Football: Wellington Phoenix go down to Sydney FC in A-League opener
2 Jan, 2021 08:10 AM
3 minutes to read
Sydney FC 2
Wellington Phoenix 1
Two eye-catching long-range strikes have seen Sydney FC beat the Wellington Phoenix 2-1 in their A-League season-opener at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
Hosting the defending champions at their temporary home, Wellington went away empty-handed after goal-of-the-season contenders from teenaged debutant Calem Nieuwenhof and 197-game veteran Luke Brattan.
New signing Mirza Muratovic scored on debut for the Phoenix, but despite a period of concerted pressure following the introduction of marquee striker Tomer Hemed and captain Ulises Davila with 30 minutes left, Wellington were unable to find an equaliser. Wellington had the ball in the net in injury time, but Davila s shot had deflected off Hemed who was in an offside position.
Mexican star Ulises Davila, left, will lead Wellington Phoenix this season.
Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay is aiming high in his second year in charge of New Zealand s only professional football club despite relocating to Australia.
Phillip Rollo reports. Will it help or hinder Wellington Phoenix to be based out of Wollongong, 2221km from home, for the duration of the 2020-21 A-League season? Coach Ufuk Talay is unsure. It is a question he has been wondering himself ahead of an unprecedented second year in charge of New Zealand’s only professional football club. On one hand, players and staff – and their families – have uprooted their lives to relocate to another country and will not get to play in front of their ardent supporters at Sky Stadium. But on the other, their travel has been significantly reduced and they will be better acclimated to the intense Australian heat.