Let’s Play Soccer

Gold Coast United v Newcastle Jets Semi Final 2nd. Half 20-02-2010

http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=32722

Jets sneak through
The Newcastle Jets have produced a dramatic 6-5 win on penalties to end Gold Coast United’s season at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
Jets ‘keeper Ben Kennedy was a standout all night for Branko Culina’s side, with his last-ditch save to deny Zenon Caravella the match-winner.
With the shoot-out locked at 5-5, Jin-Hyung Song blazed over for the Jets leaving the door open for Gold Coast defender Kristian Rees to secure the win.
But in a bizarre twist, Rees sent his shot wide and after Nikolai Topor-Stanley converted his spot-kick it was up to Caravella to keep the match alive.
Determined for the Jets to keep their finals hopes alive, Kennedy dived to his left, getting a hand to Caravella’s penalty and swatting the ball away.
The win means the Jets will now face the winner of Saturday’s match between Wellington and Perth.
Gold Coast’s usually slick passing game took a while to switch into gear during the early minutes of the match, however both teams looked genuinely intent on hitting the target with Ali Abbas and Zenon Caravella firing wide in the first ten minutes.
With a cagey first 20 minutes out of the way the men in yellow began to control the possession and Charlie Miller had the first shot on target in the 22nd minute with a relatively subdued effort from outside the Jets’ area.
Just after Robson found his way into Referee Matthew Breeze’s book for handball, Miller was involved in the action again playing a great through ball into the path of Shane Smeltz.
With the Newcastle defence in no-mans land, Smeltz found himself on-side with plenty time to put the ball away, but clearly lacking his usual prowess in front of goal, Smeltz hesitated and Jets keeper Ben Kennedy rushed off his line to claim the ball from the Kiwi international’s feet.
Roaming just behind the United strikers and settling into a nice rhythm, Miller’s next contribution was a lovely chip over the Newcastle lines to Joel Porter who managed to flick the ball over Kennedy, however with the ball looking goal bound Nikolai Topor-Stanley was on hand to clear for the corner.
The Jets’ best chance of the half fell to captain Matthew Thompson in the 38th minute when Abbas threaded the needle to Thompson in the box, but United custodian Jess Vanstrattan was on the hand to make the save.
Trying to break his six-game scoring drought, Smeltz had another dig at goal minutes later when Caravella played a neat ball to his feet, while the effort was low and hard the path was straight at Kennedy.
With play switching ends, Jin-Hyung Song then saw his left foot effort flash wide five minutes before time.
A solid looking Kennedy made sure the scores stayed level going into the break when he kept out a quickly taken Gold Coast free-kick from just outside the area.
Emerging from the tunnel, the Jets looked to go on the attack early with Jobe Wheelhouse’s ambitious drive from outside the area forcing Vanstrattan to tip over the bar.
Kennedy was still being kept busy at the other end, producing a great save to deny Joel Porter from close range after a scramble in the area.
Having the game of his life, Kennedy pulled off another great save in the 65th minute when Porter played Culina into space.
Taking the ball in his stride as he streamed into the box, the United captain pulled the trigger but Kennedy held firm desperate to keep the Jets in the game.
After a bright start to the second half, it took until the 83 rd minute for goal to be threatened again with Porter heading second half substitute Dino Djulbic’s cross past the wrong side of the up-right.
As the stalemate drew on, the full-time whistle was eventually blown and with the scores locked at 0-0 the knockout semi final moved into extra-time.
Anderson unleashed a low driven left foot effort early in the piece for the home side, and with 10 minutes played Smeltz thought he had done enough when he manoeuvred in the box and fired low only to see the ball skid inches past the post.
Moments later a mistake from Anderson on the half-way line gifted Mirjan Pavlovic acres of space but as the striker was heading towards goal, United defender Bas Van Den Brink made a great sliding tackle to clear the danger.
With Gold Coast desperate for the goal, Newcastle’s rock between the posts made sure things stayed level, Kennedy pulling off a string of great saves firstly to deny James Brown and then Smeltz, after the Kiwi’s first attempt was cleared from the line by Tarek Elrich.
Starting the second-half of extra time, Kennedy made another brilliant save to deny Smeltz who found time and space in the box.
With very little more action to come, the match headed for penalties to decide the match.

