Phoenix surge late but can’t break the deadlock in soaking stalemate with Roar

There was nothing to split Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix at a rainswept Moreton Daily Stadium, as the sides drew 0-0 in soaking conditions on Saturday evening.

A tight first half offered little in terms of chances down either end as the two teams struggled to adjust to the playing surface, with water spitting off the deck with every step, shot, pass and bounce of the ball in Redcliffe.

The game broke open in the second half as Wellington got on the front foot to create a handful of opportunities to take the lead.

The class of Ulises Dávila began to shine through as the game progressed, with the Mexican creating a raft of openings for David Ball and substitute Jaushua Sotirio. But Roar ‘keeper Jamie Young and defender Kai Trewin provided moments of brave, committed defending to block the Phoenix chances and keep the scores level.

Joey Champness looked the brightest spark in Brisbane’s attacking third, firing two headers at Oliver Sail in Wellington’s goal and creating danger with pace and dribbling ability which the Wellington defence did well to contain.

The final whistle blew with scores locked at 0-0, resulting in a seventh draw between the two teams in their past 11 A-League meetings. The point helped Brisbane remain on top of Wellington on the table, retaining seventh spot and moving to within just one point of Western United in sixth.

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Key Moments

A drenched Moreton Daily Stadium hindered either side from creating much more than half chances throughout the opening half-hour of play.

Brisbane defender Scott Neville thumped an attempt from distance over the bar in one of the first genuine sights on goal in the 28th minute of play.

Jay O’Shea struck the wall from a dangerous dead ball situation on the edge of Wellington’s defensive box, before Champness went closest to opening the scoring after heading Jack Hingert’s dangerous cross off the right flank low toward Sail, who gathered the ball after an initial spill from the Champness attempt.

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Brisbane continued to press for the goal which would have sent the home side into the break in the lead, but a late chance presenting to Hingert after Masato Kudo’s header was intercepted by Clayton Lewis at the last moment – the Wellington midfielder slid in to send the ball out for a corner, quelling the imminent danger as Hingert was left to sliding through the mud occupying the goal-mouth.

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Wellington boss Ufuk Talay introduced Sotirio into the game to start the second half, and the away side responded positively to the change. Sotirio looked to get in behind Brisbane’s defence on multiple occasions throughout the opening 15 minutes of his cameo, whilst Champness continued to threaten down the other end for the Roar.

Champness scored with a low, driven shot toward the bottom-left corner in Brisbane’s last game against Central Coast Mariners, and went close to repeating the feat with a shot hit with similar trajectory in the 54th minute which skimmed just wide of Sail’s right-hand goalpost.

Louis Fenton hit the side netting with a shot from David Ball’s pass down the right-hand side of Wellington’s attacking box before Champness troubled Brisbane again down the other end, heading a looping cross from O’Shea directly at Sail stood waiting in the Phoenix goal.

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After going largely unsighted in the first half, Dávila’s presence grew in the second stanza. The Mexican looked to be playing in dry conditions while his opponents gave chase in the wet, as he got to work picking Brisbane’s defensive line apart on multiple occasions.

Dávila sent Sotirio in on goal with two perfectly-weighted through balls passed in quick succession; Sotirio hit the side netting with the first before coming up against a resolute Kai Trewin for the second, who produced two last-ditch blocks from Sotirio’s quick-fire strikes as Brisbane somehow remained level with the surging ‘Nix.

After withstanding Wellington’s aggressive push for an opener, Brisbane threatened to snatch the advantage when O’Shea’s shot from outside the box struck a Phoenix body to fly high through the air and drop toward goal. Sail frantically back-tracked as the ball dipped out of the sky, hitting the roof of the net to hand the home side a corner.

A Young save from Reno Piscopo’s venomous strike and a late double-block from the Roar keeper prevented Phoenix from snatching a last-gasp winner, as the two teams slogged it out to the final whistle to snare one point apiece.

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