Unfortunately it looked to me on one particular replay angle that it was going to go wide of the far post if it didn't hit miranda. Can't see it being overturned YoungHeartHM
dunnix
God I hope Surman gets credited with that goal. Fully deserved it this season
I hope so too so that OVH keeps his assist. What a ball when it really mattered the most!
When’s the semi final? Madly considering the possibility of flying back for it and my wife even raised it first…
Do it! Second leg will be on the weekend of the 17th & 18th of May
Might run into daughter’s birthday complications…wonder if I could convince her to come. That would have potential for trauma all over and she has just started kindy so needs to bed in there too…or I’d have to cut the trip short…hmmm it could be a bit too far for the semi final…
She’s happy to go 25 minutes travel currently for football that includes playgrounds before and/or after and some junk food…not sure that 14 hour flights with transfers will impress her. On the other hand if the Welly rellies did an impressive birthday party, but away from mum for her birthday can’t be a thing…
Unfortunately it looked to me on one particular replay angle that it was going to go wide of the far post if it didn't hit miranda. Can't see it being overturned YoungHeartHM
dunnix
God I hope Surman gets credited with that goal. Fully deserved it this season
I hope so too so that OVH keeps his assist. What a ball when it really mattered the most!
Can't assist on an OG unfortunately.
But it will still go down as one of the great crosses in Phoenix history, so there is that!
An absolute peach of a delivery, but unfortunately you wave goodbye to the statistical assist to go with it if it's confirmed as an oggie. 😥
Good on ya Auckland guy who flew down for this one! It’s fantastic isn’t it? Hope you have a great night!
If youre referring to me, thank you That was an amazing finish and complete and utter scenes and disbelief in the zone. The players came over and celebrated with us too after the game. Thats my new favourite game closely followed by the wanderers 2-0 Nixmas win!! Just incredible this team really is something. Defenitely consider making the trip over!! Its amazing.
Side note- maybe someone could pass it on? Could we make yellow fever GA for the home semi I want to avoid thats my seat molarchy
Good on ya Auckland guy who flew down for this one! It’s fantastic isn’t it? Hope you have a great night!
If youre referring to me, thank you That was an amazing finish and complete and utter scenes and disbelief in the zone. The players came over and celebrated with us too after the game. Thats my new favourite game closely followed by the wanderers 2-0 Nixmas win!! Just incredible this team really is something. Defenitely consider making the trip over!! Its amazing.
Side note- maybe someone could pass it on? Could we make yellow fever GA for the home semi I want to avoid thats my seat molarchy
Even with the cold and sideways rain once or twice I’ve no bad memories of going down for games when I could…
Yip. Me and my dad got lost and walked 1.5km outside in the dark pouring rain before the game and arrived only on kick off. He wanted to go back to the hotel!! I told him to shove it, and we weredripping with water upon entry to the stadium
OVH seems to have a great cross on him and a great free kick. Get him playing a full 90 and we might actually do something with our corners instead of wasting 3/4 minutes doing SFA.
Loved how Oldy had a good game, but fumbly finishing, but someone else got it done.
Love this team. So many epic performances.
I thought Old was poor tonight.
Dribbled too much, played poor passes and missed some sitters. As evidenced by his complete MIA when on the park with the AWs, he's still got a lot of development work to do before he heads off for "greener" pastures.
That was brilliant. Excellent buzz in the ground today and the weather did its best to ruin the numbers but it really didn’t do anything to the noise. That was brilliant. I’d said to my colleagues that we’d win in the last min and here we are. Superb. Here we fudgeing go.
Loved how Oldy had a good game, but fumbly finishing, but someone else got it done.
Love this team. So many epic performances.
I thought Old was poor tonight.
Dribbled too much, played poor passes and missed some sitters. As evidenced by his complete MIA when on the park with the AWs, he's still got a lot of development work to do before he heads off for "greener" pastures.
Quite unfair to single him out for that amount of negativity (especially in a win) when he and Kraev were the two most active attacking players that kept MV backpedalling most of that game.
I'm not suggesting he was brilliant but take him out of the team tonight and MV would've had a much easier time and been able to crank their formidable attack into a much higher gear.
Old had the most intent, every time he got the ball he made something happen. I think the issue was probably Victory's defence rather than Old having a bad game.
Loved how Oldy had a good game, but fumbly finishing, but someone else got it done.
Love this team. So many epic performances.
I thought Old was poor tonight.
Dribbled too much, played poor passes and missed some sitters. As evidenced by his complete MIA when on the park with the AWs, he's still got a lot of development work to do before he heads off for "greener" pastures.
It wasn’t his best game, but he often got clear on the left and no one from our side had got into the box, but 4 Vic defenders had. He looked up and saw that and to his credit held possession, but yeh not his greatest game, but stuck at it I thought and got through an enormous enormous amount of work.
