{"id":325039,"date":"2025-04-12T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=325039"},"modified":"2025-04-13T16:59:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T04:59:25","slug":"isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Isuzu UTE A-League Round 26 Match Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Melbourne Victory have claimed bragging rights in their fledgling rivalry with the Wellington Phoenix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Victory have held on to beat the Phoenix 3-2 at Sky Stadium in Wellington, withstanding a late Nix fightback.<br><br>It&#8217;s just their third win over Wellington in their past eight meetings, breaking a deadlock between the two sides.<br><br>Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano was disappointed with the three goals his side conceded.<br><br>\u201cI don\u2019t mind losing, I don\u2019t mind when teams outplay us, I don\u2019t mind if a team tactically do things to make it hard for us, but for me I think we gave them three goals today,\u201d Italiano told media post-match.<br><br>\u201cTo concede after three minutes I thought it was poor defending, the corner was poor defending\u2026and then we get transitioned for the third goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match Highlights | Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z6jvmve46eo?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Nikolaos Vergos ran more than 50 metres unopposed before scoring Victory\u2019s third, which frustrated Italiano the most.<br><br>\u201cWe had six players around the ball and we essentially gave up a shot from the top of the box so I was disappointed in that regard.<br><br>\u201cIt\u2019s not acceptable to defend in those moments like that [when] you have the ascendancy and you have the players.<br><br>\u201cWe could have fouled. What\u2019s the worst that\u2019s going to happen? A yellow card?<br><br>\u201cThe defensive line could have stepped when they know there\u2019s danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"325042\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/a-league-men-rd-26-wellington-phoenix-v-melbourne-victory-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"5400,3600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 12: Alex Rufer of the Phoenix attempts to evade Zin\\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1744483363&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Men Rd 26 - Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Men Rd 26 &#8211; Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Alex Rufer of the Phoenix attempts to evade Zin\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-325042\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209845832.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Alex Rufer of the Phoenix attempts to evade Zin\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the defensive mistakes, Italiano felt they could have claimed a share of the spoils.<br><br>\u201cWhat I liked about today was that we didn\u2019t give up, which was good.<br><br>\u201cA little bit more polish today with the ball [and] a little bit more control we probably would have scored the third or fourth.\u201d<br><br>Giancarlo Italiano named the same XI which started Sunday\u2019s 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets. He made two changes to the bench with Fin Roa Conchie and Jayden Smith replacing Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues and Lachlan Candy, who played for the reserves earlier in the afternoon with Sloane-Rodrigues scoring in a 2-0 win over Napier City Rovers.<br><br>The Victory took the early lead with Socceroos forward Nishan Velupillay slotting home with just three minutes on the clock.<br><br>The visitors came close to making it 2-0 moments later but Scott Wootton was able to clear Zinedine Machach\u2019s shot off the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"325043\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/a-league-men-rd-26-wellington-phoenix-v-melbourne-victory-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"5400,3600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 12: Corban Piper of the Phoenix celebrates after scoring a goal during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1744477800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;560&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Men Rd 26 - Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Men Rd 26 &#8211; Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Corban Piper of the Phoenix celebrates after scoring a goal during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-325043\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837406.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Corban Piper of the Phoenix celebrates after scoring a goal during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenix drew level in the 10<sup>th<\/sup> minute when Corban Piper toed home a free-flowing end-to-end attack.<br><br>It was Piper\u2019s third goal of the season and second in as many matches at Sky Stadium.<br><br>The Victory continued to dominate possession after Wellington\u2019s equaliser but weren\u2019t able to test Josh Oluwayemi in Wellington\u2019s goal for the next 20 minutes.<br><br>Oluwayemi was however kept busy after the half hour mark.<br><br>He showed his great short-stopping ability to keep out efforts from Machach, Velupillay, Nikolaos Vergos and Daniel Arzani, the last two of which were in quick succession and the pick of the bunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"325045\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/a-league-men-rd-26-wellington-phoenix-v-melbourne-victory-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"5400,3600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 12: Josh Oluwayemi of the Phoenix makes a save during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1744479106&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;560&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Men Rd 26 - Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Men Rd 26 &#8211; Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Josh Oluwayemi of the Phoenix makes a save during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-325045\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209839639.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Josh Oluwayemi of the Phoenix makes a save during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Nix responded well to the visitors\u2019 foray and finished the half strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sam Sutton thumped a volley that deflected over the bar for Wellington\u2019s first corner of the match and Hideki Ishige struck the post after getting on the end of a direct ball from Scott Wootton. Ishige was eventually flagged for offside but it was a tight call that may have needed intervention from the Video Assistant Referee.<br><br>Machach restored Victory\u2019s lead in the first minute of stoppage time when he headed home their ninth corner of the match.<br><br>The Phoenix created an opportunity to equalise on the stroke of halftime but Isaac Hughes blazed his effort over the bar.<br><br>Vergos gave the visitors a two goal advantage five minutes into the second half with a stunning solo effort. He drove forward from deep inside his own half and then unleashed a shot from the edge of the area, which kissed off the post and into the back of the net.