| HARBOURSPORT |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| A-LEAGUE |
| Wellington and Perth faced off at Westpac Stadium with both sides needing a win to maintain their finals hopes, but in the end both sides would go home disappointed after a 1-1 draw. In a free-flowing game, where both sides moved the ball up and down the pitch, physical contact was rare and not one yellow card was issued through the entire match. But for all the attacking opportunities created by both sides, finishing was a struggle for both teams, and it wasn't until 15 minutes to go that the deadlock was eventually broken. Wellington were unable to clear a cross, and instead the ball spilled to Eugene Dadi, who volleyed home the scoring attempt; putting the Glory ahead. But their lead was to be short-lived, with Glory keeper Velaphi making a spectacular diving save to deny Leo Bertos, only for the ball to spill to Tony Brown, who added the score before the keeper was able to get back on his feet. Both sides pressed for the winner, and the Phoenix had a golden opportunity shortly before the final whistle, but another save by Velaphi denied him. 1-1 the final score. Wellington Phoenix 1 (T Brown 83) Perth Glory 1 (E Dadi 76). Yellow Cards : Phoenix - Nil. Glory - Nil. Referee - S Delovski. Crowd - 6,362 at Westpac Stadium. A strike from Dylan Macallister gave the Mariners an early lead in their derby against Sydney FC, one of the few highlights of an uninspiring first half. But the game sprung to life after the break, with both sides creating opportunities. And shortly after the hour, Sydney marquee John Aloisi was brought down in the box and a penalty was awarded. Aloisi's first attempt missed, but the referee ruled the penalty would be taken again and the second go saw Aloisi make no mistake. As the clock ticked into injury time, the match looked set to be locked at 1-1. Steve Corica had a golden chance to put Sydney FC in front, with the keeper out of position, but his shot sailed just over the crossbar. Down the field went the Mariners, with the clock now in injury time. Iain Fyfe brought down Dylan Macallister in the area, and referee Peter Green had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Despite the protests of the Sydney FC supporters, who took the decision badly and threw bottles on the pitch, the decision stood. Mile Jedinak stepped up to the spot, made no mistake, and the Mariners had taken out a 2-1 victory to jump over Sydney into the top 4. Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from this game. Central Coast Mariners 2 (D Macallister 11, M Jedinak 90pen) Sydney FC 1 (J Aloisi 65pen). Yellow Cards : Mariners - D Vukovic 63, P Bojic 64. Sydney - S Cole 90, I Fyfe 90. Referee - P Green. Crowd - 11,220 at Bluetongue Stadium. |
| ROUND 16 FIXTURES Friday 19th December Wellington Phoenix v Central Cst Mariners (Westpac Stadium, 5:30pm) Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory (Energy Australia Stadium, 8:00pm) Sunday 21st December Sydney FC v Perth Glory (Sydney Football Stadium, 5:00pm) Adelaide United v Queensland Roar - Postponed to 14th January ROUND 17 FIXTURES Friday 26th December Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners (Energy Australia Stadum, 8:00pm) Perth Glory v Adelaide United (Members Equity Stadium, 10:00pm) Saturday 27th December Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC (Telstra Dome, 7:00pm) Sunday 28th December Queensland Roar v Wellington Phoenix (Suncorp Stadium, 7:00pm) All times shown are Sydney time |
| Defending champions Newcastle needed a win to get off the bottom of the table, and got the start they wanted after 26 minutes when Joel Griffiths was first on the scoresheet, pouncing on a pinpoint pass from Jobe Wheelhouse before striking the ball into the corner of the Queensland net. Queensland youngster Mitch Nichols put the Roar back on level terms in injury time, with a precision header that Jets keeper Ante Covic had no answer to. And in the 70th minute, the Roar gained the upper hand when Wheelhouse's second booking saw the Jets a man down for the remainder of the match. Injury time at the end was again to be decisive, with Queensland veteran Danny Tiatto setting up Sergio van Dijk, with van Dijk jumping in the air to make the strike that powered into the corner of the net. The Roar now find themselves only outside the top 2 on points difference, although Adelaide have a game in hand after their match against Melbourne Victory was postponed. Queensland Roar 2 (M Nichols 45, S van Dijk 90) Newcastle Jets 1 (J Griffiths 26). Yellow Cards : Roar - D Tiatto 29. Jets - J Wheelhouse 11,70, J North 71. Red Cards : Jets - J Wheelhouse 70. Referee - B Williams. Crowd - 11,048 at Suncorp Stadium. Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United - Postponed due to Adelaide's participation in the World Club Championships. |
|