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The ten-man Wellington Phoenix was beaten 2-0 by the A-League leaders Central Coast Mariners after English forward David Ball was sent off for a reckless challenge on Matt Simon within the first half hour, further depleting his attack actions.
To make matters worse, they conceded a penalty five minutes into the second half and lost center-backs Joshua Laws and Luke DeVere to injuries, compounding a miserable night for the humble Phoenix.
With forwards Tomer Hemed and Jaushua Sotirio already out of the game, the last thing Phoenix needed was for Ball to slide up when he challenged Simon for the ball in the 27th minute of their Valentine’s Day match at WIN Stadium on Sunday.
Mark Evans / Getty Images
Referee Daniel Elder shows a direct red card to Phoenix forward David Ball after a reckless challenge.
Despite Ball’s bewilderment when referee Daniel Elder reached into his pocket and brandished a red card, he was rightly shown his marching orders and will now miss Phoenix’s next game, against Western Sydney Wanderers next Sunday, by suspension.
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“Playing with 10 men for 60 minutes doesn’t help,” said coach Ufuk Talay. “But I thought the red card was a red card to be honest.
“We started well, we got into good areas and we didn’t capitalize again, as we normally do. Then going down to 10 men made it difficult.
“In the second half I went to a tactical change to put more pressure on the ball and I thought so, but even so they created opportunities from our mistakes.”
Backup defender Hudson-Wihongi Care had a rough night.
He was caught when a pass from Marco Urena from behind allowed Simon to open the scoring in the 40th minute, and he conceded a penalty early in the second half when he dropped Daniel de Silva in the box.
Mark Evans / Getty Images
Captain Oliver Bozanic converts a penalty in the second half to double the Central Coast lead.
Mariners captain Oliver Bozanic made no mistake with his shot from point of view, launching a powerful effort toward the roof of the net to double his lead.
The Phoenix ended the game with a pair of inexperienced central defenders Hudson-Wihongi and Liam McGing after DeVere was replaced shortly after requiring treatment on the field, adding to the growing injured list.
Marinovic avoided further embarrassment by making a crucial leg save to deflect Simon midway through the second half, but the Phoenix rarely threatened one less man.
Substitute Mirza Muratovic took his best chance by spraying out of goal, but was nevertheless marked for offside.
Ruan Tongyik should have made it 3-0 in the 90th minute, but the Mariners center-back couldn’t find his goal at close range.
Sunday’s result extended the high-flying Mariners’ lead at the top of the table to four points and gave Phoenix its fourth loss in six games. They are now 14 points off the pace.
The Phoenix were originally scheduled to play in last place, Melbourne Victory, on Wednesday, but that game was postponed until February 24 in response to Victoria’s five-day lockdown.
Central Coast Sailors 2 (Matt Simon 40 ‘, Oliver Bozanic pen-50’) Wellington Phoenix 0
HT: 1-0
