateo Poljak’s close-range cross struck the outstretched arm of Andrew Durante, and were denied a second time after the break when Joey Gibbs went to ground – suggesting a referee intent to reverse the trend of hasty decision-making that was set on Saturday night.
Covic redeemed himself with a number of smart saves either side of the break, but neither his side, who had a clear-cut shot blocked in stoppage time, nor Wellington could make use of their chances as the hosts preserved their fortuitous lead.
FULL TIME:
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Brockie 22′)
Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Crowd: 5,405
WELLINGTON PHOENIX: Paston (GK), Bertos, Durante, Sigmund, Lochhead, Smith, Lia, Muscat, Brockie, Huysegems, Ifill.
Subs: McMaster (GK), Fenton, Boyd, Totori.
WESTERN SYDNEY: Covic (GK), Beauchamp, Topor-Stanley, D’Apuzzo, Poljak, La Rocca, Minniecon, Ono, Bridge, Kresinger.
Subs: Tyson (GK), Cole, Trifiro, Gibbs.
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