Now for the main event as PSV hosted Olympiacos in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie. Olympiacos had punished some terrible PSV defence for a 4-2 win in Greece... but a 2-0 or 3-1 win (or better) would still be enough for the Dutch side to advance so it was all on
The task was clear for the Dragons but the journey would be a perilous one. That’s because while they needed to beat the WeeNix to have any chance of making the semis, they also needed both Eastern Suburbs and Waitakere to do them inadvertent favours as well.
The Waine Train is picking up steam. It’s also picking up passengers. Not quite at full capacity yet, there are still plenty of seats still available, don’t have to hang off the handrails getting thrown from side to side yet. But it’s getting more and more full with each station it stops at
It had been 14 years since a New Zealander last lined up in a Europa League knockout game. Now all these spins of the planet later it was Ryan Thomas’ turn as he started for PSV against Olympiacos in Greece. Thommo lining up as that right-sided attacking midfielder again.
We’re so close to the end of this whole Premiership thing that it’s now time to start saying our farewells to some of these teams, such as the Cantab Dragons who have two more home games, maybe a semi-final if they’re lucky, and then it’s kaput.
To be completely honest a 2-0 loss to Central Coast was on the lighter side of how that game coulda gone under the circumstances. A write-off game if ever there was one.
Three times CJ Bott’s potential Champions League debut got pushed. First there was drama with Brøndby (Denmark) being denied entry into Norway for the first leg back in December which led to a farcical situation where…
Saturday arvo at Dave Farrington Park and it was a top four clash between two teams trying to bounce back from defeats. Team Welly were topped 3-1 by Auckland City in the Old Firm, while Eastern Subs took a shocker 4-0 loss across town in Waitakere.
The Wellington Phoenix lost again on Monday night. Their third loss of the season and all three of them have been 2-1 defeats in which the Nix seemed to have the majority of the chances yet somehow conspired to emerge pointless.
It’s a debut. Just days after signing with the club on loan, Winston Reid was named on the bench for the game against Bristol City and with a 3-1 lead and only about five minutes left he was chucked on for a sneaky runabout.
There was a bittersweet feel to this clash of old foes at Kiwitea Street. There’s a chance that this will be the last time that we ever see Auckland City versus Team Wellington. There’s an even better chance that there’s one final clash in the playoffs but who can say?
There’s some Deadline Day drama for ya: Winston Reid to Brentford on loan for the rest of the season.
It was first versus last at David Farrington Park. In some leagues around the world that fact alone is enough to make a game a forgone conclusion but not in the ISPS Handa Premiership, dear friends.
The Phoenix have a reputation for slow starts. Under Mark Rudan they won their first game but then took just two points from their next five. Ufuk Talay’s reign then began with four straight defeats (all by a single goal) and then a draw before the first win finally arrived at the sixth attempt.
The hits keep coming for Sint-Truiden as they beat KV Kortrijk 2-0 in the midweek. Another strong performance from the fellas in which they scored 14 minutes in thanks to Yuma Suzuki after young American right-back Chris Durkin had finessed a penalty.
The ISPS Handa Premiership might not be the pinnacle of world football but it’s ours and it’s beautiful and it can take any league on the planet for sheer unpredictable entertainment. This weekend’s fixtures had more than enough proof of that.
Well obviously. But just like last week’s late 1-0 loss to Adelaide, the Save of the Week award has proved a poisoned chalice for Lily Alfeld as her team lost another close one.
Through a vintage performance and some luck with results elsewhere Auckland City got themselves back up into the familiar nest of first place in week seven. As wild as this season has been, some things are apparently untouchable.
Fiiiiinally Thommo’s back. To recap for ya once again the bloke hadn’t played since going off injured in a Europa League match back in early November two full months ago. But that mini-break over Christmas/New Years did its thing.
Some things don’t ever seem to change. Summer time brings sunburn. The dog is always going to bark at the mailman. The last dregs of the beer are always the worst. And A-League just doesn’t make any sense.