When’s the semi final? Madly considering the possibility of flying back for it and my wife even raised it first…
Do it! Second leg will be on the weekend of the 17th & 18th of May
Might run into daughter’s birthday complications…wonder if I could convince her to come. That would have potential for trauma all over and she has just started kindy so needs to bed in there too…or I’d have to cut the trip short…hmmm it could be a bit too far for the semi final…
She’s happy to go 25 minutes travel currently for football that includes playgrounds before and/or after and some junk food…not sure that 14 hour flights with transfers will impress her. On the other hand if the Welly rellies did an impressive birthday party, but away from mum for her birthday can’t be a thing…
I’ve been going to Phoenix games for 7 years and that might be one of the most euphoric moments I’ve witnessed. Absolutely huge in the context of the season, and it was just delirium in the Fever. Incredible to be there, so proud of the way the boys were positive and just kept running. Kraev and Rufer absolutely superb tonight for me. We deserved that, and we keep the pressure on CCM.
Up the boys!!! Frustrating game... Until we scored! Then it was all worth it!!!
Now we need Mariners to start worrying about table position and lose focus on the actual game they're playing.
The pressure is now back on CCM. 100% will be tricky for them focussing solely on Western U tomorrow. Presumably after the game in Melbs (KO 3.30pm VIC time), they will start flying to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan either late Sat night or Sunday.
Looks like the shortest flying time is about 28 hours (via Dubai)! So earliest they arrive is Monday morning Aussie time. Their big AFC Cup semi kicks off 10pm Wednesday night Aussie time. So a couple of light training sessions for a few days prior & then they play. I note on the other hand their Kyrgyz opponents Abdysh-Ata, sensibly ain't playing a local league game this weekend, so will be nice & fresh.
Winner of this 2 legged semifinal gets a min $USD750K payday (loser of the AFC Final). Winner of the final $USD1.5M. So is plenty at stake. Agruably for the Mariners the 1st leg Krygz game is more important than the WU game tomorrow. They are certainly going to be affected by the very long midweek travel, when they host Adelaide next Sunday.
And lastly, with the VUC (41 pts, 2 games left, 10 wins) losing tonight, CCM (46 pts, 3 games left, 14 wins) are at strong odds now, to like the Nix finish top 2.
The VUC can't catch CCM on the wins tiebreaker. With 2 wins in last 2 games max pts VUC can get is 47. So CCM on 46 pts, just need a draw in their last 3 ALM games to finish top 2, ie they have to lose all 3 remaining ALM games not to finish top 2.
Mariners basically have a top 2 ALM spot, and semi final spot all locked up. Means they are basically already Australia's entrant into the lucrative new AFC Elite Champions League kicking off in a few months.
They might as well focus now on their potentially rich AFC Cup payday, and let Nix win the Premiers Plate! I mean they can never hold a GF at Gosford anyway, and they won it all last year. You get nada for winning the toilet sit. Let the Nix finish 1st.
But seriously I wouldn't be shocked if CCM benched some of their bigger name players tomorrow, with a large eyeball towards the trip to Krygzstan.
Inspired move from Chiefy to bring OVH on for a right fullback role. His positivity meant Victory watched Ben Old less on the other side of the pitch.
OVH has an excellent cross as we have seen the last 2 weeks, and in previous games has shown tough physical tackles - a couple of beauties in the Roar game at Suncorp. One leading to the Nix's goal that night.
He probably won't like the idea, but his future may lie at right back. It might be where he has to play to crack Bazeley's 18 man Olympics squad.
I went to Gosford last week from Wellington. At the end of the match I said to Scott W 'it's not over yet'. His response was 'we are going to do it'. Totally positive, despite losing to a world class goal in the 91st. That attitude summed up this Nix team for me and I left Gosford convinced that this is the season.
For two hours tonight from 5:15pm, we are all Western united supporters and backing "our" team all the way. The lads need it and we will give it. Go United!!!!
Well that was an example of finals footy if ever I saw one, tense for 90 minutes neither team really wanting to lose but still trying to win, and then all pandimonium erupts at the 5th minute of extrea time! 6k fans just going mental and then the team comin across to join in the fun *tears* This just proves that this group of players has the mental capacity and abiltity to play and win in finals footy. The were clearly nervous early on with some uncharachteristic lose passing early on, and a couple of mistakes made in the centre of the park which nearly cost us, but the person who made the error always tracked back and made the effort to correct their mistake. Thought Rufer was immense again (I never thought I'd be praising him). Salas was solid covering midfield and rb, he has a decent engine on him, 90 minutes up and down the park. Chief's tactics worked a treat, Ball and OVH both had a msisive impact when they came on!
Two games to play and the lowest we can finish is second! That is the best we've ever had! Stil inj with a chance to take the league as well, just need CCM to draw and we are in the driver's seat.
Can't stop replaying that goal. When that cross from Van Hattum came in, you just knew it was going to lead to something.
Our corners should be taken like that. Play the ball back level with edge of box so a curling top spinner can be whipped in. Just need to ensure our players attack it from an onside position.
Still fizzing from that winner. I complained at about 70 minutes that we're not great to watch. I still think that’s an issue and we’ll struggle to bring punters in as a result. But let’s focus on that next season. I’m happy for us to play the most unattractive football possible if it brings home silverware.
I thought Coochie’s earlier summary of where CCM’s priorities will be today was excellent. They’re all but guaranteed top 2 so Asian should be the focus to ensure a payday. And to be fair, I hope they clean up in Asia. I’m sick of constant rumours of clubs almost folding in this league so the more money they generate the better.
