R16 vs Melbourne City | Sat 26 Jan | 7.35pm | Westpac Stadium

VAR did look at the one near the end when Krishna went around the keeper, and correctly stuck with the refs decision of no penalty.

We won after playing 3 games in 7 days vs a team above us. Fudge yeah! Fudge all the haters. Also Fudge you swear word filter.

Oh. I must have missed it - it didn't seem that way from the stand. I thought they usually did a bit of hand-signalling to indicate they were consulting VAR....

I'd accept all of that if it wasn't the defensive and negative play from the team that allowed them to create them. Case in point, we had a corner, they opted to take a short one, it failed (unsurprisingly) and then it went all the way back to Kurto. From a corner. Then we were parked around our box for 5 mins and under the pump. Game management I can understand, but it felt like they were panicking a wee bit. As I said, tremendous 3 points and I'm chuffed they managed to grind it out. This team believe in themselves, just think they could have managed it far better.  I think we had them on the ropes at half time, and never went for the KO. This team are good enough to do it.

Technically Nix played 3 games in 6 days, whilst City played 3 games (they also played midweek) in 7 days. 

Good tough win, but both teams could equally cite fatigue.

Looks more & more like a dogfight with City & Adelaide for that 4th spot.

If you’re unable to score more than one, you need a goalie who keeps a clean sheet. Great win!

The beer's tasting good in the heatwave! I turned the game off in the 61st minute with us up 1-0 but struggling. I didn't want the Nix messing up another Saturday night. How last season of me!

Just appreciate how good Kurto was for the Nix tonight

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Great win and even greater goal keeping. COYN!

winning!

Kurto reminds me of Phil Parkes when he was in his 20's. This guy saved us in the second half and If I was the back line guys, I would be feeling so confident, knowing the last line of defence is in brilliant form. What a game, decent crowd too. Did the zone sound noisey on TV? Sound it is parts, especially in the first half. Job well done. Top 3 above us and 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, I can live with that. Could so easily have been 7 points instead of 4.

I am enjoying going to the games again rather than going through habit and my long running streak.

You missed the best one, where he had to react after a deflection and somehow managed to get his other arm in the way.

Corners need work.

just got home now, the drive is so much better after a win, 

They use the signal when the VAR tells them that there is something worth looking at from the original check.

One hates to be critical after the season he is having but seriously dumb yellow conceded by Dura at the end for time wasting. Refs are always going to be all over that.

Made all the worst given that next game is Perth away and he would know both that and that he was on four already so will be suspended. What on Earth was he thinking?

think it may of already been decided that he was getting a yellow in this game, he was in no hurry to take the goal kick and was waiting for the ref to give him a yellow then walked off up the pitch and left the goal kick to the keeper.

Didn't Steven Taylor get a yellow? Maybe the strategy was that if Taylor gets a card and they are both on four, then one of them needs to gets the 5th so they are not both suspended on the same game.

Thought that too but why? If we were playing CCM or Brisbane next would understand but we are not. We are playing the league leaders away

I think this match shows the importance of clean sheets.

Im continually saying half the work is done when you keep a clean sheet.

We got three points and kept a clean sheet. Im happy.

If so, smart move. 

I genuinely wonder if it was a tactical yellow, and he was going to be rested for the Perth trip anyway. Because like you said, it was so obvious and the referee was always going to give a yellow for it. 

Tactical, Took one for the team imo.

Great first half. Did they run out of steam in the second half? 

That high press high energy game takes a lot of doing especially 3 games in one week. But would love to see them put in a 90 min performance. Thats got to be the goal moving forward, and doing well in the payoffs is about having momemtum going into the knock-out stage of the comp. So in some way now Rudan need to plan on building towards that. 

Kurto was immense. Only real frustrating thing for me was the short corners and free kicks. Didn't see any of them working particularly well. Either bad option or execution. 

Great to get the win.

Well done Phoenix - hard to play that high press high energy game for 90 mins in the A League at anytime - let alone with this last week's compressed schedule. Most team's are having flat periods right now, and MC were certainly flat as a pancake in the first half with no intensity, though we were a handful.

No question that Durante took one for the team with the card. Kurto was great. Williams on fire. But total team commitment is the big difference now. Gutsy effort.

haha yeah that was chronic

Lot of distaste towards Mandi recently for some reason. Considering he's trying to control the game in a 2 man midfield, I reckon he was excellent. Genuinely had to look hard for something he did wrong last night, one of the most technically talented CMs we've ever had imo

yep no question it was on purpose, Dura came back and had a word with Kurto who let him take the goal kick, only for him to walk off again when he was carded. Saves him two 8 hour flights to Perth and back, and gives him a clean slate so I'm 100% happy with it; also removes the risk that Taylor and Dura get suspended the same week

his passing range was good last night, those cross field ball looked good at the game.

Warren Joyce pretty unhappy with the clearly offside goal we scored. Referred to it several times in 'press conference'. Was anyone in line with the play that can give opinion about the offsidedness of Roy's run?

Hard to see, but it's a long ball and not a big run for Roy to make.  

Yep. Good squad management by whole team. It's another example of a much smarter team on and off pitch this year. 

And to be honest, we expect to lose away to Perth. Longest trip + top team. If we get anything out of it, it is a bonuis.

Happy with a draw, and just to get through the next few games vs Perth, Jets, Vic and Sydney, because our final run of games is relatively really easy

Does anyone really believe that Rudan is telling players to just take a suspension because we're probably going to lose next week anyway???? If so, why didn't he tell other players to do so as well?

If true, not good enough, but I don't believe it for a second.

You mean like Adelaide and Perth away again?

I don't think Rudan would let that mindset sink in, that would be setting a very dangerous precedent, as even despite our recent form, I don't think we've been favourites in many matches to pick up anything.

Think of it more as a bit of team/man management, which is relatively smart - we've done a lot of travelling (6 games since January 5th). I suspect however that it's more a case of not having both Durante and Taylor missing due to suspensions (Taylor on 4 yellows). Could also possibly look at it and say 'Durante, you're 36, you've played 3 tough matches in 6 days, have a week off'. Either way, time for a couple of younger players who haven't had much of a look in this season - Fox & Lowry to step into the fold, although I reckon Kopa will take Durante's spot in the starting XI next week.