Phoenix Women's head coach Paul Temple. Photo: photosport
Wellington Phoenix coach Paul Temple described the result as an "injustice" after losing 2-1 to Sydney FC in the women's A-League.
The home side scored from their only two shots on target, late in each half, at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney to further dent Wellington's chances of qualifying for the top-six play-offs.
The Sky Blues scored the match-winner in the eighth minute of time added on, the goal coming after the Phoenix had been reduced to 10 players following a second yellow card shown to Tiana Jaber late in the contest.
"It feels like a massive injustice," Temple said.
"We deserved to win the game.
"We at least deserved to get away with a point with what we put into it. It feels like we've been robbed really.
"So much to be proud of in terms of what the team did and how we played and how we had to wrestle through different parts of the game.
"And also so much frustration and disappointment with how we handled the last five minutes of the game when we should have consolidated our point and taken it away.
"We just didn't defend very well at all really when we had 10 players. The structure went a bit out the window."
The defeat leaves the Phoenix eighth on the ladder and two points outside the top six with four matches remaining.
Temple believes their finals hopes are "in the balance" but urged his players to commit everything to a push for the post-season.
"We need to really grow as a team and learn in those situations and understand that taking a point out of here in the circumstances would have been the least we deserved, but now we go away with nothing," he said.
"We're certainly not out of it but realistically we've got to win at least three, probably all four of the last four games to really put ourselves in a position where we get in.
"It will also be dependent on what else happens around the league because there are certainly results which are throwing things wide open.
"We missed our chance to get in the six tonight but we're still close and there's no reason why we can't still make it.
"We've got to put the wins together and we've got to back ourselves to win our home games now and see if we can get something on the road in Canberra."
Sydney opened the scoring through Madeleine Caspers late in the first half before Wellington's equaliser came through Manaia Elliott in the 75th minute.
Princess Ibini scored the late, late winner to lift Sydney FC off the bottom of the standings with their fourth victory from 19 games.
Wellington are next at home to Central Coast Mariners on Saturday.
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