Wellington Phoenix fell to a 0-1 defeat against Sydney FC at Hnry Stadium in Chris Greenacre’s first match back in charge, with a contentious VAR decision proving costly.
The referee overturned a first-half penalty after reviewing footage that suggested Phoenix forward Nagasawa had not been fouled, and Sydney capitalised by scoring early in the second half through Alexandar Popovic.
Despite a spirited second-half fightback from Wellington, Sydney goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares produced a string of impressive saves to secure the win, with Greenacre drawing positives from his side’s effort while reserving judgement on the refereeing controversy until he could review the footage himself.