Gold Coast United 5
Newcastle Jets 6
Crowd: 4,109
@ Skilled Park
Saturday, 20 February 2010
by Mark Pangallo at Skilled Park, Sportal

Duration : 0:9:31

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Technorati Tags: 2009-10, A-League, Adelaide, Australia, Ben, Brisbane, Caravella, Cards, Central, Coast, FC, Finals, Football, Fury, GCU, Glory, goal, goals, gold, Jets, Jin-Hyung, Kennedy, Mariners, Melbourne, Newcastle, North, Perth, Phoenix, Queensland, red, Roar, Shane, SMELTZ, soccer, Song, Sydney, united, Victory, Wellington, Yellow, Zenon

Gold Coast United v Newcastle Jets Semi Final 1st. Half 20-02-2010

http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=32722

Jets sneak through
The Newcastle Jets have produced a dramatic 6-5 win on penalties to end Gold Coast United’s season at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
Jets ‘keeper Ben Kennedy was a standout all night for Branko Culina’s side, with his last-ditch save to deny Zenon Caravella the match-winner.
With the shoot-out locked at 5-5, Jin-Hyung Song blazed over for the Jets leaving the door open for Gold Coast defender Kristian Rees to secure the win.
But in a bizarre twist, Rees sent his shot wide and after Nikolai Topor-Stanley converted his spot-kick it was up to Caravella to keep the match alive.
Determined for the Jets to keep their finals hopes alive, Kennedy dived to his left, getting a hand to Caravella’s penalty and swatting the ball away.
The win means the Jets will now face the winner of Saturday’s match between Wellington and Perth.
Gold Coast’s usually slick passing game took a while to switch into gear during the early minutes of the match, however both teams looked genuinely intent on hitting the target with Ali Abbas and Zenon Caravella firing wide in the first ten minutes.
With a cagey first 20 minutes out of the way the men in yellow began to control the possession and Charlie Miller had the first shot on target in the 22nd minute with a relatively subdued effort from outside the Jets’ area.
Just after Robson found his way into Referee Matthew Breeze’s book for handball, Miller was involved in the action again playing a great through ball into the path of Shane Smeltz.
With the Newcastle defence in no-mans land, Smeltz found himself on-side with plenty time to put the ball away, but clearly lacking his usual prowess in front of goal, Smeltz hesitated and Jets keeper Ben Kennedy rushed off his line to claim the ball from the Kiwi international’s feet.
Roaming just behind the United strikers and settling into a nice rhythm, Miller’s next contribution was a lovely chip over the Newcastle lines to Joel Porter who managed to flick the ball over Kennedy, however with the ball looking goal bound Nikolai Topor-Stanley was on hand to clear for the corner.
The Jets’ best chance of the half fell to captain Matthew Thompson in the 38th minute when Abbas threaded the needle to Thompson in the box, but United custodian Jess Vanstrattan was on the hand to make the save.
Trying to break his six-game scoring drought, Smeltz had another dig at goal minutes later when Caravella played a neat ball to his feet, while the effort was low and hard the path was straight at Kennedy.
With play switching ends, Jin-Hyung Song then saw his left foot effort flash wide five minutes before time.
A solid looking Kennedy made sure the scores stayed level going into the break when he kept out a quickly taken Gold Coast free-kick from just outside the area.
Emerging from the tunnel, the Jets looked to go on the attack early with Jobe Wheelhouse’s ambitious drive from outside the area forcing Vanstrattan to tip over the bar.
Kennedy was still being kept busy at the other end, producing a great save to deny Joel Porter from close range after a scramble in the area.
Having the game of his life, Kennedy pulled off another great save in the 65th minute when Porter played Culina into space.
Taking the ball in his stride as he streamed into the box, the United captain pulled the trigger but Kennedy held firm desperate to keep the Jets in the game.
After a bright start to the second half, it took until the 83 rd minute for goal to be threatened again with Porter heading second half substitute Dino Djulbic’s cross past the wrong side of the up-right.
As the stalemate drew on, the full-time whistle was eventually blown and with the scores locked at 0-0 the knockout semi final moved into extra-time.
Anderson unleashed a low driven left foot effort early in the piece for the home side, and with 10 minutes played Smeltz thought he had done enough when he manoeuvred in the box and fired low only to see the ball skid inches past the post.
Moments later a mistake from Anderson on the half-way line gifted Mirjan Pavlovic acres of space but as the striker was heading towards goal, United defender Bas Van Den Brink made a great sliding tackle to clear the danger.
With Gold Coast desperate for the goal, Newcastle’s rock between the posts made sure things stayed level, Kennedy pulling off a string of great saves firstly to deny James Brown and then Smeltz, after the Kiwi’s first attempt was cleared from the line by Tarek Elrich.
Starting the second-half of extra time, Kennedy made another brilliant save to deny Smeltz who found time and space in the box.
With very little more action to come, the match headed for penalties to decide the match.

