Wellington Phoenix women draw 3-3 with Brisbane Roar after first-half red card

At AJ Kelly Park, Brisbane: Brisbane Roar 3 (Shea Connors 15’, Katrina Gorry 29’, Larissa Crummer 82’) Wellington Phoenix 3 (Michaela Foster 33’, Milly Clegg 66’, Grace Wisnewski 78’). HT: 2-1

Wellington Phoenix coach Natalie Lawrence was left “super frustrated” after her side were denied a last-gasp winner against Brisbane Roar by a late offside call.

They had to settle for a 3-3 draw and an A-League Women point after overcoming a challenging travel schedule, a first-half red card to defender Kate Taylor and a two-goal deficit at AJ Kelly Park.

Michaela Robertson appeared to have given them glory in stoppage time on Sunday, but her goal was ruled out for offside a good 10 seconds after it was scored and replays on the broadcast weren’t conclusive either way.

Lawrence hadn’t had the chance to watch any footage herself when she spoke after the match, but she said she was “super frustrated” that the goal hadn’t stood, given “the heart and determination” and “fight that was shown” by her side.

Sunday’s match kicked off 25 hours later than originally scheduled, after the Phoenix’s original flight to Brisbane on Friday was cancelled, forcing them to travel via Christchurch, where they assembled at 4am on Saturday morning.

With half an hour played, they were down 2-0 and down a player, after Taylor was sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity – an error that was compounded when Katrina Gorry scored from the resulting free kick to double the Roar’s lead.

Taylor could have no complaints about her foul on Shea Connors, who had earlier given the Roar the lead when she surged into the box down the left and finished past goalkeeper Brianna Edwards.

Then came the fightback. First they closed the gap thanks to a Michaela Foster free kick from outside the box on the right in the 33rd minute, then they drew level after Milly Clegg capped a fine dribble with a fierce finish from the left of the area in the 66th.

Grace Wisnewski put them in front in the 78th, showing good fight to recover a clearance before letting rip from the edge of the box to give her side a 3-2 lead.

Three different Roar players hit the crossbar either side of Wisnewski’s strike and they eventually found an equaliser of their own in the 82nd, when Larissa Crummer finished neatly from just inside the box on the left.

The Phoenix hadn’t taken a backwards step after losing Taylor and they didn’t when they lost their lead, which they thought they had regained when Robertson received a cross-field pass from Claudia Cicco in stoppage time and finished past Roar goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff.

While it was ruled out, they blew a second chance for a winner when Izzy Gomez and Clegg couldn’t make the most of a two-on-one – Gomez misplacing her pass to Clegg, who shot over as two defenders recovered to get in her way.

The big moment

Robertson’s disallowed goal. It was hard to tell from the substandard broadcast, which cut to a replay of the goal as it was being scratched off, but the offside call seemed to come very late.

Best on pitch

Foster’s free kick was the highlight of a strong all-round game, which involved plenty of defensive work after the Phoenix switched to a back three following Taylor’s sending off. Her left-footed effort into the top corner at the near post was further evidence of a strong set-piece game that should earn her a Football Ferns callup in the coming weeks.

The big picture

In the situation they were in after Taylor’s red card and Gorry’s goal, the Phoenix could easily have wilted, but they proceeded to turn in one of their best performances of the season. It’s a shame they only have two matches between now and the end of February, thanks to a bye next weekend and the international break from February 13 to 23.