Macarthur managed to pick up their first points at home with a 1-1 draw to Wellington Phoenix, in a game was changed by a controversial red card shown to the visitors’ midfielder Alex Rufer at the Campbelltown Stadium.
Both teams came into this fixture looking for a positive result as the new boys recently lost their first ever home game, while Ufuk Talay’s men were out looking for their first league win this season.
As the familiar sound of the cowbells rang yet again, the Nix were the ones to dictate the pace in the early stages of the game by bossing the midfield, winning the 50-50 challenges and showing good positive intent. This gave the visitors a few chances, as skipper Ulises Davila began one such occasion with a seventh minute shot from outside the box that went over the bar. A minute later, Rufer had sweetly timed a volley that whizzed over the bar.
It took nearly 20 minutes for the Bulls to get into the game, as Lachlan Rose darted down the left. The young winger did well to cut inside, but his effort was something between a shot and a cross as it went harmlessly wide of the target.
Around 30 minutes into the game, the Bulls’ goalkeeper Adam Federici – functioning as a sweeper – raced out and cleared a through ball, which fell to Matt Derbyshire. The Englishman had excellent presence of mind to take a shot from near the halfway line as the Nix shot-stopper Stefan Marinovic was completely off his line. But the shot lacked power and ended up being harmless in the end.
With less than 10 minutes to go before the end of the first period, Benat Etxebarria took a free kick that beat the wall, but goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic made a good low save to deny the Bulls on that occasion.
Minutes later, the cowbells were silenced at Campbelltown as left-back James McGarry did well on the flank to cut one back to David Ball, and the unmarked striker produced a poacher’s finish to give Talay’s men the lead.
With time ticking away in the first period, Israeli import Tomer Hemed was involved in a collision that caused him to leave the pitch to receive some medical attention. The Nix being temporarily down to 10-men – at that point – decided to hold fort and see out the half.
Hemed had a go from over 50-yards out early on in the second period, and almost caught out shot-stopper Federici. But the shot lacked power and did not amount to anything in the end.
A little later after 51 minutes, Rose went down the left in one of his many positive runs and let loose a shot that produced a good save from Marinovic.
The 62nd minute produced the most controversial moment of the game, as Rufer went down to the ground owing to a challenge from oncoming midfielder Denis Genreau. As the Wellington man went down, his foot appeared to catch the young Aussie who went down himself. The referee Stephen Lucas consulted with VAR and made a contentious decision to show Rufer a red card – adjudging it to be a lash out – and send him off for an early shower, much to the bewilderment of the Kiwi and other Nix players and staff.
Four minutes was all it took for the hosts to capitalise on their numerical advantage, as Etxebarria put fellow Spaniard Markel Susaeta into a situation where he had all the space he needed to coolly slot the ball past the goalkeeper for the equalising goal.
With about five minutes left to go, Genreau was shown a yellow for a strong challenge on substitute midfielder Matthew Ridenton, who caught a boot to his face and required treatment. With the man in charge having set the precedent by sending Rufer off earlier on, it would not outside the realm of possibility to think that the Kiwi club could ask questions why the young Australian was not sent off on that occasion.
With the clock ticking away, traffic was almost entirely going one-way – towards the Nix – as six minutes was added on for stoppage time. The Bulls’skipper Mark Milligan took the ball forward through the middle and let loose a shot that went wide of the left post. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Marinovic could be seen struggling with what appeared to be a groin injury. This caused the shot-stopper and his team further concern, as he stretched, fell and called for the medic following a Genreau cross that saw a strong header from Derbyshire bounce off the crossbar.
Wellington boss Talay was unable to bring on a substitute for Marinovic despite having substitutions left, as the current rules dictate that the five allowed substitutions have to take place in three windows, which had been used up already. So the ‘keeper was bandaged up and play continued. But as the man in charge brought the game to a halt, Milligan could be seen having a few words potentially concerning additional time that needed to be added for the stoppage of play.
Wellington Phoenix will feel hard done by the result of this game, and will play host to Newcastle Jets in their temporary home in Wollongong on Sunday, January 24. Macarthur will also take on the Jets next, a week beforehand on Sunday, January 17.
