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Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay has urged his players to rise to the level of captain in form Ulises Dávila after suffering his third loss of the season.
Phoenix were defeated 2-1 by reigning A-League champions Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium on Monday night to remain in 11th place after All Whites forward Kosta Barbarouses found his finishing touch for score twice against his old club.
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Wellington Phoenix’s Cameron Devlin appealed for a foul in the run-up to Sydney FC’s first goal in a 2-1 A-League win.
Barbarouses hadn’t scored in open play in nearly a year, but he emphatically rediscovered his goalscoring mojo to punish the profligate Phoenix, who edged Sydney 20-7 but managed only four shots on target.
The Phoenix have not defeated Sydney since December 2018 and surprisingly they have never won a game played on a Monday in 12 attempts.
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“This game is about being clinical in front of goal, because it is a very close game against Sydney FC, always,” Talay said after the game.
Encouraged by the support of a cohort of Mexicans present, Davila was easily Phoenix’s most dangerous player during the 90 minutes and found plenty of space between the defensive lines.
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Sydney forward, Kosta Barbarouses, center, celebrates after scoring the opening goal.
The former Chelsea signing scored a back one for Phoenix when he scored from a deflected shot in injury time, bringing his season goal count to three. Dávila also rang the crossbar shortly after halftime.
The Phoenix came agonizingly close to a dramatic draw, but substitute Louis Fenton’s header could only graze the top of the crossbar in the later stages.
“We trust all of our players to create opportunities and I thought Uli played a good game. [He] created many shooting opportunities.
“We hit the post twice in the game, but a lot of the other players need to step up as well.
“Is it a concern? A little. But the main thing is that we are in the right areas. If we weren’t in those areas, I think it would be a big concern.
“But we are there and we are there and I think it will come to one of those games where they click and are clinical, and that could be a great marker.”
The Phoenix suffered a major blow in the first half when key midfielder Cameron Devlin was hit hard to the knee and had to be retired, despite the player’s anxiety to keep playing.
Talay said it was too early to know if Devlin would not be available for Phoenix’s next game, against the leading Central Coast Mariners in Wollongong on Sunday.
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Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne finishes off a David Ball shot.
Forward Tomer Hemed also came out at halftime after complaining of tightness.
“Cammy is one of those who doesn’t want to come off, so obviously it must have been painful for us to take it off.
“First, we’ll see where it is in the next 24-48 hours, and then we’ll make a call from there.”
Monday’s result has left Phoenix penultimate in the table with just one win in its first five games, only overshadowing Melbourne Victory in goal difference.
Sydney FC 2 (Kosta Barbarouses 32 ‘, 65’) Wellington Phoenix 1 (Ulises Davila 90 + 3 ‘)
HT: 1-0
