WELLINGTON PHOENIX 

 

Lewis Italiano - 5

 

Nothing the keeper could do in the heat of the moment to stop the first goal, although he should’ve positioned himself better to cover his near post for the second. There perhaps wasn’t enough communication on his behalf to defend the goals they conceded.

 

Scott Galloway - 3

 

Showed a good attacking standard in the first half as he assisted Kaludjerovic, but his positioning cost Wellington. Sydney FC’s two first half goals both came from balls in behind his flank as Zullo and Bobo exploited his poor positioning.

 

Daniel Mullen - 4

 

Poor marking for Bobo’s opener, letting the Brazilian out of his sight as he wiggled around him to score. Got himself into a number of sticky situations when holding onto the ball, although it wasn’t all his fault with the lack of movement from his teammates. 

 

Marco Rossi - 4

 

Still can’t contain his aggression - earning himself a yellow card six minutes in - which put him under unnecessary pressure for the duration of the match. Poor communication with his fellow centre-back never allowed them to cope with Sydney’s press.

 

Tom Doyle - 5

 

Was caught too far up the field for the second goal, as he didn’t pick up Mierzejewski on his post for the counter-attack. Despite that it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the full-back. An average performance. 

 

 

Goran Paracki - 4.5

 

Sydney’s midfield were on point today as the Croatian spent the evening nestled in Josh Brillante’s front pocket. Put his body on the line to block Jordy Buijs’ shot in the second half to keep it at 2-1, but besides that he wasn’t influential. 

 

 

Alex Rufer - 4

 

Poor evening from the midfielder. Struggled to deal with Sydney FC’s change of pace and tempo. Caught out as a passenger to Sydney’s marauding attacks. 

 

Matthew Ridenton - 6

 

Good close control of the ball from the 21-year old, who seemed quite calm in the face of O’Neill and Brillante. 

 

Adam Parkhouse - 3.5

 

Had no answers and no life in him, nothing seemed to work for him tonight. If he went to the by-line Zullo closed him down, if he cut in, Ninkovic tracked back to dispossess him. Should have brought the score to 3-2 but hesitated in the box and missed his opportunity. 

 

Michael McGlinchey - 5

 

The most threatening player for Wellington. In the absence of Roy Krishna, McGlinchey needed to step up to the plate and lead the attack. Had a number of successful crosses in the first half but Luke Wilkshire defended astutely to contain the Kiwi international. 

 

 

Andrija Kaludjerovic - 6.5

 

Against the run of play, the moment the ball left his head you knew it was looping over Redmayne. His fifth header out of eight goals this season gave the Nix a lifeline. 

 

Subs

 

Sarpreet Singh - 5

 

Slammed the post only minutes after being introduced to the match and nearly sparked life back into the Phoenix. 

 

Logan Rogerson - N/A

 

Not enough time on the pitch to receive a rating.

 

SYDNEY FC

 

Andrew Redmayne - 6

 

Very calm playing out from the back, beating Wellington’s press on a number of occasions. Redmayne wasn’t miles off his line and shouldn’t be lambasted for Kaludjerovic's goal, and he was busy in the opening moments of the second half with a stinging save from Paracki’s free kick and another Kaludjerovic header. 

 

Michael Zullo - 7.5

 

A spectacular run and an even better low and measured cross to Bobo helped open the scoring for the Sky Blues after 17 minutes. Involved in the build up to the second goal, setting Bobo free who helped Mierzejewski put Sydney two ahead. 

 

Alex Wilkinson - 6.5

 

A confident and professional performance from the centre-back as he joined the likes of Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Matt Mckay to pass 20,000 minutes of A-League football. 

 

Jordy Buijs - 6.5

 

Allowed Kaludjerovic to get in between him and Wilkshire to head in Wellington’s first goal. His cross field sprays to Zullo weren’t as polished as they have been, but defensively he was even-tempered and level-headed. 

 

Luke Wilkshire - 6

 

Comfortable in the first half taking care of Michael McGlinchey. However, in the beginning of the second half the former Socceroo was peppered down his flank, during which he conceded a number of chances that were spurned by Wellington. 

 

Brandon O’Neill - 7.5

 

Took a moment to settle into the match after receiving a slight knock to the knee. Once he got his legs moving he was all over the Phoenix midfield, with a flawless tackle success rate. Won possession in midfield before streaming forward, gaining a secondary assist for the third goal. 

 

Josh Brillante - 7

 

A quiet but potent performance from the Bundaberg man. His distribution wasn’t as slick as it has been, but he was impressive in pressing the Phoenix back line and denying Goran Paracki’s ability to control the match. 

 

Milos Ninkovic - 6.5

 

The Johnny Warren Medalist returned to the starting XI for the first time since the FFA Cup Final in November. Terrific one-two between he and Zullo helped the build up to the second goal. Was replaced by David Carney and perhaps we’ll need another week before he’s back to his best. 

 

Alex Brosque - 6.5

 

The Sydney skipper couldn’t make it three goals in three matches, although he was as important as ever stretching the Phoenix back line, particularly in the first half when the Nix looked vulnerable. Ultimately, Brosque was the perfect weapon to open up the heavens. 

 

Adrian Mierzejewski - 7.5

 

An exquisite ball over the top of Scott Galloway allowed Michael Zullo to assist the first goal. Helped the Sky Blues go two ahead only moments later as Bobo crossed to the far post, and a first time finish saw the Pole score his sixth goal of the season. Returned the favour to the Brazilian by assisting the third.

 

 

Bobô - 9

 

A perfect hat-trick to send the Brazilian to the top of the scoring charts. He hit one with his right from Zullo’s cross, one from his left from Mierzejewski’s cut-back, and his header was meeting Carney’s cross at the back post, which plunged the dagger into the Nix.

 

Racked up another assist as well, taking his tally to 13 scoring contributions for Sydney FC in 13 matches. A true poacher’s performance.

 

Subs

 

David Carney - 6.5

 

Assisted Bobo’s third of the night with a delightful in swinging ball to the back post. 

 

Charles Lokoli-Ngoy - N/A

 

Came on with two minutes remaining and didn’t have enough play time to receive a rating.