Wellington Phoenix debutants star with winning goal in extra-time Australia Cup strike

Two of the Wellington Phoenix’s academy players combined on their first team debuts to secure the club a place in the last 16 of the Australia Cup.

Josh Rudland scored from a Kaelin Nguyen cross in the 119th minute to snatch a dramatic 2-1 extra time Friday night win over the Peninsula Power in their round of 32 match at A.J. Kelly Park in Redcliffe, near Brisbane.

Striker Rudland, 19, came on in the 87th minute for star Phoenix striker Oskar Zawada, while Nguyen, a 20-year-old left-sided forward, replaced Oskar van Hattum in the 72nd minute.

Midfielder Nicholas Pennington gave the Phoenix a 1-0 halftime lead before the Queensland National Premier Leagues team equalised midway through the second-half.

It remained 1-1 until the penultimate minute of extra time when the two substitutes rescued the Nix in Giancarlo Italiano’s first competitive match since being appointed head coach.

“I’m delighted for them, I’m delighted for the academy, I’m delighted for the club and I’m delighted that we’ve got young players getting an opportunity,” Italiano said.

“They both struggled at the start to really get into the game, but as the game eventuated they got a little bit more confident and in the end Kaelin made the run that won us the game.

“That was the sort of thing I was looking for from my senior players and I am very happy that the younger players could provide that.”

Italiano has praised the whole team for their performance in their first competitive outing of pre-season.

“I’m really pleased for the playing group because we were nowhere near conditioned to play 60 minutes let alone 120.

“What I was really, really happy with was we stuck to what we wanted to do with the ball. Obviously at times it didn’t work and it was a little bit rough.

“I thought they played exceptionally well. Considering that we had to travel yesterday, it was our first competitive game, and we were away from home, I’m happy to get the victory.”

Italiano handed Phoenix first team debuts to new signings Mohamed Al-Taay and Lukas Kelly-Heald, who started in the two fullback positions, while Alex Paulsen got the nod in goal ahead of fellow off-season recruit Jack Duncan. Defenders Scott Wootton and Sam Sutton, who have recently returned from injuries, were named amongst the substitutes alongside Rudland, Nguyen and fellow academy players Ben Wallace and Fergus Gillion.

Pennington put the Nix in front a couple of minutes before halftime when he showed great composure to round the last Power defender and slot his shot past Hunter after he couldn’t deal with Oskar van Hattum’s shot from the top of the box.

Peninsula Power started the second-half strongly and Paulsen needed to parry away a curling shot in the 53rd minute to keep the Phoenix in front.

The hosts drew level in the 71st minute when fullback Lewis Greenwood toed a left-footed shot into the far corner of the Phoenix goal after finding some space in the box with a fortunate first touch.

Barbarouses had a great chance to put the Nix back in front shortly after when Nguyen, fresh off the bench, delivered a dangerous left-wing cross, but the All Whites forward dragged his volley narrowly wide of the post.

Opportunities were few and far between for either side for the remainder of the 90 minutes and into extra time, with the fresh legs of Nguyen and Rudland, playing down the left and right flanks respectively, looking the most likely to break the deadlock.

So it proved to be in the 119th minute when Rudland beat a couple of Peninsula Power defenders to Nguyen’s near post cross and his shot wrong-footed Lachlan Hunter in Power’s goal.

The Wellington Phoenix will have to wait another 10 days to learn their next opponents, with the round of 16 draw to take place after the final round of 32 matches on Monday, August 14.

The round of 16 will be held from Saturday, August 26 to Wednesday, August 30.