| A-League: Melbourne down Queensland, Pheonix conquer Sydney |
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| Tuesday, 11 November 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Melbourne Victory striker Archie Thompson has produced a match-winning header in his A-League return from suspension to compound Queensland Roar's home-ground woes as Wellington Pheonix stun Sydney FC 2-1. Victory took sole ownership of top spot in the competition with a 1-0 win, courtesy of Thompson's 70th-minute goal at Suncorp Stadium. Billy Celeski reeled off a sharp corner to Danny Allsopp who flicked a header on to an unmarked Thompson in front of the Roar goal. The fringe Socceroos frontman, back from a two-match ban for abusing a referee, gave goalkeeper Liam Reddy no chance with the crisp header. Wellington have pulled off another upset win over Sydney FC with a last-minute Shane Smeltz penalty earning the Phoenix a 2-1 A-League victory at the Sydney Football Stadium. Smeltz fired home his seventh goal of the season when he converted an 89th-minute spot-kick after Sydney captain Tony Popovic handled his cross. Phoenix, who defeated Sydney in both league and Pre-Season Cup games, lifted themselves off the bottom of the ladder and moved above Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets into sixth spot. The upset result completed a NSW double for Phoenix, whose only previous away win this season was against the Central Coast Mariners. Referee Matthew Breeze issued two dubious red cards as Perth Glory snatched a dramatic 2-2 A-League draw with Newcastle at Members Equity Stadium. In a physical encounter, Perth striker Eugene Dadi scored the equaliser from the spot in the 91st minute after Newcastle skipper Jade North impeded the path of substitute Adrian Trinidad. To add spice to the result, tempers flared after the match as North and Trinidad aired their differences. Players from both sides became involved with coaching staff and referees forced to separate the two groups. It was a controversial end to a match that saw Perth skipper Jamie Coyne shown a direct red in the 60th minute and Newcastle defender Daniel Piorkowski given his marching orders eight minutes later, both for strong tackles. AAP A-League Table
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