Teenage goalkeeper Alex Paulsen saved three penalties in Wellington Phoenix’s 0-0 (3-4) penalty shootout win over Melbourne City in the FFA Cup quarter finals on Wednesday night, to send his side through to the final four of the cup competition for the first time in club history.
There were 14 penalty takers and only seven scorers in a dramatic end to a game which produced no goals throughout 120 minutes of play.
But chances went begging at both ends. Scott Jamieson missed two spot kicks on the night; his first came in the opening half of play, as he ballooned a City penalty earned by Marco Tilio over the bar.
Wellington’s best chance of the opening 90 minutes came right at the death, with an 89th-minute shot from close range squandered by Louis Fenton. Ben Waine was waiting to tuck Jaushua Sotirio’s cross away before Fenton got ahead of his ‘Nix teammate, diverting the ball wide of the mark.
The game progressed into 30 minutes of additional extra time, in which neither side could break the deadlock. And so, a penalty shootout ensued.
Paulsen and his goalkeeping counterpart Tom Glover produced herculean efforts to try and single-handedly book their respective sides a place in the final four.
A Paulsen save on Rostyn Griffiths’ spot kick – the first of the shootout – set the tone. But after taking a 2-1 lead, Wellington missed three on the bounce to hand control back to City.
Jamieson went right on his first-half attempt from the spot, and tried to find the opposite corner in the shootout – however the result was the same: a strike which sailed over the bar to keep Wellington in it.
Sotirio, Stefan Colakovski and Clayton Lewis all converted in succession before Tilio was thwarted by Paulsen. Nicholas Pennington stepped forward with the game in his hands and found the top corner, to send Wellington through to the FFA Cup semis for the very first time.
The FFA Cup semi final draw will take place tomorrow, Thursday January 6.
