Brisbane Roar make the arduous trip across to Tasman in preparation to meet the in-form Wellington Phoenix. We’ll have live scores and commentary prior to the kick-off at 3.00pm AEDT.
Westpac Stadium has been a fortress in recent time for the Phoenix but Ange Postecoglou’s side will head into the match sitting third on the table, one point adrift of the Phoenix, having upset the high flying Mariners last week,
Wellington will welcome back Maltese international Vince Lia who replaces Manny Muscat after the newly announced father picked up his fifth yellow card in the team’s 2-1 victory over Adelaide.
Lia will likely slot back into the right-back position, however the versatile twenty-six year old will give manager Ricki Herbert an option up the field depending on the situation.
Brisbane will again be missing the services of Rocky Visconte, Mitch Nichols and Matt Jurman who are still on international duty with the under-23 side.
This afternoon’s clash could very well be decided by the marksman that is able to capitalise in front of goal for his side.
Paul Ifill again looms as the key player for the Phoenix. Brisbane will need to be on high alert at the back with the Phoenix midfield looking to exploit the defence along with Ifill.
If Besart Berisha can keep his emotion in check, the temperamental striker will prove to be handful for the visitors.
As the lead-in to the A-League finals intensifies and the chasing pack continue to gain ground, every point will be vital in the chase for second spot and with second up against third here, we could be in for a genuine finals rehearsal.
Who gets the jump in the race for the finals? It’s Sunday afternoon A-League action from Wellington, and we’ll have it all covered with comprehensive commentary of the game. Join us from 2.30pm AEDT for pre-match discussion and analysis and if you’re following, don’t hesitate to post your thoughts below.
Moing
Guest
coeby
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
Brisbane will leapfrog Wellington into second place and with Wellington travelling to Bluetonuge next week for a clash with the ladder leaders, Brisbane will be confident they can hold off the Phoenix as we close in on post-season action. Wellington only have themselves to blame after conceding 17 fouls, 4 of which resulted in yellow cards. Ricki Hebert was happy for his side to sit back and defend while Brisbane pressed, but Ifill was dragged horribly out of position and limited Wellington's options in front of goal. For Brisbane, they made good use of the wings and had the luxury of two versatile full-backs who pitched in their fair share of work up the field. The goal from Berisha came off the back of some great passing and capped off with a fantastic ball from Erik Paartalu. Leo Bertos had to cast the role of a striker almost and looked inept in front of goal. I've touched on it before, but Herbert's approach to this contest was questionable. The generally free-following style of football we've grown accustom to was no where to be seen. As mentioned, Wellington head to the Central Coast on the 18th for their clash with the Mariners while Brisbane play host to the Melbourne Victory on the 18th as welll. Well that concludes the Roar's live commentary coverage of the game today, be sure to keep a close eye on the Gold Coast vs Adelaide game live blog. http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/02/12/gold-coast-united-vs-adelaide-united-a-league-live-scores/ Thanks for joining me, I hope you enjoyed the coverage.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'94 FULL TIME. BRISBANE 2 - WELLINGTON 0 Tim Brown may aruge the card, but no one can argue the result of the match. Brisbane were the better of the sides and the result justifies their dominance.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'93 Brisbane still looking to score, Berisha looks hungry for a second.. In contrast, Wellington look shot, they would like to put this contest behind them. YELLOW CARD show to Tim Brown, He will be suspended for next weeks game.. Things are just going sour for Ricki Herberts men.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'89 Nichols strike on goal slams into the back of a Wellington defender, almost an identical finish as the previous goal. 4 minutes of time will be added.
Mischa
Guest
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
Stu, I must revert to your comment earlier today, "I hope Nichols doesn’t play, I want Brisbane to win". I'm interested to here your thoughts on him now ;) haha
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'87 Ivan Franjic concedes a free kick for tripping Daniel. Wellington will need a miracle in order to gain any kind of result from this match..
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'86 A shot from Broich hits the top of the cross bar and back into play, cleared by the Wellington defense.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'84 THEOKLITOS! Again denies Wellington, Ifill on the ball just outside the box, only the shot-stopper to beat but again Theoklitos is in the way.. Ifill should have done better there.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'81 GOAAAAAL! MITCH NICHOLS THE SUBSTITUTE! A fantastic strike by the under-23 international who replaced Fiztgerald. A crisp strike, Brisbane didn't account for his services today but will be very glad with that strike! Brisbane 2 - Wellington 0
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'79 Perfectly measured pass to Murdocca in the area, his pass across goal is dangerous, but no one is home for Brisbane. Great play by Brisbane!
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'76 Play has stopped momentarily as Ben Sigmund recieves treatment on what looks to be a hamstring injury. Ricki Herbert has signalled for a substitution and it's Pavlovic who will replace him.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'74 OOOOH SO CLOSE! Wellington pressing again, Sanchez crosses the ball in looking for Tim Brown, Theoklitos came out looking to punch the ball clear, he missed and the ball was almost turned into their own net by a Brisbane defender.. Crowd today: 13,009
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'70 Sigmund sliding in hard draws a foul on Adnan. Adnan will take the free kick. He fires the ball into the Wellington wall but Brisbane will get another chance following a clumspy challenge from Greenacre who sees YELLOW. The following free kick evades the wall but not Paston.
Stu
Guest
And the rolling maul does't work for the Phoenix -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'69 SUBSTITUTION for BRISBANE.. Henrique is replaced by James Meyer. Brisbane 1 - Wellington 0
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'68 Matthew Smith shown a YELLOW CARD for a two-footed sliding tackle on Sanchez, he can count himself a little lucky there..
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
'66 Lochhead with time on the ball down the flank, his cross finds the head of Lia who makes good connection but again Theoklitos is in the way.