Phoenix rise and Reds pay penalty

CONCENTRATION lapses cost Adelaide United a golden chance to snatch pole position for the first time this season in Wollongong on Sunday.

Israeli international Tomer Hemed scored the winner from the penalty spot for Wellington Phoenix in the seventh minute of stoppage time in a 2-1 win at WIN Stadium.

Reds gloveman Joe Gauci floored Phoenix substitute Jaushua Sotirio during a Phoenix forward thrust when the final whistle was seconds away and Adelaide drop all points after taking the lead.

Adelaide’s Stefan Mauk scored the second-half opener, while Phoenix’s Ben Waine squared the ledger.

The sides meet again at Hindmarsh in 12 days.

“Deflated. We were 1-0 up and we had a lot of good chances to make it

2-0,’’ Mauk, pictured, told

Fox Sports. “It’s disappointing because we have become accustomed to winning.”

Ryan Strain came close to scoring his first A-League goal in the 76th minute but his angled drive was expertly parried by Phoenix gloveman Oliver Sail before Josh Cavallo fired the rebound over the bar.

The Reds played a high-risk game in search of a winner and paid the ultimate price when they were caught short during Phoenix counter-attacks.

A superb team effort set up Adelaide’s opening goal and Mauk’s seventh of the season.

In a move involving striker Tomi Juric and winger Ben Halloran when Phoenix had been outnumbered by a solid press from the Reds, the skipper angled his shot past Sail from 8m.

Phoenix came back with a Waine equaliser when Adelaide was caught short on numbers and square in defence in the 58th minute.