Gold Coast United 5
Newcastle Jets 6
Crowd: 4,109
@ Skilled Park
Saturday, 20 February 2010
by Mark Pangallo at Skilled Park, Sportal

Duration : 0:10:0

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Technorati Tags: 2009-10, A-League, Adelaide, Australia, Ben, Brisbane, Caravella, Cards, Central, Coast, FC, Finals, Football, Fury, GCU, Glory, goal, goals, gold, Jets, Jin-Hyung, Kennedy, Mariners, Melbourne, Newcastle, North, Perth, Phoenix, Queensland, red, Roar, Shane, SMELTZ, soccer, Song, Sydney, united, Victory, Wellington, Yellow, Zenon

Looking for a permanent, semi-permanent, or portable soccer goal with:

•Superior Quality
•A Professional Look
•And Affordable Pricing

Youve come to the right place

Goals 4 Sports; the Professional Soccer Goal Company has what you need

Duration : 0:1:24

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Technorati Tags: Bownet, Cones, Corner Flags, Covered Benches, Field Paint, Futsal, goalkeeper gloves, Referee Gear, Scrimmage Vests, soccer goal

Jeremy Clarkson is the referee

Duration : 0:0:18

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Technorati Tags: 007, mccartneygelredome

Question 1
On a corner kick, the ball curved in the air completely across the goal line, returned onto the playing field and was then kicked into the goal.
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Throw-In
d. Dropped ball
e. Kick-off
Question 2
Before a penalty kick was taken, the goalkeeper moved to his/her right, but remained on the goal line. The kick was taken and the goalkeeper deflected the ball over the crossbar.
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Penalty Kick
d. Direct Free Kick
e. Indirect Free Kick

Question 4
The referee saw a player deliberately trying to spit at a teammate.
a. Direct Free Kick
b. Indirect Free Kick
c. Penalty kick
d. Dropped ball
Question 5
You stopped the game for an injury that occurred inside the goal area. When you are ready to resume the game, you may restart with a dropped ball from any spot within the goal area.
True
False
Question 6
From a penalty kick, the ball rebounds off the goalkeeper back to the player who took the penalty kick. That player then kicked the ball into the goal.
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Throw-In
d. Dropped ball
e. Kick-off
Question 7
The referee sees the ball enter the goal. The AR makes eye contact with the referee and then sprints up the touch line, towards the halfway line. This action indicates that, in the opinion of the AR, the goal should be awarded.
True
False
Question 8
The required equipment of a player includes shinguards. Shinguards must:
a. be covered entirely by the stockings or socks.
b. be made of a suitable material (rubber, plastic, or similar material).
c. provide a reasonable degree of protection.
d. meet all three of the above requirements.
Question 9
An attacker encroaches into the penalty area on a penalty kick and the ball does not go into the net. The referee decides to restart play with an indirect free kick
a. on the penalty mark
b. where the ball was when the attacker encroached
c. where the attacker entered the penalty area
d. none of the above
Question 10
To help prevent possible injuries, the minimum height of the corner flag post must be at least
a. 3 feet
b. 5 feet
c. 8.5 feet
Question 11
A player repeatedly commits fouls or participates in a pattern of fouls directed at an opponent
a. Caution and show the guilty player a yellow card.
b. Send off and show the guilty player a red card.
c. First show a yellow card and then send off and show the guilty player a red card.
d. For this incident neither a caution nor a send-off is directed by the Laws of the Game.
Question 12
The goalkeeper may participate in a dropped ball restart.
True
False
Question 14
A goalkeeper, standing in his/her own penalty area, struck an opponent, who was outside the penalty area, by deliberately throwing the ball at him/her.
a. Direct Free Kick
b. Indirect Free Kick
c. Penalty kick
d. Dropped ball
Question 15
While play is going on in his half of the field, the assistant referee’s main position is in line with the second-to-last defender or the ball, whichever is nearer to the goal line.
True
False
Question 16
A goalkeeper, while punting the ball from the top of the penalty area, goes completely out of the penalty area and into the penalty arc while in control of the ball with his/her hands. The referee should:
a. award an indirect free kick
b. award a direct free kick
c. allow play to continue
Question 17
A player, just before taking a penalty kick, tried to throw the goal keeper off balance with a little stutter step. He/she then kicked the ball over the crossbar.
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Penalty Kick
d. Direct Free Kick
e. Indirect Free Kick
Question 18
At the taking of a throw-in, all opponents must be at least 2 yards away from the point at which the throw-in is to be taken.
True
False
Question 19
While the ball was in play in his/her penalty area, a player deliberately punched the referee.
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Penalty Kick
d. Direct Free Kick
e. Indirect Free Kick
Question 20
While the ball was in play, the referee temporarily stopped the game because of thunder and lightning. After the weather improves and play can be resumed safely, how should the game be restarted?
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Throw-In
d. Dropped ball
e. Kick-off
Question 21
The goalkeeper deflected a shot on goal over the crossbar.
a. Corner Kick
b. Goal Kick
c. Penalty Kick
d. Direct Free Kick
e. Indirect Free Kick
Question 22
According to the Laws of the Game, may a coach give tactical instructions to his/her team, such as ‘ Joe and Bill, change positions’, while the ball is in play?
a. No, he/she may not.
b. Yes, he/she may, as long as he/she does it from the designated technical area.
Question 23
Law 5, Powers and Duties of the Referee, defines “applying advantage” as:
a. permitting the referee to let play continue when the team against which a

