Kosta Barbarouses the lone goal-scorer for Wellington in a behind-closed-doors friendly to end our pre-season.
Victory starting XI
Siciliano, Geria, Da Silva, Miranda, Traore, Marchan, Teague, Machach, Velupillay, Fornaroli, Arzani
Date: Saturday 14 October
Wellington walk away with a 0-1 win in a behind-closed-doors friendly to end our pre-season.
Summary
Victory fall short in what was a match where Tony Popovic’s side dominated possession.
Controlling most of the first half, creating chance after chance, we were unable to find the finish we needed.
It was a tight contest in the early stages of the match with both teams going back-and-forth with possession.
The 25th minute saw Marchan receive a yellow card, but we continued to maintain control of the midfield and dictate the tempo.
Bruno was in the thick of the action in the 32nd minute, forcing a save out of the Wellington keeper after finding space in the box, and trying to curl a shot into the top corner.
Another chance came Bruno’s way in the 34th minute, but once again, the Phoenix keeper keeper was up to the task.
In the 39th minute, a brilliant run and cut back from Arzani to the top of the box saw Adama streaming in, but his shot soared over the woodwork.
Despite controlling much of the possession, the first half ended scoreless.
Brimmer replaced Marchan, and Eli Adams came on for Arzani as we continued to search for the opener.
The second half kicked off with Bruno having another curling chance in the 50th minute, but it was deflected for a corner.
In the 51st minute, Wellington had their first chance on goal, a header in the box, but Siciliano made an important save to keep the scores level.
Despite controlling much of the possession for the second half, Kosta Barbarouses opened the scoring for Wellington in the 62nd minute after a quick counterattack saw the winger streaming into the box and finding the back of the net.
Lifting the intensity again, Victory continued to control possession and almost immediately levelled the scores when Brimmer and Eli both had shots deflected in the box for a corner.
A raft of changes came in the 78th minute for Victory, with a heavy mix of youth featuring.
It was an arm wrestle for the remainder of the match with both teams trading possession.
Unable to find the back of the net, we fall just short in our final pre-season friendly of the 2023/24 campaign.
Result
Victory 0
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Barbarouses 62’)
Next Match
Isuzu UTE A-League – Round 1
Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Saturday 21 October
Kick-off: 7.45pm (AEST)
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
