Melbourne Metropolis has prevailed in a ding-dong battle in opposition to Wellington Phoenix, successful 3-1 to go 4 factors clear on the prime of the A-League Males ladder.
Metropolis did it the exhausting approach at Wellington’s Sky Stadium, falling behind for the primary time this season earlier than a pair of Socceroos got here to the rescue.
Mathew Leckie equalized and Jamie Maclaren scored a second-half double as Metropolis overcame David Ball’s ingenious backheel opener to claim their dominance.
Nevertheless, the ultimate scoreline may have been something, with Nix striker Oscar Zawada lacking a raft of probabilities, together with from a heart-in-the-mouth slip from Thomas Glover.
Monday’s match pitted two of the league’s greatest entertainers, with the fixture averaging 4 targets a sport over the previous 4 years.
It began at a canter, with Wellington’s big Polish striker Zawada heading large early earlier than Ball’s slice of magic, the Englishman flicking Lucas Mauragis’s centering kick past the diving Glover.
Whether or not a tribute or simply circumstance, Leckie tried an very same backheel-style effort on the different finish a minute later, hitting the bottom of the put up.
One other minute later, he discovered a extra typical option to purpose, heading Marco Tilio’s cross dwelling.
Possibilities continued at each ends, with Zawada heading large from one other Mauragis cross after which failing to attain with an empty internet in entrance of him.
When Glover stumbled as he tried to clear, the Pole stole the ball from him and had a short clear sight of purpose, solely to scuff his effort and permit the goalkeeper to get well.
Zawada was on the coronary heart of the whole lot, chipping the ball into the again of the online from Bozhidar Kraev’s sensible through-ball solely to be judged offside.
There was no respite from the relentless assault after the break, with Tilio trickery fooling Kraev right into a foul within the field that Maclaren scored on 51 minutes.
Trying to find one other spot kick, Tilio appeared to dive within the field quickly after, incomes an indignant response from Nix defender Tim Payne.
From that time, Wellington surged ahead in the hunt for a winner, with Zawada heading straight at Glover as soon as extra and substitute Kosta Barbarouses hitting the bar after a tearaway run.
Extremely, Zawada had one other golden likelihood to equalize in harm time, however selected to show slightly than shoot when a free ball within the field fell his approach.
With Nix totally dedicated to an equaliser, Maclaren put the sport to mattress, slotting Andrew Nabbout’s centering ball within the 97th minute.
His effort was the 33rd shot on purpose of a madcap match, exhibiting Metropolis’s credentials but in addition Wellington’s achilles heel.
The match was the 15th straight in opposition to A-League opposition wherein the Nix have conceded, the important thing purpose Ufuk Talay’s aspect is caught in ninth place.
