18-year-old Sapreet Singh proved it's not all doom and gloom in New Zealand's capital, getting the game off to a flyer by scoring a stunner on his full debut as Wellington impressed early.

Midfield quality eventually won out however, as Perth settled into possession and eventually levelled proceedings through a perfectly-struck Diego Castro free kick. As the match wore on, the midfield was entirely bypassed, and both sides spoiled fantastic opportunities.

Then it all came down to Castro. There's arguably no other A-League player you'd want at the penalty spot to secure three points, but Castro's failed panenka more-or-less summed up Perth's season; attractive, promising, wasted potential. 

Speaking on Foxsports, Archie Thompson pulled no punches in his post-match assessment of Castro's effort. 

"It's a coach killer," he said. "To try that so late in a game, it beggars belief."

To their credit, Phoenix played the final 10 minutes to perfection. The talismanic Roy Krishna sprung to life, driving through a tiring Perth defence to score the winner.