A-League 2020: Jets finish season on a high as Phoenix lose chance of a top-two finish
A top-two berth has eluded Wellington Phoenix after a 3-0 loss to the Newcastle Jets.
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Wellington Phoenix blew their chance of a top-two finish when they were beaten 3-0 by Newcastle at Jubilee Stadium on Thursday night.
Needing a win to have any hope of leapfrogging second-placed Melbourne City on the A-League ladder, the Phoenix failed to make the most of their early dominance as they crumbled late to suffer their ninth defeat of the season.
A top-two finish would have meant the Phoenix only had to win one game in the upcoming top-six playoffs to reach the grand final.
But they now are in danger of slipping to fourth spot if the in-form Western United win their final two games of the regular season against Premier’s Plate winners Sydney FC and Melbourne City.
Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay was a frustrated figure during the match, with his side having at least three genuine shouts for penalties knocked back by referee Alireza Faghani.
For the Jets, the win – which was secured via goals from Nick Fitzgerald, substitute Bernie Ibini and Jason Hoffman – lifted them to an eighth-placed finish and continued their impressive recent form under coach Carl Robinson.
“It’s amazing what belief and confidence does for players,” Robinson said.
“They’ve done themselves a lot of good, a lot of the players ... we’re only scratching the surface.”
Robinson gave teenage goalkeeper Noah James his A-League debut, and he made the most of his chance, impressing in the first half with three saves.
The first was in the eighth minute when he tipped a goal-bound Callan Elliot strike over the bar.
James didn’t know much about his next save six minutes later but it was still effective as his head got in the way of a Matti Steinmann header from point-blank range.
The 19-year-old gloveman again showed his worth on the half-hour mark when he dived smartly to his right to deny Phoenix striker David Ball.
The Phoenix were made to pay for their failure to make the most of their chances when the Jets took the lead against the run of play on the stroke of half-time.
It was a superb team goal, with the move starting in the Jets’ own penalty area and including 22 passes before being finished by Fitzgerald, whose shot took a deflection off Wellington defender Luke DeVere on its way past goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic.
With their confidence up, the Jets continued to attack early in the second half, and it was only a great save from Marinovic in the 48th minute that denied Dimitri Petratos’ doubling Newcastle’s lead.
The woodwork saved the Phoenix 15 minutes later when an Angus Thurgate shot from a Jason Hoffman cross hit the post.
But with the Phoenix pushing forward, the floodgates opened for the Jets, who doubled their lead through a sizzling Ibini strike in the 76th minute.
Hoffman sealed the win with Newcastle’s third goal three minutes later.
Phoenix coach Talay said the scoreline did not reflect the game.
“I don’t think it was a 3-0 game,” Talay said.
“I’m proud of the boys, proud of the commitment and the intent of the players, just disappointed with the outcome of losing 3-0.”
Talay said his thoughts on the performance of referee Faghani were “irrelevant”.
“We can talk about the referee all day and all night, to be honest,” he said.
“But at the end of the day we lost the game 3-0. We’ll look at it, the players will learn from it, and prepare for the finals.”
Originally published as A-League 2020: Jets finish season on a high as Phoenix lose chance of a top-two finish