The Wellington Phoenix have ridden into Melbourne and stolen a point and possibly a home final off the Melbourne Heart.
An 80th minute goal by Paul Ifill, sealed the draw for the Phoenix, who were dominated in the first half by the Heart but matched them blow for blow in the second. The only thing stopping Ifill's shot from landing in Devonport before the Spirit of Tasmania was the back of the net.
It was lovely lead up play down the left hand side by the Phoenix, which found a free Ifill in the middle of the park. His shot went between the legs of a sliding Simon Colosimo and beat Clint Bolton, who honestly had no chance of getting near it, on the near post.
The first half was clearly dominated by a Melbourne Heart hungry for the 3 points that might have secured them a home final. But that was not to be.
The bulk of the chances came through the in form striker, Eli Babalj, who had more chances to shoot than the former Iraqi Firing squad. After all those chances, Babalj scored the first goal of the match, in the 32nd minute, finishing surprisingly with his head. Mate Dugandzic earned a free kick which he took from the right hand side and than found Babalj on the far post. The goal now makes Babalj the all time lead goal scorer for the club with 9 goals.
The first half was a fiery affair. This came to a head when Andrew Durante in the 40th minute tackled Jonathan Germano and an all in brawl ensued. All on the ground viewed Manny Muscat running in and fish hooking the face of Mate Dugandzic.
Yellow cards were issued to Durante for the tackle and Dugandzic and Sigmund for their part in the brawl. Muscat's actions did not draw the attention of any of the four officials, but may draw the attention of the match review panel early in the week.
The second half was more evenly matched with both sides creating chances but they could not find the target except for Ifill. The Phoenix have mastered the art of counter attacking football, with at times only having the one player not behind the ball. But this style of play suits them well, especially playing away from home.
The Heart on the other hand, found plenty of space whenever they burst through the midfield of the Phoenix, but every time the player went to make that final pass, they would hold up the ball for too long, causing the attacking players to stop their runs or come back from an offside position.
The 1 point result for the Phoenix solidifies their spot in the Top Three with a chance to host two finals before having the meet the loser of first and second. The Heart hang on to the fifth spot with the hope that the Melbourne Victory will put Sydney to the sword which will all but guarantee them a spot in the finals.