Western Sydney Wanderers endured a difficult night at Wanderers Football Park as a Sabitra Bhandari-inspired Wellington Phoenix claimed a 3-0 victory to move into fourth place on the Ninja A-League ladder.
With Nepalese star ‘Samba’ Bhandari in town, a large and passionate crowd was in attendance, with Sydney’s Nepalese community turning out in force to support their hero. While officially the home side, the Wanderers were met by a strong contingent of adopted Phoenix supporters, creating a unique atmosphere under lights in Western Sydney.
The Wanderers were eager to start strongly, but it was the visitors who struck first in the seventh minute. A turnover deep inside the Wanderers’ half allowed Wellington to transition quickly, and while Bhandari’s initial effort appeared to be drifting wide, Emma Main reacted instinctively to divert the ball into the net.
Every touch from Bhandari was met with loud approval from the crowd, though frustrations rose shortly after the opener when the striker was caught late by Alana Cerne. Western Sydney gradually worked their way into the contest and created several half-chances of their own, but it was goalkeeper Sham Khamis who ensured the deficit remained at one heading into the break, producing a sharp low save to tip Grace Jale’s free kick around the post.
Bhandari continued to threaten before half-time, sending the crowd into raptures when she finished from close range, only for the goal to be ruled out due to an offside call in the build-up.
Any disappointment was short-lived, however, as the Phoenix doubled their lead just three minutes after the restart. Alert to a loose ball inside the penalty area, Bhandari reacted quickest and fired beyond Khamis to make it 2-0.
Four minutes later, Wellington effectively sealed the result. Showing her pace and awareness, Bhandari flicked the ball beyond Ying Wang at halfway before driving forward and squaring for Main, who finished from close range to complete the scoring.
On a challenging night for the Red & Black, the Wanderers registered their first shot on target late in the contest, with captain Amy Harrison curling a free kick straight into the arms of Wellington goalkeeper Victoria Esson in the 85th minute.
The result leaves the Wanderers still searching for momentum in the Ninja A-League season, while Wellington record their first away win of the campaign and continue their rise up the ladder.
