The Wellington Phoenix were denied a penalty as they played out a 0-0 draw with two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners in Christchurch.
There was a contentious moment at Apollo Projects Stadium, where hosts the Phoenix felt they should have been awarded a second-half penalty amid strong appeals.
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Japanese veteran Kazuki Nagasawa, who was at the centre of a first-half penalty shout – went down under a challenge from Mariners Diesel Herrington in the 64th minute and after a four-minute VAR review, no penalty was awarded, much to the dismay of the Nix.
With the result, Wellington and Central stayed in ninth and 10th position respectively and level on 18 points.
Wellington were playing in Christchurch for the first time in nine years but it was the Mariners that dictated proceedings early.
The Phoenix’s first real chance came in the 19th minute and it was Central Coast goalkeeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen who stood up tall to deny Nathan Walker.
There were appeals for a ‘Nix penalty just past the half-hour mark after Nagasawa went down following a coming together with Brian Kaltak but those appeals were waved away.
Mariners star Mikael Doka threatened to break the deadlock from distance as he unleashed a ferocious long-range effort prior to half-time.
There was a heart-in-mouth moment for the Mariners in the 62nd minute when Nathan Paull attempted to head the ball back to his goalkeeper but it fell just short of Peraic-Cullen as Hideki Ishige tried to place the ball away from the Central Coast shot-stopper, who scrambled to gather the ball on the second attempt.
In the 64th minute, there was another penalty appeal for the Phoenix with Nagasawa involved again after going down under a Herrington challenge but no spot-kick was given following a VAR review.
The Mariners handed a debut to new signing and talented teenager Abdul Faisal during the final 20 minutes after arriving from Perth Glory.
With fans on the edge of their seat willing on the Phoenix, the home side nearly broke the deadlock seven minutes from the end but the turning Ishige was stopped by Peraic-Cullen