<br><br>Italiano responded by making a triple change soon after, bringing on Paulo Retre, Luke Brooke-Smith and Lukas Kelly-Heald on in place of Ishige, Kazuki Nagasawa and Matt Sheridan respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"325044\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/a-league-men-rd-26-wellington-phoenix-v-melbourne-victory-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"5400,3600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 12: Zin\\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory on attack during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1744477498&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;560&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Men Rd 26 - Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Men Rd 26 &#8211; Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Zin\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory on attack during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-325044\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209837490.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; APRIL 12: Zin\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory on attack during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Retre got the Nix back in the match with quarter of an hour remaining.<br><br>He found the top left-hand corner of Victory\u2019s goal with a quality first-time finish after Tim Payne picked out the substitute on the edge of the D at the top of the visitors\u2019 box.<br><br>Unfortunately, Retre injured his hamstring moments before shooting and had to be replaced soon after by Nathan Walker.<br><br>Wellington continued to push numbers forward in search of an equaliser and they earned a few set pieces in the final third, but were ultimately unable to test Victory \u2018keeper Mitch Langerak.<br><br>Piper, who was a constant threat throughout, came closest in the 90<sup>th<\/sup> minute when he headed a right-wing cross from Payne narrowly over the bar.<br><br>But Melbourne Victory held on to claim all three points.<br><br>The Wellington Phoenix head back across the Tasman next week to play Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Good Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"match-card-embed-root\" class=\"match-card-embed block-match-card-embed block_0741b744d57efad8076fc9155ddbbdff\" data-competition=\"xwnjb1az11zffwty3m6vn8y6\" data-club=\"6j4xzc2g1eeafo6v1f38d4x22\" data-match=\"bx4c6ptl2nrd5l1ewuaoaxous\" data-position=\"13\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Wellington Phoenix:<\/strong> 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 3. Corban PIPER, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Hideki ISHIGE (8. Paulo RETRE 56<sup>th <\/sup>(41. Nathan WALKER 79<sup>th<\/sup>)), 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES (5. Fin ROA CONCHIE 87<sup>th<\/sup>), 19. Sam SUTTON, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH 56<sup>th<\/sup>), 27. Matthew SHERIDAN (18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD 56<sup>th<\/sup>).<br>Unused substitutes: 35. Dublin BOON (gk), 39. Jayden SMITH.<br><br><strong>Melbourne Victory:<\/strong> 1. Mitchell LANGERAK (gk), 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 6. Ryan TEAGUE (27. Reno PISCOPO 56<sup>th <\/sup>(18. Fabian MONGE 80<sup>th<\/sup>)), 7. Daniel ARZANI (23. Alexander BADOLATO 66<sup>th<\/sup>), 8. Zinedine MACHACH, 9. Nikolaos VERGOS (10. Bruno FORNAROLI 80<sup>th<\/sup>), 14. Jordi VALADON, 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY, 21. Roderick MIRANDA (c) (5. Brendan HAMILL 65<sup>th<\/sup>), 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 28. Kasey BOS.<br>Unused substitutes: 25. Jack DUNCAN (gk), 16. Joshua INSERRA.<br><br><strong>Goals:<br><\/strong>17. Nishan VELUPILLAY (Melbourne Victory) \u2013 4<sup>th<\/sup><br>3. Corban PIPER (Wellington Phoenix) \u2013 10<sup>th<\/sup><br>8. Zinedine MACHACH (Melbourne Victory) \u2013 45+1<br>9. Nikolaos VERGOS (Melbourne Victory) \u2013 50<sup>th<\/sup><br>8. Paulo RETRE (Wellington Phoenix) \u2013 75<sup>th<\/sup><br><strong><br>Cards:<\/strong><br>4. Lachlan JACKSON (Melbourne Victory) \u2013 yellow \u2013 57<sup>th<br><\/sup>5. Brendan HAMILL (Melbourne Victory) \u2013 yellow \u2013 78<sup>th<\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":325041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,330,327,356,343],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":5080,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":"321863","match_card_embed_disable":false,"auto_publish_updates":true,"reference_article":null,"article_featured_video":"","article_featured_video_tagline":"","article_byline":"","article_media_type":"news","article_video":"","gallery":"","shared_ffa_source":"keepup","shared_hide_in_app":false,"article_player":"","article_team":"","article_competition":"","article_match":"","credit":"","related_articles":"","push_to_social":false,"priority":1,"sport":false,"language":"en","private_content":false,"access_level":"","article_id":"","app_featured_image":null,"article_content_group":"news"},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Isuzu UTE A-League Round 26 Match Review","url":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209840508.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209840508.jpg"},"articleSection":"Breaking News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"brenton"}],"creator":["brenton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wellington Phoenix","logo":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/04\/cropped-Wellington_Phoenix_FC_logo-2.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2025-04-12T08:00:00Z","datePublished":"2025-04-12T08:00:00Z","dateModified":"2025-04-13T04:59:25Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Isuzu UTE A-League Round 26 Match Review\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/news\\\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/news\\\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-26-match-review-3\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/GettyImages-2209840508.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/GettyImages-2209840508.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Breaking News\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"brenton\"}],\"creator\":[\"brenton\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Wellington Phoenix\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/cropped-Wellington_Phoenix_FC_logo-2.png\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2025-04-12T08:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-12T08:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-13T04:59:25Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209840508.jpg?w=1080&h=1080&quality=75","image":{"sizes":{"full":{"url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2209840508.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"caption":"WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 12: Zin\u00e9dine Machach of the Victory celebrates with Lachlan Jackson after scoring a goal during the round 26 A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Sky Stadium, on April 12, 2025, in Wellington, New Zealand. 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