Wellington Phoenix beat Perth Glory in seven-goal thriller to reclaim top spot

At CommBank Stadium, Parramatta: Wellington Phoenix 4 (Kosta Barbarouses 29’ 73’, Alex Rufer 45+2’, Tim Payne 57’) Perth Glory 3 (Adam Taggart 7’, Aleksandar Šušnjar 50’, Jarrod Carluccio 70’) HT: 2-1

Wellington Phoenix have reclaimed the general lead within the A-League Males after beating Perth Glory in a seven-goal thriller in Parramatta on Sunday night time.

Key man Kosta Barbarouses led the way in which with one other well-taken double, persevering with his searing kind in entrance of purpose, because the Phoenix overcame an early deficit to say a surprising 4-3 win at CommBank Stadium.

The end result noticed the Phoenix leapfrog Melbourne Victory into first place on win depend, organising a blockbuster conflict between the competitors’s top-two groups again in Wellington on Friday night time.

The Kiwis got here to the fore for the Phoenix on the ultimate night time of Unite Spherical, with the objectives shared between New Zealand internationals Barbarouses (two), Alex Rufer and Tim Payne.

The scorers all mixed on the match-winner, a well-worked purpose scored by Barbarouses within the 73rd minute, to proceed the Phoenix’s current dominance in opposition to Perth.

Rufer performed Payne down the best with a diagonal go that break up two defenders and Barbarouses made an ungainly end look straightforward when he put his studs by way of the ball at knee top to fit dwelling the winner.

The Phoenix have now gone 9 video games with out defeat in opposition to the Glory.

Barbarouses’s brace took his season purpose tally to eight and he turned simply the third participant in Phoenix historical past to attain in 5 consecutive matches, tying the document held by Oskar Zawada and Tomer Hemed.

The Phoenix got here into Unite Spherical on a two-game winless run they usually received off to a rocky begin when Perth opened the scoring by way of Socceroos striker Adam Taggart’s bullet header within the seventh minute.

However the reborn Barbarouses drew the Phoenix stage with a assured end within the twenty ninth minute, chopping inside Jacob Muir and firing the ball previous Cam Cook dinner with a left-footed striker on the close to put up.

After seizing management of the match, the Phoenix grabbed the lead on the cusp of halftime by way of an unlikely supply.

Captain Alex Rufer scored for simply the third time in his skilled profession when he rifled the ball into the underside left nook from long-range.

The Phoenix appealed for a penalty when Bozhidar Kraev was pushed over within the field however Nicholas Pennington performed to the whistle and when Perth’s defence switched off and teed up Rufer on the sting of the world.

Perth struck first within the second half when Aleksandar Šušnjar produced a purpose of the season contender within the fiftieth minute.

The large centre-back charged by way of midfield and launched a rocket from distance excessive of Phoenix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen.

Barbarouses arrange the Phoenix’s third, sprinting down the left wing and squaring a ball again for Payne to thump dwelling after the go evaded the preliminary goal, David Ball.

Perth’s Jarrod Carluccio made it 3-3 with 20 minutes to go when he snuck in between Sam Sutton and Bozhidar Kraev and blasted the ball previous Paulsen.

However after buying and selling punches all through the match, the Phoenix lastly landed the knockout blow when Rufer despatched Payne sprinting down the best and he whipped in a cross for Barbarouses to faucet dwelling.

Within the kind he’s in, Barbarouses was by no means going to overlook from point-blank vary.

Up subsequent

Wellington will host 1 v 2 within the A-League Males on Friday night time with the Phoenix taking up Melbourne Victory in a mouth-watering conflict at Sky Stadium. The Phoenix performed out a 1-1 draw of their final assembly in opposition to the Victory regardless of failing to register a single shot throughout the 90 minutes.