Big Ben bashes and blunders in Wellington

Ben Sigmund did his best to emulate the overnight exploits of fellow big brute Jon Walters at Westpac Stadium this afternoon, gifting Western Sydney the second of two winning goals.

We can only assume Sigmund's embarrassing misjudgement in his own penalty area was designed to cast further shame on Mark Bridge's own awfulness in and around it.

The two sides exchanged wastefulness during the first twenty minutes of their Sunday clash, until Sigmund almost gifted a goal to the visitors with an under-hit backpass and Stein Huysegems thumped a drive on to the crossbar at the other end.

The Wellington crowd, which had assumed more of a cricket feel - fortunately without their side going nine down in the first 45 minutes of play - were awoken just prior to half-time as Lia drew an athletic save from Covic before Sigmund launched into a crunching challenge on the edge of the Phoenix penalty area.

It stayed equal at the break though, both the score and the numbers on the pitch, and the theme of sub-par finishing was exacerbated by Western Sydney as a succession of forward moves - notably through Haliti, Bridge and La Rocca - coming to nothing.

But after a heated few minutes looked like it might unsettle the Wanderers' momentum, Aaron Mooy found space to drift a cross into Wellington's area for Nikolai Topor-Stanley to stoop, dispatch the header and highlight the direction of the goal for his teammates.

Paston kept the hosts in the game by denying Bridge at the back post but it didn't matter because Sigmund misjudged a ball bouncing that hit his foot, evaded Paston and rolled on for Haliti to pass the sealing goal into an open net, absolving himself from earlier critcism.


WELLINGTON PHOENIX: Paston, Bertos, Sigmund, Durante, Lochhead, Lia,Sanchez, Fenton, Brockie, Boyd, Huysegems.
Subs: McMaster, Lindsay, Smith, Totori.

WESTERN SYDNEY: Covic, Polenz, Beauchamp, Topor-Stanley, D'Apuzzo, Poljak, La Rocca, Hersi, Mooy, Bridge, Haliti.
Subs: Tyson, Cole, Ono, Appiah-Kubi.