Wellington v Adelaide player ratings

Wellington Phoenix and Adelaide United settled for a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Westpac Stadium on Sunday.

With new faces and coaches, both sides were eager for three points in what proved a tough opener.

New signings for Wellington and Adelaide got themselves on the scoresheet as Dario Vidosic granted his side an early lead before Reds’ Johan Absalonsen grabbed a deserved equaliser.

WELLINGTON PHOENIX

(GK) Keegan SMITH - 6

An incredible story for Wellington as 18-year-old Smith made his debut (and some crucial saves) but looked hesitant at times with his decision-making. A solid performance nonetheless by the young ‘keeper.

Scott GALLOWAY – 7

A great debut for his new club. He threatened, got forward several times and was on top of his defensive duties.

Daniel MULLEN - 6

Solid in defence and did his job most of the time.

Marco ROSSI - 6

Made a few defensive errors and should have been stronger on George Blackwood. Tried to string some passes together but was quiet.

Ali ABBAS - 6

Had a miscommunication error in the box, with Nikola Mileusnic almost capitalising, but also made some great runs as he sped past Reds’ players, and provided some good passes to make up for it.

Goran PARACKI - 7

Wasn’t free enough to make vital balls through, but was good on the ball when he did have it and tried to create. Also broke up a lot of Adelaide’s play and runs through the midfield.

Matthew RIDENTON – 6

Delivered a few dangerous free kicks and was solid at the back for the hosts.

Roy KRISHNA - 8.5

Krishna wore the Captain’s armband in place of Andrew Durante, due to international duties. Playing the role as leader effortlessly, he was tenacious on the wing early, and assisted Vidosic with a cross into the area. With more service, Krishna could have made more of an impact with Vidosic if he was unleashed to do so.

Alex RUFER - 7.5

With Gui Finkler absent, Rufer did well to break forward, providing some good passes and used his body well when he dropped deep.

Dario VIDOSIC - 7

A strong debut for his new blub. Vidosic scored his first in Yellow and Black, as he rose for Krishna’s cross to nod into the back of the net. Wasn’t as involved for the remainder of his time on the field, kept quiet by Adelaide defenders.

Andrija KALUDJEROVIC- 6.5

Mostly unobtrusive, he had a decent effort in the 39th minute and then got himself into good positions in second half, but wasn’t able to make a change to the score-line.

SUBS

Adam Parkhouse, Logan Rogerson and Hamish Watson all came on with not long left, so there wasn’t enough time to give a fair rating.

ADELAIDE UNITED

(GK) Paul IZZO - 6.5

Although he conceded early, Izzo returned to the A-League as a Red again and put in a solid shift in goal having made some great saves that could have seen Wellington win the match. Great distribution allowed his side to create chances.

Michael MARRONE - 7

Great defence on Vidosic to keep him out of the game for the majority of the match, Marrone played his part well to make crucial tackles and string together some decent passes.

Taylor REGAN - 7

Regan was pivotal in defence and provided strength as he won important duels, a workhorse for United in front of Izzo. Unfortunately had to be subbed off due to injury in the second half.

Ersan GÜLÜM -7.5

The new signing had a promising debut and looked sturdy at the back, as well as providing some great balls forward. A no nonsense defender, which is something we will see a lot of during the season.

ISAÍAS – 6.5

The Captain might have looked a little quiet out on the park but provided some effective play and directed the right passes.

Ben GARUCCIO – 8.5

The winger was solid all match and got the ball into good areas, with impressive crosses into the penalty area. Will be an important and a key player for Adelaide United this season.

Daniel ADLUNG – 8.5

The German did well to thwart Wellington’s counter attack and got himself heavily involved with and without the ball whilst he showed class in midfield. A smart and skilful player, well recruited by Marco Kurz.

Karim MATMOUR - 7

The Algerian got on the ball several times and was dangerous with forward runs. He had a good opportunity to win the game for the Reds in injury time, but misguided his header.

Nikola MILEUSNIC - 8.5

He perfectly picked out Absalonsen in the box for the equaliser and was influential to the attack all match. Full of talent, speed and threat, he will be an important player in the Reds’ XI this season.

George BLACKWOOD - 6.5

Looked dangerous with some good efforts on goal, but despite being very direct, he couldn’t make an impact on the scoresheet.

Johan ABSALONSEN – 7.5

The Dane ultimately sealed the point for Adelaide with a neatly directed downward header into goal. He was also quite lively and looked sharp throughout the 90 minutes and always looked to threaten.