Phoenix thumped by Adelaide United

Ufuk Talay
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Wellington Phoenix have fallen to their biggest defeat of the men’s A-League season.

The Phoenix have been beaten 5-1 by Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium in Adelaide, despite having more shots than the Reds and outplaying the hosts for much of the match.

The Nix gifted the hosts the opening goal of the game and trailed 2-0 at halftime after conceding the second from a corner.

Adelaide scored their third early in the second half from another set piece before Wellington captain Alex Rufer pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the 54th minute.

The Reds shut the door on the Phoenix midway little over a quarter of an hour later, scoring two further goals as the Nix pushed for their second.

Head coach Ufuk Talay was left to rue a lack of cutting edge from his side in front of goal.

“I thought we were in control of the game up until that point (Adelaide’s first goal),” Talay told media post-game. “I thought that was the first attack that they really had and we scored an own goal.

“Conceding two set pieces doesn’t help, but overall I thought we played well. We played straight through them at times and we created opportunities.

“Did we have opportunities to score? Definitely we did. Were we clinical as they were? We weren’t tonight and that’s why the result is the way it is.”

Both Kosta Barbarouses and Yan Sasse were denied by the woodwork, with Barbarouses’ miss particularly costly as it would have made it 2-1.

“It’s about taking those chances and being clinical in front of goal. The moments we get into those areas we need to be ruthless and punish teams and tonight we didn’t.

“Conceding the goals the way we did, especially the third one straight after halftime with another set piece from a corner, is disappointing and it’s hard to get yourself back into the game especially away from home against Adelaide.”

Ufuk Talay made just the one enforced change to his starting XI, with Barbarouses replacing Oskar Zawada, who remained in Wellington to await the birth of his first child. All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis and young fullback Sam Sutton were named amongst the substitutes after recovering from injuries.

The A-League takes a week off for international football, with the Wellington Phoenix to resume their season against Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium on Saturday, April 1.