Veteran stars Aleksander Prijovic and Alessandro Diamanti have turned despair into jubilation for Western United by lifting them to a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Wellington within the A-League Males.
Staring down the barrel of a fifth defeat in six video games, coach John Aloisi’s transfer to throw his skilled duo on late proved a masterstroke as they struck twice within the dying phases to show a 2-1 deficit right into a 3-2 away win on Sunday.
Objectives from Oskar Zawada and Bozhidar Kraev had seemed like being sufficient to see off Jacob Tratt’s response and make sure the Phoenix could be winners because the ALM headed right into a four-week World Cup intermission.
However Prijovic’s 84th-minute header and a chic Ninety fifth-minute free-kick from Diamanti turned the sport on its head and left Wellington ruing a first-half penalty miss from Kosta Barbarouses.
The win lifts United off the underside of the desk heading into the World Cup break and they’ll take coronary heart from the prospect of Prijovic, who made his first look on the season, and Diamanti enjoying higher roles when the season resumes.
The end result was a outstanding turnaround for United, who struggled to put a glove on their foes within the first half.
Phoenix’s management through the first 45 was rewarded when a go from Kraev deflected for an open Zawada to complete for the Polish import’s first ALM objective.
Phoenix ought to have doubled their benefit from the spot within the thirty eighth minute just for Barbarouses’ effort to be strongly saved by Jamie Younger.
Nonetheless, when Krev laced in a shot that took a number of deflections and gave Younger no probability within the 58th, the win seemed safe.
However when Tratt pulled one again within the sixty fourth and Aloisi shortly threw his seasoned leaders into the fray looking for a leveller, the competition shifted and Prijovic and Diamanti delivered.