Question 1:
It would be a goal kick as when the ball goes entirely out, it is called OUT.
Question 3:
Corner kick, as the goalkeeper may move freely thoughtout the penalty process…
Question 4:
Direct freekick and a yellow card
Question 5:
Dependes who was involved, it may be a:
Penalty/freekick (2 players)
Or played advantage and from where the ball was lasted played….
Question 6:
Goal, unless during a penalty shootout…
Question 7:
True, if not the AR will signal the referee or put the flag up for offside etc…
Question 8:
B and C, A is more for the uniform
Question 9:
The penalty kick is retaken until NO players are in the penalty area until the time of the exact ball
Question 10:
1.5m
Question 11:
C
Question 12:
True, a goalkeeper may also take a penalty kick…
Question 14:
Direct freekick
Question 15:
True
Question 16:
Direct freekick
Question 17:
Goal kick, C.Ronaldo does it all the time…
Question 18:
True
Question 19:
Red Card straight away, penalty
Question 20:
As it would after half time..
Question 21:
Corner kick.. The goalkeeper touched it last.
Question 22:
B, though it will reveal tactial information…
Question 23:
It a player on team A is fowled, and another player from team A recieves the ball, advantage is played for a certain amount of time, or until the player fomr team A gets tackled…

P.S. Your numbering is slightly wrong…

Done.. Pheww!!

Cultivte your raw speed and train in the PUMA v1.10 Top Trainer. UPPER: Anodized microfiber PU and fabric with synthetic coating &quotKinte&quot patrn …

Duration : 0:4:22

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Technorati Tags: guide to good soccer refs, ref, referee, soccer, soccer referee, soccer refs, woodbirdge soccer, wtysa

Duration : 0:4:13

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“Insane Saves”

