Wellington Phoenix manager Ufuk Talay insists that the red card shown to midfielder Alex Rufer against Macarthur FC turned the game on its head, as the Zew Zealand club snatched a point from the fixture at Campbelltown Stadium.
The Nix started the game brightly and did well to consolidate their position through a goal from David Ball. But the key moment of the game came along when referee Stephen Lucas sent off the Switzerland born midfielder, adjudging that he had lashed out at Denis Genreau.
Following the red card, the Bulls came back into a game and equalised following a good combination of skill from Benat Etxebarria and Markel Susaeta as the latter got his name on the scoresheet. The Bulls threatened to take the game away from their opponents through periods of intense pressure, but the points were eventually shared.
“My opinion is it was a very soft red card,” Talay told the press.
“I know my players well and Rufer is not that type of player.
“I wish he was that type of player but he’s actually not that type of player. So for me, I think that changed the game.”
He added: “I thought we were quite comfortable in the first-half and even the second-half. I think we had them by the ropes.
“I think we moved them around, we shifted the around, I think we played some really good football.
“It’s just disappointing that an outcome like that, or a decision like that, in my opinion, changed the game.”
Wellington will take on Newcastle Jets in Wollongong on Sunday, January 24.
