90th-minute equaliser secures Phoenix historic ALW point in Victoria

History suggested the Phoenix stood scant chance of taking anything from Victory on Friday. But then Manaia Elliott’s 90th-minute equaliser reminded us football is still played on grass, not paper.

Sometimes it can be all too tempting to use history as a guide when looking at football matches — there is comfort in the familiar, after all. On occasion, these narratives can be tenuous. Sometimes even frivolous. But now and again, you get something like the history that existed between the A-League Women outfits of Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix, where the prevailing storyline was so obvious it would have been obtuse to ignore it. But then something like Manaia Elliott’s 90th-minute equaliser arrives, securing a 1-1 draw for the Phoenix and demonstrating once again that this is a game played on grass, not paper.

Coming into Friday evening’s meeting at the Home of the Matildas, the Kiwis had never beaten Victory. Going even further, across their seven trips to Victoria since their entry to the A-League Women in the 2021-22 season, they had failed to win a single game – losing by a combined score of 10 to 3 in trips to face Victory, Melbourne City, and Western United in 2023-24. So not only was the prospect of Paul Temple’s side taking something off Victory unlikely given their respective positions on the table – the hosts sitting second on the table and the visitors down in eighth – but it was legitimately without historical precedent.

“We didn't talk about [the record], but someone mentioned it and I was quite surprised at that stat,” said Temple. “These guys have got a fantastic team; a very talented squad with very good players. So you have to show that respect.

“I thought we were very well disciplined, good tactically, good defensively, and we were waiting for our moments. We had quite a few, [we] could have nicked probably another goal before we scored. But I thought we did deserve the goal, and we were brave in that last 10 minutes to take it to them. And we got our award.”

Of course, not knowing what we now know, when Beattie Goad danced into space on the left before squaring the ball to Alana Jancevski in the just third minute, or when she lifted in a cross that was nodded on by Rachel Lowe and bounced into the path of Nikki Flannery at the back post a minute later, it almost felt like it was in keeping with the historically demonstrated plan.

Carolina Vilão, however, must not have been informed of this. Or she wasn’t paying attention when she was, given that the Portuguese keeper produced two superb saves from the shots that arose from these two changes to keep the contest at a stalemate.

On another day, one, or both, of those chances find the net and the game becomes a procession. On a different day, the hosts perhaps use the momentum from those chances to pile on the pressure and, eventually, break the backs of their foe’s resistance. But on this day, those two early efforts gave way to not all that much from Victory, who would go on to monopolise possession across the rest of the half but not to all that much with it against a well-organised Nix defence.

As one might expect, views differed on this approach. Temple felt that after a nervy start, his side settled and even that if they only produced one real chance across the opening 45 minutes – Alyssa Whinham forcing Courtney Newbon into a remarkable save at her near post in the 22nd minute – they controlled the game without the ball. Victory boss Jeff Hopkins, conversely, didn’t think that the Phoenix came to Melbourne to play football.

“We were a little bit wasteful in front of goal,” said Hopkins. “I think there's a couple of real good lessons for us to learn. Teams are sometimes going to come, like Wellington did today, and sit behind the ball, not really try and play any football and try and live off mistakes and maybe the odd counterattack.

“Number one, we've got to be more clinical in front of goal. I think we created enough chances today to win the game, or to be far enough ahead not to have to worry too much.”

But the weight of possession and territory, as well as the class of player at Hopkins’ disposal, eventually was brought to bear enough to find the net. In the 52nd minute, five after Emily Gielnik had turned and stung the palms of Vilão from the side of the penalty area, Ellie Wilson produced a fine, darting down the right flank and drove a low cross in the direction of Flannery. Then, as the winger attempted to turn, she was clipped on the ankle by Wall and went to the ground. As far as penalties go, it was an obvious one and Molly Godsell showed little hesitation in awarding a spot kick that Jancevski duly placed into the bottom corner of the net.

It probably speaks to the form of Vilão, though, that despite the Victory winger putting her effort into a nigh-unsavable shot she managed to get a hand on it anyway, and across the subsequent exchanges she produced a series of saves to keep her side in it as the defences cracked in front of her, denying Claudia Bunge twice and getting enough of a touch to a Gielnik header off a corner to ensure substitute Emma Main could clear it off the goal line.

“They played five across the back and frustrated us through the middle and we were trying hard to switch play,” said Hopkins. “We probably weren't moving the ball quick enough at times and when we did we often found there was a wall of yellow in front of us. They did that really well.

“Half time we talked about a few different movements that would hopefully open them up. And they did. I thought second half, we started the game really well. We got the penalty, which meant then they couldn't just sit back behind the ball, they had to actually come out and try and play some football. And once they did that, I thought we opened them up a fair bit.”

But as time ticked away, eventually came a deserved reward for Vilão, as well as a reward for the Phoenix finding a way to hang on in a game that, in previous years, they would have been long out of but also finish with a furious wet sail; Main, having somehow conspired to miss the target entirely from just six yards out 12 minutes earlier, driving in a cross that found an open Elliott at the back post. Hopkins would remark that his side had perhaps become a bit anxious in the final exchanges and that there was a lesson to be learned from not shutting the door when they had the chance. Yet for the Nix, Elliott’s relatively simple finish belaboured a historic point.

“We are definitely growing,” Temple said. “I said to [the players] after the game there that each week, we're taking really big steps. And they might not be the sexiest steps but they're really important. For a team to be able to compete at the top end of the table, where we want to be, we want to be able to come to these teams and really compete. And I thought we showed that we can do that.

“Defensive resilience and that united team spirit and never giving in is something that we're sort of really trying to work hard on. And I think this is a good reward for us after a top effort.”

Header Image: Paramount