Jason Cummings of Australia and Central Coast were denied a victorious start to their A-League Men’s campaign when Wellington Phoenix scored a late equaliser.
After a thrilling second half at Sky Stadium on Sunday that could have gone either way, the teams shared a 2-2 draw.
Ben Waine gave Wellington the lead after the first quarter ended scoreless, but Sam Silvera and Cummings quickly answered to reverse the situation inside seven minutes.
Paul Ayongo’s deflection startled his own goalkeeper Danny Vukovic in the 88th minute as extra time drew close and the Mariners failed to deal with a Nicholas Pennington corner. This allowed for a dramatic equaliser.
Cummings was the headliner, once more making a reputation for himself in New Zealand.
Three weeks after scoring a debut Socceroos goal at Eden Park, the 27-year-old put in a livewire showing against Wellington.
He hushed the crowd with an overhead kick during the first half that went past Oli Sail and into the goal after rebounding off the post.
Referee Johnathan Barreiro disallowed Cummings’ shot for offside after a torturous three and a half minutes of waiting for a VAR ruling.
The greatest part of a dull first half was the overturned goal.
The Ghanaian was warned for a nasty bump on Lucas Mauragis by the Mariners after they got out to a violent start and booked Kelechi John and Paul Ayongo after 20 minutes.
More than 20 years after making his national league debut, Vukovic started a game and stopped Kosta Barbarouses from getting near.
Changes made at halftime prepared both teams to attack after the break, and the game benefited as a result.
Waine sprinted past Vukovic but was stopped short of scoring after being flagged offside by Oscar Zawada’s flick-on.
The All Whites striker, however, was unstoppable with his subsequent effort, latching onto a gorgeous through-ball by Steven Ugarkovic and chipping in a fine finish.
Within two minutes, Silvera broke through the heart of the Nix defence and slammed home the Mariners’ quick and shocking answer.
Then came Cummings, who celebrated his strike in the 64th minute by doing his trademark Joker pose before withdrawing with 30 minutes left.
Nick Montgomery’s team was unable to resist the in-swinging final set piece for a share of the spoils, and they were defeated.
The result means the Phoenix have started the season with two home draws, while the Mariners have their first point after an opening-round washout..
Phoenix scores a late equaliser to tie the Mariners for first place.
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