LIVE COMMENTARY (Be sure to refresh your browser)
Wellington Phoenix - 1 3 - Sydney FC
FULLTIME - Check out a full wrap here.
90 mins - GOAL SYDNEY FC - Buhagiar through on goal again. This time Marinovic stays, saves the first but it rebounds directly for the sub to finish with a deft chip into goal.
88 mins - GOAL SYDNEY FC - Davila's pass is intercepted a lovely through ball put ahead for Trent Buhagiar. Marinovic chooses to come out of the box and attack the ball but he can't get a hand to it, and the Sydney FC players puts it away clinically.
84 mins - Davila's shot ricochets from the edge of the box, off Gary Hooper and into the back of the net. But the assistant has his flag up, offside is called. Replays suggest it was marginal, at the very best. VAR may have awarded that one. Sydney FC very lucky.
82 mins - Phoenix chasing the winner, Ball with Fenton open in the box but his pass is too strong.
76 mins - GOAL SYDNEY FC - Penalty Sydney! Davila tries to control a ball right on the edge of the box, it bounces off his body and into his arm but the ref awards the shot. Very hard done by there is the Mexican, but he had time to control it and took an unnecessary bounce. Le Fondre goes low to the left of Marinovic and we're all tied up. (1-1)
71 mins - Triple sub for Sydney now, bringing out all of the stops as the rain starts to pour.
68 mins - Piscopo exits after a great shift, weapons Gary Hooper and Ulises Davila are in.
65 mins - GOAL PHOENIX - Penalty given! Cace pursuing the ball before it rolled for a goal kick and he's brought down. Referee points to the spot. Piscopo steps up and fires one low and left to put the Phoenix ahead. (1-0)
61 mins - Sydney with some delightful short passing leading into the Wgtn area. Corner cleared, Wgtn break back. Steinmann with a great run, crosses low into the box but they can't get a shot on target.
57 mins - Piscopo whips a shot on the angle, collected by the keeper. Le Fondre and Barbarouses swing back, work the one-two and the shot is inhaled by Marinovic.
56 mins - Caceres' shot deflected for a corner. Punched away by Marinovic.
54 mins - Sydney eventually regather, break back themselves. Game opening up now.
52 mins - Sydney with a corner. Wgtn defence holds and then counters, Piscopo's shot deflected for a corner.
50 mins - Piscopo with some inventive play, dribblers clear of two defenders but can't get a shot off. Wgtn starting the brighter of the two starts in the second half.
47 mins - Davila warming up on the sidelines now. He won't be far off.
46 mins - Early half chance for Wgtn, half-hearted strike from Rufer well wide.
Second half underway...
HALFTIME
46 mins - Wgtn with one last crack from a corner. Ball pinballs around the box and is finally booted clear to end the half.
43 mins - Foul on Barbarouses right on the edge of the box. Chance for Sydney here. Brattan up to the plate again, Marinovic reads it well and tips it over the crossbar.
42 mins - Cross floated into the Wgtn box, surprises both sides before being hastily cleared by Taylor.
38 mins - Rufer goes into a challnge with his foot ell up and studs high. Sydney players aren't happy about it, in for a quick 'how's your father?'. Rufers is dealt a yellow card.
36 mins - Sydney with a free kick from 20yds out. Brattan cracks a skidder through the wall and safely wide of the goal.
33 mins - Bit of niggle out there between these two sides as both chase some sort of advantage.
28 mins - Piscopo with some room to move, unleashes a shot that skies high over the Sydney crossbar.
24 mins - Wgtn able to secure possession and work through the middle. Danger cleared.
22 mins - Luke Devere steers wide a Le Fondre shot that comes perilously close to an own goal. Corner kick Sydney. Free kick awarded to Sydney. Brattan tries to catch Marinovic napping, tapped clear for another corner.
16 mins - Hectic period of attack from Sydney FC, who have a shot blocked and are then denied by a fantastic save by Wgtn keeper Marinovic. Corner falls to safety for the Phoenix.
13 mins - Barbarouses crosses to the keeper and Wgtn go quickly, Rufer brought down. Messy back pass by Sydney and Wgtn have their third corner. Rufer gets hold of a rebound and his shot comes straight off the Sydney defender's arm. Cries of handball, but no VAR here tonight.
10 mins - Patient and methodical build-up play from Sydney, as their first half chance rolls clear of the left post.
8 mins - More attacking ball for Wgtn. Fenton's cross parried clear and Sydney start to string some passes together into midfield.
5 mins - Rufer can't quite latch on to the ball into the box and it's wide of the posts. But it's a very encouraging start here for the Kiwi team.
4 mins - Goalkeeper takes the corss comfortably. But Wgtn swing back on attack after an intercept, ball deflected for another Wgtn corner.
3 mins - Greasy conditions in Sydney tonight, a lot of rain before kickoff. Fenton on the right flank, cross whipped in and cleared for a Wgtn corner.
1 min - And the A-League is officially back underway! Early free kick opportunity for the Phoenix after a sloppy foul. Ball swung in but Syndey manage to clear the danger.
We're underway...
9:25pm - Here's the matchday squad for the Phoenix.
Betting odds:
Phoenix- $4.20 Draw - $3.50 Sydney FC - $1.83
Pre-match banter
Phoenix coach dismisses threat of A-League relocation
There's some respite ahead for the Wellington Phoenix, when the A-League season finally resumes this week, after its COVID-19 enforced suspension.
With just over 48 hours to go before the restart, the draw has been changed to accommodate the three Victorian sides, which have just started a fortnight's quarantine in New South Wales.
As a result, the Phoenix's final regular season game has been pushed back, meaning they'll play their last six round-robin matches in 28 days, rather than 24.
But coach Ufuk Talay is unfazed by the adjustment and the task at hand remains essentially unchanged.
"We still have to play our six games, whether that was done in two-and-a half weeks or three weeks is, for me, it's irrelevant.
"I think we've got the depth in the squad and we're going to have to rely on everybody to get through these six games."
The Phoenix face top-of-the-table Sydney FC in the first game back on Friday night and Talay says his troops are raring to go after a long four-week camp, which doubled as quarantine.
"We go to training, we come back and we’re at the hotel for the rest of the day. The boys are in their own spaces or in their rooms, we come together for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we come together on the park.
"It's not easy, but at the same time, we know what we need to sacrifice to get over the line at the end of the season."
Despite the inevitable monotony, Talay believes his side's in "good spirits" leading into their first game since March 15.
But the team faces further turmoil, with the increased COVID-19 spike in NSW threatening to force a move interstate, although Talay is taking it all in stride.
"At this stage, we’re planning to play the games in New South Wales, but if things need to change, as coaches, we’re very adaptable and our players have adapted as well," he notes.
"If we need to change, we'll change, but at the moment, our focus is on playing the games here."