The goalkeeper’s main job is to stop any penetration of the ball into the goal.
The goalkeeper is the only player who may use his or her hands and arms to play the ball, and may do so only within the penalty area. Goalkeepers are required to wear a distinctive color jersey, separate from either team’s regular jersey color, so the referee can easily identify them. There are no other specific requirements, but goalkeepers are usually allowed to wear additional protective gear such as a padded jersey or pants. Most goalkeepers also wear gloves to protect their hands and enhance grip of the ball, and like every player on the pitch, they are required to wear shin guards.
The goalkeeper is allowed to catch the ball, and also to punch or deflect the ball away from the goal. The goalkeeper generally has a significant advantage on a ball high in the air, as he can raise his arms and play the ball before an attacker can attempt a header. When the keeper picks up the ball, he is allowed to kick it or throw it, or to place it on the ground and play it with his feet. Once the ball is picked up, it must be put back into play within a few seconds(normally 6), and the goalkeeper may not take more than 4 steps without touching the ball back to the ground; however, referees often use their discretion as long as the keeper is not obviously attempting to waste time. Once the keeper establishes possession of the ball, opposing players are not allowed to attempt to play the ball and must give the goalkeeper room to attempt a kick.
One key rule is that the goalkeeper is not allowed to pick up a ball which is kicked directly to him by one of his teammates (the keeper is still allowed to play the ball with his feet). This is known as the “back-pass” rule in Law 12 of the Laws of the Game and an infringement results in an indirect kick to the other team. The referee has some discretion in making this call; for example, a ball which is merely deflected by a teammate may still be picked up by the goalkeeper. Also, the rule applies only to a ball which is actually kicked. A ball which is headed or otherwise not kicked may be picked up by the goalkeeper without penalty. The back-pass rule has been followed in international soccer and in most professional and amateur leagues since the early 1990′s, but leagues for younger players may choose not to enforce the rule.
As the goalkeeper is usually the team’s only player who can see the entire field, they often act as an organizer of the team when it is defending, such as on a free kick or a corner kick.

In many team sports, a goalkeeper (termed goaltender, netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports) is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. Such positions exist in hurling, association football, Gaelic football, International Rules Football, handball, ice hockey, field hockey, netball, water polo, bandy, lacrosse, floorball and a number of other sports.
Usually special rules apply to the goalkeeper that do not apply to the other players. These rules are often instituted to protect the goalkeeper, being an obvious target for dangerous or even violent actions. In certain sports, such as ice hockey and lacrosse, goalkeepers are required to wear special equipment like heavy pads and a face mask to protect their bodies from the impact of the playing object (e.g. a puck).

In some sports, goalkeepers are considered almost the same as the other players in terms of rules; in soccer, for example, the keeper is allowed to play the ball with his feet just as any other player. In other sports, goalkeepers may be limited in the actions they are allowed to take, or limited to playing within a certain area of the field; in the NHL, for example, goalkeepers may not play the puck in the restricted areas behind the net.

Der Torwart (Torhüter, Torwächter, Torsteher, Tormann oder Torfrau und Torspieler, auch Schlussmann; Schweiz: Goalie) ist ein Mitspieler einer Mannschaftssportart. Er ist der defensivste Spieler seiner Mannschaft, und seine Hauptaufgabe besteht darin, zu verhindern, dass das Spielgerät (z. B. ein Ball) ins Tor der eigenen Mannschaft gelangt. Daher wird er auch Torhüter genannt.

Torwarte haben in den meisten Sportarten Sonderrechte gegenüber anderen Spielern. Beim Fußball z. B. darf der Torwart im Strafraum die Hand benutzen. Außerdem trägt der Torwart in der Regel eine spezielle Kleidung und Ausrüstung, die ihn optisch von den anderen Spielern unterscheidet, bestimmte Schutzfunktionen erfüllt (etwa die Torwartmaske und die Torwartschienen beim Eishockey) und ihn in seiner speziellen Aufgabe unterstützt (z. B. erhöhte Fangsicherheit und Aufpralldämpfung durch spezielle Torwarthandschuhe im Eishockey).

Gigi D’ Agostino: Blablabla

Duration : 0:3:12

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Technorati Tags: Adler, Agostino, Andreas, Aumann, Barthez, Bayern, Blablabla, Buffon, C.F., Casillas, Chilavert, crazy, D', Dasaev, Fabien, Gianluigi, Gigi, Iker, Inter, Jean-Marie, Jens, Jose, Juventus, Kahn, KV, Köpke, Lehmann, Lues, Madrid, manchester, Manuel, Marseille, Mechelen, Michael, Michel, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Neuer, Oliver, Peter, Pfaff, Preudhomme, Raimond, Real, Rene, Rensing, Rinat, Sarsfield, Schmeichel, Spartak, united, Velez, Walter, Zenga

