Macarthur 0-3 Wellington: Phoenix on top of A-League Men table

Wellington Phoenix returned to the Isuzu UTE A-League summit with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Macarthur FC at Campbelltown Stadium on Monday night.

Travelling to take on the previously unbeaten Bulls without star striker Oskar Zawada, the Phoenix responded in style to a deflating defeat to Newcastle Jets in Round 7.

Bozhidar Kraev opened the scoring in the first half with the 600th Isuzu UTE A-League goal in the club’s history, before Kosta Barbarouses put the ‘Nix out of sight with two goals in the space of three second-half minutes.

Macarthur captain Ulises Dávila had an opportunity to peg one back from the penalty spot for the home side, but Wellington’s goalkeeping revelation Alex Paulsen stood tall to make his third penalty save of the season, and help the visitors keep their sheet clean and wrap up the three points needed to surge back to the top of the table.

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Dávila almost opened the scoring in unlikely fashion early in the contest, with Nicholas Pennington’s attempted clearance deflecting off the Macarthur captain and flying toward goal. Thankfully for the ‘Nix, Paulsen was well placed to collect.

Bozhidar Kraev had the first opportunity of the night for Wellington, rising to head a Sam Sutton cross on target, and calling Filip Kurto into a save.

Ben Old was the next Phoenix player to test Kurto’s glovework, then Barbarouses got in on the act as the Zawada-less Wellington attack showed promising early signs. Nicholas Pennington grazed the side netting with an attempt off the outside of his right foot as the visitors continued to push for an opener.

Wellington had given Macarthur ample warning of their intent to take a first-half lead before breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute through Kraev. The Bulgarian finished bravely on the slide, tucking home Barbarouses’ cross and copping a heavy knock from Kurto for his troubles.

The Bulls pressed Wellington early in the second half when Jake Hollman put Paulsen to the test, but there was no way through for the young Macarthur midfielder.

Tim Payne has shown a greater attacking verve this season, scoring his first goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League against Brisbane Roar and hitting the post against Newcastle in Round 7 – but showed a defender’s touch when he blasted over the crossbar from to end an encouraging Phoenix attack.

Barbarouses would make no such mistake when set free at the back post by Kraev to score into an unguarded net and double Wellington’s lead. Kraev scored the first and this time was the creator in chief, chopping past Tomislav Uskok and delivering the ball on a plate for the New Zealand international to finish.

Three minutes later Barbarouses had a brace as Wellington sailed clear in style; Payne’s delivery was precise, and so was the first-time finish, as Barbarouses opened up his body to find the back of the net with his left foot.

Macarthur then received the chance to claw one back after Scott Wootton’s challenge on Valère Germain in the box. Dávila stepped up to take the penalty but Paulsen, who has already kept out Jamie Maclaren and Adam Taggart from the spot – came up with another penalty save to add to the catalogue.

Dávila’s attempt was poor, but Paulsen did well to refrain from committing to one side or the other, moving late to smother Dávila’s strike toward the centre of goal.

Macarthur would have gone four goals down if not for the superb goalkeeping of Kurto, who produced a double save to keep out David Ball and Sutton in quick succession.

Oskar van Hattum was sent in on goal by a magnificent through pass from Ball in the 90th minute but fired wide in a one-on-one, as the ‘Nix settled fora. 3-0 win on the road.

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The talking point

What is Wellington’s secret to success this season?

The club lost its head coach in Ufuk Talay after a sixth-place finish in 2022-23, and a run to the Elimination Finals. In his place came Giancarlo Italiano, Talay’s former right-hand man, untested as a top-flight head coach.

The club made just two off-season signings: midfielder Mohamed Al-Taay, and goalkeeper Jack Duncan. The rest of Italiano’s reinforcements came from the club’s academy.

Meanwhile, key first-team members Oli Sail, Clayton Lewis, Steven Ugarkovic, Josh Laws, Callan Elliott, Lucas Mauragis and Yan Sasse all departed the club.

And yet, eight rounds into the 2023-24 season, Wellington sit on top of the Isuzu UTE A-League table, having just dismantled a previously-undefeated Macarthur outfit which has looked among the very best teams in the league this season so far.

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What was perhaps most impressive about Wellington’s 3-0 win over the Bulls on Monday night was that the performance came directly after a shock loss to Newcastle Jets in Round 7, by the same scoreline at Sky Stadium.

At the first sign of adversity this season, the Phoenix faced the pressure head-on and arguably produced their best performance of the campaign.

Post-game, Phoenix veteran Kosta Barbarouses joined Paramount+ presenter Tristan MacManus to dissect the 3-0 win, and MacManus posed the observation to Barbarouses that “there seems to be a great togetherness at the club.”

It was a statement that instantly caught the attention of the Phoenix forward.

“That’s our key word this season – I don’t know if you knew that,” Barbarouses replied.

“We’re just a good bunch, a good mix of young and experienced (players). The coach respects us all for who we are, and what we are, and we all work together collectively.

“I think in our league here, that’s half the battle. If you get everyone going for each other, you’re halfway there.”

Kosta Barbarouses and Phoenix teammate Tim Payne.

Phoenix head coach Italiano touched on the very same subject post-game, and went a step further in crediting his side’s togetherness as a major factor of their early run, stressing the importance of finding the right balance of personalities and characters in a successful dressing room.

“One of the big things we identified when we started the season (was) certain core values: we wanted good people at the club,” he said.

“I know that’s very cliché, but if you have good people then 90% of the work is done.

“Because they’re going to work hard, if they believe in what you’re doing. Obviously, you have to show them. But for me, when we scouted and put the group together, even though we only added a couple of players, those players that we brought in have been invaluable, and the young players from the academy have really stepped up and bought into the culture.

“It’s a mixture of those, and the existing group we kept, they all believe in what we’re trying to do. At the moment it’s working, and I think everyone does believe in what we’re doing.”

The moment

Alex Paulsen produced his third penalty save of the season on Monday night, continuing the form that has already earned him a Young Footballer of the Year nomination and the October/November Player of the Month award in a dream start to his first campaign as Wellington’s outright No.1 in between the sticks.

Paulsen had already denied Socceroos strikers Adam Taggart and Jamie Maclaren from 12 yards in the Isuzu UTE A-League this season, and on Monday night it was Ulises Dávila’s turn to be thwarted by the 21-year-old.

The star

With one goal and two assists, Kosta Barbarouses put together his best performance of the season against the Bulls.

He’d gone 17 games without a goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League before breaking that drought in style, scoring twice in three minutes to put Wellington out of sight in Campbelltown.

Barbarouses already held the record for scoring in the most Isuzu UTE A-League seasons of any player in competition history (13) before Monday night, when he broke his duck for the 2023-24 campaign.

Barbarouses has now scored in 14 different seasons, leading a star cast of names on the all-time list:

Most Isuzu UTE A-League seasons with a goal