Wellington Phoenix FC vs Melbourne Victory, 2023-24 Australian A-League Men, Semifinals

· 2nd Leg - Melbourne Victory advance 2-1 on aggregate

Wellington Phoenix FC

90'+9': Oskar Zawada

FT - ET
1 - 2
2nd Leg - Melbourne Victory advance 2-1 on aggregate

Melbourne Victory

81': Adama Traoré
102': Christopher Ikonomidis

Ikonomidis winner sends Victory into ALM grand final

Melbourne Victory are into the A-League Men grand final after a semi-final win for the ages, with Chris Ikonomidis' extra-time goal defying Wellington Phoenix.

Match Commentary

0': Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
0': First Half begins.
3': Foul by Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix).
3': Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick on the right wing.
5': Attempt missed. Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Jason Geria with a cross.
5': Foul by Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory).
5': Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
6': Attempt saved. Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ben Old.
6': Offside, Wellington Phoenix. Kosta Barbarouses is caught offside.
13': Foul by Sam Sutton (Wellington Phoenix).
13': Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
14': Delay in match because of an injury Alex Paulsen (Wellington Phoenix).
15': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
16': Attempt blocked. Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nishan Velupillay.
17': Attempt missed. Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Kosta Barbarouses.
18': Bozhidar Kraev (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
18': Foul by Adama Traoré (Melbourne Victory).
19': Attempt blocked. Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Old.
19': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Damien Da Silva.
20': Attempt saved. Scott Wootton (Wellington Phoenix) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by David Ball with a cross.
21': David Ball (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
21': Foul by Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory).
24': Attempt blocked. Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nishan Velupillay.
26': Attempt blocked. Nicholas Pennington (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Bozhidar Kraev.
29': Foul by Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory).
29': Nicholas Pennington (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
30': Foul by Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory).
30': Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
30': Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
31': Corner, Melbourne Victory. Conceded by Alex Rufer.
35': Foul by Adama Traoré (Melbourne Victory).
35': Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick on the right wing.
36': Attempt missed. Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Jason Geria.
41': Attempt saved. Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nicholas Pennington with a through ball.
45': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Roderick Miranda.
45'+3': First Half ends, Wellington Phoenix 0, Melbourne Victory 0.
45': Second Half begins Wellington Phoenix 0, Melbourne Victory 0.
47': Foul by Nicholas Pennington (Wellington Phoenix).
47': Roly Bonevacia (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
48': Attempt blocked. Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Daniel Arzani.
50': Attempt missed. Bozhidar Kraev (Wellington Phoenix) header from very close range misses to the right. Assisted by Ben Old with a cross.
52': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Jason Geria.
53': Attempt blocked. Sam Sutton (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
54': Attempt blocked. Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by David Ball.
56': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Ryan Teague.
58': Penalty conceded by Daniel Arzani (Melbourne Victory) with a hand ball in the penalty area.
59': VAR Decision: Penalty Wellington Phoenix.
63': Penalty saved. Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.
63': Attempt saved. Bozhidar Kraev (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
63': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Paul Izzo.
65': Delay in match (Wellington Phoenix).
65': Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Jake Brimmer replaces Jordi Valadon.
66': Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Ben Folami replaces Daniel Arzani.
66': Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Salim Khelifi replaces Nishan Velupillay.
66': Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Oskar van Hattum replaces David Ball.
66': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
69': Attempt saved. Bruno Fornaroli (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ben Folami with a cross.
71': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Roderick Miranda.
73': Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Oskar Zawada replaces Bozhidar Kraev.
73': Offside, Wellington Phoenix. Oskar Zawada is caught offside.
74': Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix) hits the left post with a left footed shot from the left side of the box. Assisted by Sam Sutton.
76': Attempt missed. Salim Khelifi (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Bruno Fornaroli.
81': Attempt blocked. Salim Khelifi (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Folami with a cross.
81': Goal! Wellington Phoenix 0, Melbourne Victory 1. Adama Traoré (Melbourne Victory) left footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Jake Brimmer.
83': Attempt missed. Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Tim Payne with a cross.
85': Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Youstin Salas replaces Nicholas Pennington.
86': Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Connor Chapman replaces Roly Bonevacia.
86': Attempt saved. Ben Folami (Melbourne Victory) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Salim Khelifi.
87': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Jason Geria.
89': Foul by Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix).
89': Salim Khelifi (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90': Bruno Fornaroli (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90': Foul by Finn Surman (Wellington Phoenix).
90'+1': Foul by Youstin Salas (Wellington Phoenix).
90'+1': Roderick Miranda (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90'+1': Youstin Salas (Wellington Phoenix) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
90'+2': Delay in match because of an injury Roderick Miranda (Melbourne Victory).
90'+2': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
90'+4': Attempt blocked. Youstin Salas (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
90'+5': Delay in match because of an injury Bruno Fornaroli (Melbourne Victory).
90'+5': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
90'+5': Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Chris Ikonomidis replaces Bruno Fornaroli because of an injury.
90'+6': Attempt missed. Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ben Old with a cross.
90'+7': Attempt blocked. Sam Sutton (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
90'+8': Hand ball by Scott Wootton (Wellington Phoenix).
90'+9': Goal! Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 1. Oskar Zawada (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kosta Barbarouses with a headed pass.
90'+11': Second Half ends, Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 1.
90': First Half Extra Time begins Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 1.
91': Foul by Roderick Miranda (Melbourne Victory).
91': Oskar Zawada (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick on the right wing.
92': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Damien Da Silva.
92': Delay in match because of an injury Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix).
93': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
93': Attempt missed. Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from outside the box is too high following a corner.
97': Attempt blocked. Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sam Sutton.
97': Foul by Connor Chapman (Melbourne Victory).
97': Sam Sutton (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
97': Connor Chapman (Melbourne Victory) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
98': Foul by Oskar Zawada (Wellington Phoenix).
98': Paul Izzo (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
101': Corner, Melbourne Victory. Conceded by Alex Rufer.
102': Goal! Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 2. Chris Ikonomidis (Melbourne Victory) header from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Roderick Miranda with a headed pass following a corner.
104': Foul by Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix).
104': Salim Khelifi (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
105'+1': Attempt missed. Youstin Salas (Wellington Phoenix) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Ben Old.
105'+3': Attempt blocked. Oskar Zawada (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kosta Barbarouses with a headed pass.
105'+3': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Damien Da Silva.
105'+3': Attempt missed. Oskar Zawada (Wellington Phoenix) header from the right side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Tim Payne with a cross following a corner.
105'+3': First Half Extra Time ends, Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 2.
105': Second Half Extra Time begins Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 2.
108': Foul by Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory).
108': Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
109': Attempt saved. Chris Ikonomidis (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jake Brimmer.
109': Attempt blocked. Ben Folami (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jake Brimmer.
109': Corner, Melbourne Victory. Conceded by Scott Wootton.
110': Foul by Roderick Miranda (Melbourne Victory).
110': Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
111': Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Mohamed Al-Taay replaces Tim Payne.
111': Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Lukas Kelly-Heald replaces Sam Sutton.
111': Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Isaac Hughes replaces Finn Surman.
113': Attempt blocked. Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Old.
113': Attempt missed. Youstin Salas (Wellington Phoenix) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Oskar van Hattum.
116': Ben Folami (Melbourne Victory) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
116': Foul by Mohamed Al-Taay (Wellington Phoenix).
118': Attempt blocked. Youstin Salas (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
119': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Salim Khelifi.
119': Attempt missed. Ben Old (Wellington Phoenix) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
120': Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Kasey Bos replaces Adama Traoré.
120'+1': Corner, Wellington Phoenix. Conceded by Salim Khelifi.
120'+1': Attempt saved. Oskar Zawada (Wellington Phoenix) header from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Oskar van Hattum with a cross.
120'+2': Second Half Extra Time ends, Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 2.
0': Match ends, Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 2.