ESPN’s- Tommy Smyth

WALL STREET JOURNAL : As France moved in to score the winning goal, tens of millions of viewers watched French captain Thierry Henry illegally guide the ball with his hand before kicking it to another player, who headed it in.The referee missed the infraction. The victory stood. Since then, Ireland has exploded in anger, while France is roiled in an uncomfortable national debate over the nobility of accepting such a tainted victory. Just 32 countries can send teams to the competition in South Africa next summer. For FIFA, sponsors and equipment makers, a crucial aspect of the World Cup is its “commercial” value. That gives them a “financial” interest in seeing larger nations, with “more consumers”, qualify for the finals.2 teams were left to fight it out for four remaining slots.The problem for FIFA, critics say, is that surprise teams like Switzerland and Denmark had advanced, while big draws like Portugal,? Greece and France — one of Europe’s largest economies with a population of 64 million — hadn’t. Until that point, FIFA’s plan was to determine the next round of two-team matchups by picking names from a hat. But now loomed the risk of a France-Portugal meeting that would end with one team left at home. In September, FIFA changed course and decided that it would match each of Europe’s four highest-ranked teams with a lower-ranked team. That led to favored France a former World and European Champion drawing Ireland, population four million.”

Commentator :Tommy Smyth: born in Knockbridge, County Louth, Republic of Ireland) is one of the most recognized soccer commentators in the USA. He is a color commentator for ESPN, which he joined in February 1993 as a football analyst. He provides co-commentary or in-studio analysis for major soccer events. He also commentates on Gaelic games, horse racing, and harness racing for ESPN.

FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/video may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.

Duration : 0:0:37

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Technorati Tags: Cheating, FIFA Ireland, Football, France, robbed, yt:quality=high

Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC 28 – Sept – 2008

Phoenix stun Sydney FC

Wellington Phoenix have jumped off the bottom of the A-League ladder after an upset 2-1 victory over previously unbeaten Sydney FC 2-1 at Westpac Stadium on Sunday.

In front of an increasingly delirious home crowd in Wellington, the Phoenix finally rediscovered goalscoring form to record their first win of the season.

With the scores tied 1-1 at the break, the Phoenix reaped the reward for some uncompromising defence and enterprising midfield play when Tim Brown planted home the winner after 76 minutes.

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert made a swathe of changes from the team who suffered a drab 1-0 loss to Perth last week, forced to some degree by injury and illness.

Midfielder Richard Johnson took over the captain’s duties for a flu-stricken Andrew Durante, while defender Manny Muscat came in for David Mulligan.

With defender Jon McKain unavailable, a rearranged back line included All White Ben Sigmund and Karl Dodd.

Mark Paston started in goal for an injured Glen Moss, while striker Vaughan Coveny partnered Shane Smeltz up front.

Although the Phoenix started tentatively, a revitalised midfield and the dual options of Smeltz and Coveny up front gave them options on attack.

However, Sydney looked the more assured from the outset, working the ball well through the midfield, with Steve Corica constantly finding space to pressure the Phoenix defence.

Right back Shannon Cole also caused problems for Wellington, particularly from set play, and it was his ball into the box after 20 minutes that Alex Brosque latched on to unchallenged.

Brosque’s looping header floated over the reach of Paston and the Phoenix were back in familiar territory, a goal down and on the back foot.

But with Leilei Gao providing some extra midfield spark, the Phoenix found an extra gear in the closing minutes of the first half.

Tony Lochhead slotted in a pinpoint cross for Smeltz, unmarked at the near post, who climbed high to head the ball past Sydney goalkeeper Clint Bolton in the 42nd minute.

The Phoenix came out strongly in the second half, but it was an innocuous challenge from Coveny two minutes into the spell that provided the most heart-stopping moment for the 7000-strong home crowd.

Referee Peter Green brandished the red card to widespread disbelief before realising his mistake and showing the more appropriate yellow card.

The Phoenix kept pushing forward until Brown, his head bandaged after an earlier clash with Sydney striker Brendan Santalab, left an unsighted Bolton sprawling to secure an unlikely lead.

Wellington kept attacking in the final stages, then held on for three long minutes of extra time for the win.

28 September 2008 | 16:18 – AAP
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league/phoenix-stun-sydney-fc-140290/

Duration : 0:3:13

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Technorati Tags: A-League, Adelaide, Australia, FC, Football, Melbourne, Phoenix, Queensland, Roar, soccer, Sydney, united, Victory, Wellington