Wellington Phoenix Break 77-Day Stalemate in Dramatic and Controversial Clash with Newcastle

The Wellington Phoenix brought an end to their eight-match winless streak in the Isuzu UTE A-League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Newcastle Jets.

It had been since January 20 that the Phoenix had tasted victory, but they finally secured a long-awaited win at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, thanks to efforts from Kosta Barbarouses and Kazuki Nagasawa.

As the final whistle blew, the Phoenix players let out a collective breath of relief after successfully withstanding a late charge from the Jets.

Newcastle were denied a penalty in the dying moments when Kota Mizunuma was penalised for diving, and Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi made an outstanding save in the 97th minute to thwart a last-gasp equaliser.

Things got hectic before the match kicked off as Jets goalkeeper Noah James sustained an injury during the warm-up after being struck in the head by the ball.

Once the game commenced, the Phoenix dominated possession and created numerous chances.

While Thomas Aquilina nearly opened the scoring for the Jets in the 10th minute, it was Wellington who kept Newcastle’s keeper Ryan Scott busy with their relentless attacking.

A clever backheel from Nagasawa set Sam Sutton free, forcing a save from Scott just six minutes later.

Scott then showcased his skills with a remarkable double save, denying both Scott Wootton and Corbin Piper in the 26th minute, before Lachie Wales made a crucial goal-line clearance to keep Barbarouses at bay moments later.

The Jets were under constant pressure, but they couldn’t stop Barbarouses from striking in the 34th minute. The Wellington veteran broke through Newcastle’s defence, sliding the ball past Scott to notch up the 102nd goal of his illustrious A-Leagues career.

Nagasawa then added a second for the Phoenix just seven minutes later, finishing off a brilliant team move that saw Tim Payne drive into the box before setting up his teammate for a close-range finish.

Clayton Taylor came on after half-time for the Jets and came close to scoring on the hour mark, but his effort went just over the bar after a dazzling run from Eli Adams.

In the 65th minute, an own goal was credited to Oluwayemi after a controversial incident where he felt Aquilina had fouled him. After a VAR review, the goal was upheld, much to Oluwayemi’s chagrin.

This goal energised Newcastle, leading to a frantic scramble in the Wellington penalty area as the visitors fought to regain control. As Paramount+ co-commentator Andy Harper quipped, “cue the Benny Hill music,” with Oluwayemi making frantic saves surrounded by blocked shots, all while the Phoenix held their ground.

The Jets surged forward in search of another goal as a rattled Oluwayemi became their target. Late in the match, Kota and his teammates appealed for a penalty, but the Japanese star received a yellow card for simulation. Following a VAR review on their claim for a penalty, it was determined that Kota was offside in the build-up.