Wellington Phoenix have kept their slim Isuzu UTE A-League finals hopes alive with a 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch.
The result consigns Western Sydney to their first ever Isuzu UTE A-League wooden spoon, with the Wanderers five points behind Brisbane Roar with one game to play.
The Phoenix were the stronger side and deserving of the win, which was sealed via headed goals from talismanic striker Ifeanyi Eze and Japanese midfielder Kazuki Nagasawa, both of them assisted by Tim Payne.
Brandon Borrello — wearing the captain’s armband as Jordan Holmes played in goals in place of Lawrence Thomas — was the goal scorer for the Wanderers, bringing them level shortly before half time.
Wellington had the best of the game’s early exchanges, pinning the Wanderers in their own half and winning four corners inside 10 minutes.
It took just five more minutes for the Phoenix’s talismanic striker Eze to open the scoring, with a patient Wellington build up leading to a crafty back post ball from Tim Payne that the Nigerian crashed past Wanderes keeper Jordan Holmes in typical style.
The goal was Eze’s 10th for the season, putting him second in the Golden Boot standings behind Auckland’s Sam Cosgrove and just the second player this season to bring their goal tally to double digits.
The Nix continued to press the Wanderers after the goal, with Ramy Najjarine forcing Holmes into saves, one of which came after a marauding 40 metre run through the centre of the park.
It took until the 38th minute for Western Sydney to register their first shot of the match, with Nathan Barrie winning a header from a corner that looped into Wellington keeper Josh Oluwayemi’s hands.
That effort was the spark the Wanderers needed, with stand in skipper Borrello restoring parity just three minutes later.
The goal came via a set piece, with Ryan Fraser playing a short corner to Angus Thurgate, who then found Borrello near the top of the box.
Oluwayemi got a hand to to the 30-year-old’s sidefooted finish, but couldn’t prevent it from nestling in the back of the net.
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The same three players were involved in the Wanderers nearly taking the lead just a minute later, with Thurgate playing a sharp 1-2 with Fraser and fizzing in a cross that Borrello had to try and chest home from eight yards out.
Oluwayemi’s instinctive save landed for young Wanderers forward Jai Rose, but thankfully for the Phoenix he couldn’t force the ball home and the half ended level pegging at 1-1.
The Phoenix started the second half with plenty of enterprise, with Isaac Hughes and Lukas Kelly-Heald taking turns to try and force a corner home and Eze blasting an effort high and wide before Nagasawa restored the Kiwi side’s lead in the 56th minute.
The goal came via Payne yet again, with his whipped ball to the six yard box crashed home off the head of the Japanese international.
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Ryan Fraser was a typically shining light for Western Sydney in the last half an hour, forcing saves out of Oluwayemi from a volley and a long range effort and setting up Bozhidar Kraev to nearly equalise in stoppage time.
Like so much of the rest of their season, however, the Wanderers couldn’t put the ball away, and were left once again pondering what could have been.
Western Sydney Wanderers will close out a disappointing 2025/26 Isuzu UTE A-League season next Saturday when they host likely finalist Melbourne Victory at Commbank Stadium.
Meanwhile Wellington travel to Campbelltown Sports Stadium to face Macarthur on Friday night, in a game that could still have a bearing on the shape of the final six depending on Melbourne City’s results.
