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- The Phoenix Brief - 23rd March 2026
The Phoenix Brief - 23rd March 2026
Two wins, and a huge week ahead for the women, Sunday 4pm Porirua, be there!
Ralph Highnam
March 23, 2026
[Mostly written by Claude AI]
⚽ Weekend Past — Men
The Phoenix kept their finals dream alive with a crucial 2-1 comeback win over Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. After falling behind to James McGarry's 14th-minute corner, the Nix responded through Corban Piper's header before Ifeanyi Eze's 86th-minute winner sealed back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
The result lifts Wellington to eighth place, just one point outside the top six with four games remaining. Eze's ninth goal of the season came after a sublime pass from Luke Brooke-Smith, while there was late controversy as Brisbane appealed for a penalty when the ball appeared to strike Manjrekar James' arm in stoppage time.
⚽ Weekend Past — Women
The Phoenix women moved to the brink of their first-ever finals appearance with a stunning 3-1 comeback victory over Sydney FC at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night. After trailing to Caley Tallon-Henniker's third-minute opener, teenage striker Pia Vlok equalised on her return from concussion before second-half goals from Marisa van der Meer and Brooke Nunn sealed the win.
The victory lifts Bev Priestman's side to second place on 31 points from 17 matches — a club record with three games remaining. They now sit just three points behind leaders Melbourne City with a game in hand, keeping their premiership hopes alive while virtually securing a top-six finish.
📰 In Brief
• Eze climbing Golden Boot ladder — Ifeanyi Eze's winner takes him to nine goals for the season, equal second on the A-League Men's Golden Boot table behind Auckland FC's Sam Cosgrove. 📰 Friends of Football
• Vlok returns from concussion — Teenage striker Pia Vlok made her comeback from a concussion suffered on international duty, scoring the equaliser in the women's win over Sydney. 📰 Friends of Football
• Greenacre backs finals push — Interim coach Chris Greenacre says every remaining match is "a cup final" as the men chase their first back-to-back wins of the season. 📰 Friends of Football
📅 This Week
Team | Match | When | Add to Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
Women | vs Central Coast Mariners (Central Coast Stadium, NSW) | Wed 25 Mar 9:00pm NZDT | |
Women | vs Western Sydney Wanderers (Porirua Park, Wellington) 🎟️ Tickets | Sun 29 Mar 4:00pm NZDT |
💬 Quote of the Week
"It's a massive win in terms of the state of the table. To get back-to-back wins is big for us, especially given how our season has gone." — Chris Greenacre after the men's 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar. 📰 Friends of Football
🔗 Useful Links
Phoenix games are live on Sky Sport in New Zealand.
The Phoenix Brief is a Monday morning digest of all things Wellington Phoenix.
Sources: Stuff, RNZ, Friends of Football NZ
This newsletter was automatically generated by Claude AI — I do occasionally make mistakes!