Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Phoenix battle to much-needed win

Updated at 10:12 pm on 2 February 2013

Wellington Phoenix have lifted themselves off the bottom of the A-League table with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Perth Glory at Eden Park on Saturday evening.

A headed goal from Jeremy Brockie four minutes before half-time was all that separated the two sides after a scrappy, but keenly contested, encounter played in Auckland while Westpac Stadium in the capital was hosting the IRB Rugby Sevens series.

The Phoenix leapfrog Perth into ninth place and keeps alive its hopes of place in the end-of-season play-offs. Before Saturday the Wellington side had drawn one and lost four of its previous five matches.

Waitakere fight back to take win

Waitakere Utd continued their dominance of the ASB Premiership with a come-from-behind 3-2 win against Auckland City at Kiwitea St on Saturday.

The victory, hard-earned but well deserved, moves the West Aucklanders 10 points clear at the top of the table though that would be reduced to eight if Hawke's Bay Utd beat Otago on Sunday.

Alex Feneridis put Auckland ahead on 11 minutes, but Luiz del Monte put the visitors level before half-time.

Spaniard Manuel Exposito put Auckland back in front after the interval, but goals from Roy Krishna and Tim Myers gave Waitakere the three points in front of a crowd of 1,876.

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