Statistics

MVC		WEL
11	Fouls	10
2	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
0	Offsides	2
3	Corner Kicks	11
6	Saves	3
35.8	Possession	64.2
13	SHOTS	27
5	ON GOAL	7
0.4	On Target %	0.3
0	Penalty Goals	0
0	Penalty Kicks Taken	1
403	Accurate Passes	763
493	Passes	866
0.8	Pass Completion %	0.9
4	Accurate Crosses	11
13	Crosses	43
0.3	Cross %	0.3
57	Long Balls	79
15	Accurate Long Balls	48
0.3	Long Balls %	0.6
5	Blocked Shots	10
12	Effective Tackles	15
17	Tackles	22
0.7	Tackle %	0.7
16	Interceptions	13
38	Effective Clearances	11
38	Clearances	11

Game Information

Competition: Australian A-League Men

Venue: Sky Stadium
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Attendance: 33,297

Line-Ups

Wellington Phoenix FC (4-3-2-1)

No.	Name
40	Alex Paulsen (GK)
4	Scott Wootton
3	Finn Surman
19	Sam Sutton
6	Tim Payne
14	Alex Rufer
8	Ben Old
15	Nicholas Pennington
7	Kosta Barbarouses
10	David Ball
11	Bozhidar Kraev

Wellington Phoenix FC Substitutes:

Isaac Hughes, Oskar Zawada, Jack Duncan, Oskar van Hattum, Youstin Salas, Mohamed Al-Taay, Lukas Kelly-Heald.

Melbourne Victory (4-2-3-1)

No.	Name
20	Paul Izzo (GK)
21	Roderick Miranda
5	Damien Da Silva
3	Adama Traoré
2	Jason Geria
28	Roly Bonevacia
25	Ryan Teague
27	Jordi Valadon
10	Bruno Fornaroli
19	Daniel Arzani
17	Nishan Velupillay

Melbourne Victory Substitutes:

Christian Siciliano, Ben Folami, Jake Brimmer, Christopher Ikonomidis, Salim Khelifi, Connor Chapman, Kasey Bos.

A-League Men News

A-League transfer window round up: Juan Mata, Douglas Costa, more

Can Juan Mata and Douglas Costa deliver on their box-office status? Joey Lynch breaks down the A-League transfer window.

Rafael Struick signing turns Indonesian eyes on Brisbane

The Brisbane Roar will be banking on similar on-field impact from Indonesia striker Rafael Struick after his signing sent the A-League club's social media following soaring.

Poland youth star Klimala eyes career 'reboot' at Sydney FC

Former Celtic striker Patryk Klimala is confident he can rediscover his best form and deliver for Sydney FC.

Ex-Man United star Juan Mata joins Western Sydney Wanderers

Australian side the Western Sydney Wanderers have announced the signing of World Cup-winner Juan Mata ahead of the 2024-24 A-League Men season.

Douglas Costa officially arrives in Sydney

Brazilian star Douglas Costa is greeted by Sydney FC fans as he touches down in Australia ready to suit up for the Sky Blue.