Wellington Phoenix's finest run at the FFA Cup has come to an end, after losing to Melbourne Victory in their semi-final tie on Saturday.
The A-League leaders came back from a goal down to defeat the Phoenix 4-1 at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong.
Late in the first half, English forward Gary Hooper gave the Phoenix the lead and hope of securing a place in their first final in club history, slotting a pin-point first-time ball from Piscopo past Victory goalkeeper Ivan Kelava.
But Victory equalised midway through the second-half, took the lead in the 80th minute and scored a further two goals to secure their place in next Saturday’s FFA Cup decider against Central Coast Mariners.
"Very disappointed but still proud of the boys of what they've achieved with the Cup run," said Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay after the match.
"I thought tactically we did it very well in the first half, we got our goal that we were looking for.
"We defended well. I think we nullified their wingers from hurting us and receiving the ball from facing forward. So tactically, until the 60th minute, we did quite well.
"One thing we lacked was legs towards the back end of the game."
Talay rued the late flurry of goals from the Victory, as the Phoenix, without regulars Tim Payne and Clayton Lewis - absent on All Whites duty - struggled in the late stages of the contest.
"First goal was a shot from outside the box, I thought we could have dealt with it better and then the second one I think we can defend a lot better," he noted.
"And then after that once we were 2-1 down we made a change to try to get back into the game and there was a bit more space for them to exploit.
"The difference between us and them is the depth of the squad, to be honest. They changed their whole front four which changed the game for them."
The Phoenix now turn their attention to their A-League clash with Macarthur FC next Sunday.
Melbourne Victory 4 (Josh Brillante 65', Nick D’Agostino 79', 90', Ben Folami 85') Wellington Phoenix 1 (Gary Hooper 39') HT: 0-1
