They huffed, they puffed and for the best part of 90 minutes, they outplayed Melbourne Victory on their own patch, but Wellington Phoenix couldn’t quite blow AAMI Park down.
Mandi Sosa
The Spaniard’s hospital pass to give away the second goal was his last involvement in the game, dragged for Sarpreet Singh, and it was easy to see why.
Mandi consistently failed to find an open Max Burgess or David Williams between the lines, passing backwards and sideways without seeing the opportunity. Wellington’s deep midfield pairing were competent defensively, but deeply underwhelming in possession
He hardly covered himself in glory with his exaggerated playacting, either – prompting a short-lived scuffle with Niedermeier after the big German attempted rather clumsily to drag him up onto his feet.
Michal Kopczynski
The Polish midfielder-turned-defender spent most of the game on thin ice, getting himself booked for a cynical foul on Barbarouses when the Kiwi was headed nowhere threatening.
Kopczynski was a weak link in an otherwise well-oiled Wellington outfit, and seemed intent on giving himself the early shower he so richly deserved.
A second yellow card for an apparent elbow on Toivonen nearly sparked an altercation in the tunnel, and Kopczynski may very well be retrospectively sanctioned for his role as instigator.
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