The Phoenix forgot their finishing woes just long enough to sneak a 1-0 win over Perth Glory in an often lacklustre match in Wellington on Saturday.
After a goalless first half, both teams looked more willing in the second stanza but it took an 86th-minute bullet header from defender Ben Sigmund to finally break the deadlock.
The Phoenix hung on in a frantic closing five minutes, reduced to 10 in the 90th minute with the sending off of forward Mirjan Pavlovic.
Perth has yet to win a game against the Phoenix in Wellington, but started strongly, looking more likely early on as the Phoenix struggled to retain possession.
In contrast, the home side created very little to trouble former Phoenix keeper Danny Vukovic, now donning the gloves for the Glory, although Chris Greenacre proved elusive down the right.
Striker Paul Ifill, roaming wide, worked hard but the opportunities never really came his way in an increasingly scrappy opening half.
The Phoenix looked disjointed in the transition from defence to attack as the Glory midfield, marshalled by captain Jacob Burns, allowed very little room or time on the ball.
Andrezinho worked hard down the left for the Glory, and former Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz demanded close attention from the Wellington back four.
But the game grew more ill-tempered as half-time approached.
The Phoenix came off second-best, picking up three yellow cards in the space of 10 minutes to Tim Brown, Ifill and Tony Lochhead.
The game flowed only slightly better in the second half, looking destined for a scoreless draw until Sigmund's late finish.
Wellington: 1 (B Sigmund 86')
Perth: 0
AAP
Tags: soccer, sport, new-zealand, perth-6000 First posted December 10, 2011 17:28:55
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