E-League Round 7 wrap

Wellington Phoenix celebrated their maiden E-League victory while the top three broke away in an engaging Round 7.

With three rounds to go, Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne City remain in the hunt as they seek to catch leaders Sydney FC.

Get up to date with all the action from Thursday night’s matches, including a surprise loss for one of the competition’s toughest competitors.

Perth Glory 1-5 Sydney FC

Sydney FC were simply too strong for Perth Glory over two legs as the league leaders made it seven wins from seven.

Xbox: David ‘HighFly357’ Cook 0-2 Samer ‘Samer96_’ Elbadar

Samer Elbadar outclassed David Cook to give Sydney FC a 2-0 head start against Perth Glory.

Having been held to a scoreless first half, Elbadar released his frustration by tucking away a follow-up for the opener shortly after the interval.

And his lead was doubled five minutes later as a defence-splitting pass paved the way for a straightforward victory.

PS4: Peter ‘saisanas’ Saisanas 1-3 Mark ‘xMarkoHD’ Brijeski

Mark Brijeski finished the job for the Sky Blues with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Peter Saisanas.

Brijeski was always going to be tough to stop with a two-goal buffer and so it proved as he netted the first of the PS4 leg.

Saisanas did bring the overall deficit back to two goals with a quick equaliser, though it stayed that way for fewer than 15 minutes.

Brijeski continued to lead the charge by adding a third beyond the hour, putting the final seal on Sydney FC’s latest success.

Adelaide United 5-6 Wellington Phoenix

The previously winless Wellington Phoenix shocked Adelaide United to go three points clear of bottom-placed Melbourne Victory.

Xbox: Jamie ‘FUTWIZ Jamie’ O’Doherty 3-3 Justin ‘Justmanutd12’ Josevski

Adelaide’s Jamie O’Doherty scored at the death to ensure he and Justin Josevski couldn’t be split in a pulsating 3-3 draw on Xbox.

O’Doherty saw his lead wiped out on the stroke of half-time, before he returned the favour after the restart to cancel out Josevski’s go-ahead goal.

But the Phoenix player wasn’t finished there, making up for nervy miss by netting what looked to be the winner of a thrilling clash.

However, there was still time for one final piece of drama as O’Doherty lashed in a thunderous 89th-minute equaliser to deny Josevski at the death.

PS4: Zachary ‘vDreamz-Shooter’ May-Burgess 2-3 Christian ‘Fweshest’ Bartolilo

Christian Bartolilo was the hero for Phoenix as he overcame Zachary May-Burgess for a decisive 3-2 win on PS4.

The pair struck a goal apiece inside the opening eight minutes, before May-Burgess grabbed the initiative with a penalty.

Bartolilo, though, converted a spot-kick of his own to restore parity prior to the hour and he turned that into a shock lead through Ruud Gullit with less than half an hour to play.

The well-worked goal, involving a quick exchange between three players at the top of the box, proved all Wellington needed to welcome their inaugural aggregate victory.

Brisbane Roar 0-2 Central Coast Mariners

Central Coast Mariners remain well in premiership contention after prevailing in a closely-fought battle with Brisbane Roar.

Xbox: James ‘Cripsy’ Williams 0-1 Matthew ‘StrawHat Camels’ Camilleri

Matthew Camilleri’s season of surprises continued with a 1-0 upset of James Williams.

Cripsy enjoyed the best of the early play, only to see Camilleri snatch the lead with a brilliant turn and finish midway through the first half.

The Mariners man went agonisingly close to a second through Trent Buhagiar – and survived claims for a red card over a bizarre incident – before a succession of saves presereved his precious one-goal win.

PS4: Dino ‘ol_Mate_’ Flocco 0-1 Kiran ‘KyrenFIFA’ Gupta

Kiran Gupta did what was required for the Mariners as he battled to a 1-0 defeat of Dino Flocco.

Flocco pressed, probed and hit the post from a corner late in proceedings, but ultimately his efforts went unrewarded.

Indeed, Roar’s chances of a result were confirmed as over when Gupta scrambled home the only goal in the dying moments.

Melbourne Victory 2-3 Western Sydney Wanderers

Rick Tran came to the fore for Western Sydney Wanderers as they edged past Melbourne Victory and secured a fourth win in seven rounds.

Xbox: Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed 2-1 Joseph ‘OhNoAGoat’ Nassar

Mouad Zwed became the first player to beat Joseph Nassar with an extraordinary last-gasp 2-1 win on Xbox.

Zwed’s quickfire opener was instantly cancelled out by a classy Nassar finish and the Western Sydney star was expected to go on from there.

But just as the game was creeping toward a draw, Zwed delivered a knockout blow in stoppage time with a brilliant volley sealing a memorable win.

PS4: Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed 1-3 Rick ‘RDBOULETTT’ Tran

Mouad Zwed’s first-leg work came undone against Rick Tran, who completely turned the tie with a 3-1 win.

A goal apiece within the first 10 minutes showed Zwed would not have it easy and he was on the back foot when Tran clinically regained the lead.

With the overall score suddenly levelled, it was Tran who made himself a Western Sydney hero by producing some neat footwork and a calm finish with five minutes left on the clock.

Newcastle Jets 2-5 Melbourne City

Melbourne City claimed victories in both legs as they ensured Newcastle Jets remain stuck in the bottom three.

Xbox: Dane ‘Bossierhickory8’ Crow 1-3 Marcus ‘SoccerStar00777’ Gomes

Marcus Gomes returned to winning ways with a well-earned 3-1 defeat of a plucky Dane Crow.

Gomes made the breakthrough after a tight first half hour with a delightful curling finish through the legs of a defender.

Crow showed he wasn’t about to roll over by later lashing home a cracking volley, although parity only lasted a matter of moments as a smart exchange of passes helped Gomes restore his lead.

Crow was forced to chase the game and, after conceding a third on the counter, he did reduce the margin back to one to keep the tie alive.

PS4: Bohdan ‘BLfifa’ Ling 1-2 Josh ‘joshingwood’ Wood

Josh Wood narrowly saw off Bohdan Ling 2-1 to confirm City’s fifth overall win of the season.

Ling set the cat among the pigeons with a first for Newcastle after 15 minutes, although Wood’s volume of shots eventually earned him a key goal to close out the half.

Ling was later denied by the woodwork and his misery deepened when Wood dribbled home the final dagger to snuff out the remaining threat.

This article was originally published at: www.a-league.com.au/news/wellington-phoenixs-long-wait-finally-over-e-league-round-7-wrap