The A-League season is over for the Wellington Phoenix.
Reno Piscopo Photo: PHOTOSPORT
A lack of finishing has again cost the Wellington side as they were beaten 1-0 by Perth Glory in the first eliminational final in Sydney.
A Joel Chianese strike after 18 minutes put Perth ahead, while their keeper Liam Reddy kept the Phoenix attack at bay.
Missing English striker Gary Hooper to injury, Ufuk Talay's side spurned a series of late chances and fell short of a first post-season win since 2012, as a thrilling campaign under their rookie head coach came crashing down.
A lack of goals weighed heavily for the Phoenix who only managed one win in their six regular season games since the resumption and that win was against Perth a month ago.
Wellington again dominated long periods of the game but were unable to convert that advantage into goals.
Jaushua Sotirio should have pulled his side level with 15 minutes remaining but stabbed his close-range effort wide after Callan Elliot's fine run and cut-back.
With just a minute remaining, David Ball saw his effort hit the crossbar and that brought a disappointing end to the Phoenix's best-ever A-League campaign.
The Phoenix completely dominated possession and goalscoring attempts but a lack of cutting edge in front of goal proved their undoing.
The Glory enjoyed some positive moments in attack, especially on the counter- attack, but Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay was left to rue missed opportunities.
It was a frustrating end for the Phoenix who enjoyed a best-ever season by finishing third.
The New Zealanders had been forced to spend nine weeks in Sydney to complete their season.
"We created more than enough opportunities to win, but if we are not clinical in front of goal we can't win games," said Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay.
"We can make a lot of excuses about the hub but people do need to acknowledge what Wellington Phoenix has done to help keep this season going."
The Glory's win means they will tackle premiers Sydney FC in the semi-finals on Wednesday in a grand-final rematch.
