Phoenix deny Glory
Wellington Phoenix will host Newcastle Jets at Westpac Stadium in two weeks time after overcoming Perth Glory 4-2 on penalties in a tense Hyundai A-League minor semi-final.
With the two teams locked 1-1 after 120 minutes of football it came down spot kicks and goalkeeper Liam Reddy - who kept his side in the match throughout with some smart saves - saved attempts by Naum Sekulovski and Scott Bulloch to ensure his team another week of finals football in its first foray into the A-League post-season.
Paul Ifill, Andrew Durante, Tim Brown and Adrian Caceres all converted.
Not even the sending off of defender Jon McKain in extra time for a second bookable offence could dampen the delight for the home side after a gritty display against a Perth team bolstered by the return to the starting line-up of skipper Jacob Burns and Chris Coyne and Mile Sterjovski to the bench.
Perth Glory has retained top position on the National Youth League ladder with a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Sunday.