Jeronimo unpunished, Herbert fumes

Rage ... Ben Sigmund (L) reacts to Jeronimo's (2nd R) apparent dive which led to the Phoenix man's dismissal. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Wellington coach Ricki Herbert has launched a two-pronged attack on the competency of A-League refereeing and players ruining the game by diving.

The Phoenix mentor was responding to the A-League match review committee's decision on Monday to uphold the red card given to defender Ben Sigmund for bringing down Adelaide United's Argentine midfielder Jeronimo Neumann in the box on Saturday.

TV replays showed plenty of space between the players in the 77th-minute incident, prompting speculation Jereonimo might face disciplinary action himself for diving.

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Wellington skipper Andrew Durante clearly thought so, labelling the South American a cheat in an interview after the game.

"Unfortunately the referee in our game with Adelaide did not deal with the situation competently and we are paying the penalty rather than the player who was guilty of simulation," Herbert said of the match review committee's decision.

He then opened old wounds by recalling referee Jarred Gillett's controversial decision to award a penalty to Brisbane Roar in the 94th minute of the 2012 A-League grand final against Perth Glory.

The Roar converted the spot kick to snatch the title when the Glory's Liam Miller was adjudged to have brought down Besart Berisha in the box.

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"This referee has been in the same situation in a Grand Final and did not deal with it competently there either," said Herbert who will have to do without Sigmund who will serve a mandatory one-match suspension against Melbourne Victory this weekend.

"It is very disappointing for both Ben and the club that he will miss the game against Melbourne Victory, and also wrong that the game is being ruined by players who dive and do not get punished for it."

Under the competition's rules on simulation introduced two seasons ago, any player found guilty of diving faces a standard two-match ban.

Durante still faces the prospect of breaching the A-League player code of conduct but he wasn't mentioned in the FFA statement on Monday night.

An angry Durante didn't hold back in comments made to a television interviewer on the field immediately after the match saying: "He has dived, he's a cheat."

He then qualified his comment by saying: "In my book, if he's dived he's a cheat."

Perth's Steve Pantelidis was also handed a mandatory one-match suspension on Monday after a more clear-cut incident in his side's 2-1 loss to Sydney FC.

The Glory defender was shown a red card for a blatant foul on Brett Emerton when he dragged the midfielder to the ground in the box in the 57th minute.

Pantelidis will miss this weekend's match against the Newcastle Jets.

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Marsh axed for form not discipline

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Shaun Marsh ... is under fire for poor behaviour in South Africa. Source: Stewart Allen / News Limited

Western Australia's cricketing bad boy Shaun Marsh has been dropped for the Warriors' Sheffield Shield game against Victoria but for no other reason than poor form.

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That's the official line coming from the WACA after its chief executive Christina Matthews denied a boozy night out in South Africa for Mitch Marsh's 21st birthday had contributed to the axing.

The Marsh brothers were hauled over the coals along with several teammates from the Perth Scorchers after they were out late drinking in the lead-up to their crucial last pool game in the Champions League Twenty20.

Shaun Marsh was left out of the side for that game - a heavy loss - and was not picked to take on Victoria this weekend after arriving back in Australia.

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Speculation had been rife that Marsh's Shield axing was also discipline related but speaking at a press conference in Perth, Matthews said that was purely a match committee decision.

"Shaun's ommission from the team today has been a match committee decision and there's been no official sanctions put on him as a result of anything that happened in South Africa," Matthews said.

Meanwhile, The Australian cricket journalist Peter Lalor says there is a culture problem in Western Australian cricket, with behavioural issues existing throughout the set-up.

Speaking exclusively to Fox Sports News, Lalor said Shaun Marsh will never play for Australia again, due mainly to where he's playing his cricket.

"There were six guys out that night (at Mitch Marsh's 21st in South Africa) and they all put in a pretty big effort," Lalor said.

"Shaun Marsh was one who struggled to get home but those two (the Marsh brothers) have been isolated and that's caused problems behind the scenes.

"... It's not just (the Marsh brothers) but these two boys do have a lot of priors in this area, especially Shaun and, you know, I don't think we'll be seeing Shaun in the national team again.

"Mitch has a chance cause he's young but I think everyone's got sick of where Shaun's at."

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Bid teams still keen despite snub

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Central Coast Bears ... are still keen to eventually be part of the NRL. Source: Dan Himbrechts / News Limited

Bid teams are vowing not to give up the fight to get a team into the NRL despite the ARL Commission effectively ruling out any expansion until at least 2017.

The ARLC on Monday handed down its strategic plan for the next five years, which included a new logo, a commitment to a $200 million investment into grassroots development and a goal of doubling club membership to 400,000 by 2017.

But those targets will have to be achieved without any new clubs, expansion taken off the agenda for the next two years - which in reality means no new teams for at least five years.

It's a blow for the seven organisations - including groups from Brisbane, Ipswich, Perth and the NSW Central Coast - that have already invested substantial money in battling for a berth.

But news of the extended time frame did not deter some.

"We've done a lot of homework and we're ready to go now. But if we have to wait until 2017, so be it," said Craig Davison, head of the Brisbane Bombers bid.

"Having a team in the NRL is a 100-year exercise so what's another few years when it comes to getting it right."

Chief executive of the newly united Central Queensland NRL bid group and Central Queensland Capras, Dennis Keeffe, said the expansion announcement had been flagged.

"It was expected," Keeffe said.

"Some projects take a long time to come out of the ground, this one is a bit longer than we would have liked.

"I still think there may be a twist and turn or two yet but if that's the case, we're happy do to that."

Disappointed Central Coast Bears bid chief Greg Florimo said while he would not let his dream die, he wasn't sure whether the would-be club's investors would be as keen.

"We'll have to assess whether we can fund another two or three years in the wilderness, sitting around not operating," Florimo said.

"That's going to be the biggest issue for us, whether the stakeholders want to sit around that long.

"We have to have to sit down with the members and the board to decide where we go from here. I feel we've put in too much hard work to this point just to let it drift away."

Florimo admitted that when he first started the push in 2009 he envisaged it becoming reality in 2013 to the point they even had t-shirts made up with the branding 'Here come the Bears in 2013'.

That target was based on the the new broadcast rights taking effect in 2013, but in truth it was the negotiation of those rights - during which Nine Network boss David Gyngell stated there was not an appetite for more games - that the chances of expansion nosedived.

ARLC chairman John Grant said it was vital that the league not only ensure the existing 16 clubs were on a strong financial footing first, but also that the game expanded for the right reasons.

"That's the purpose of doing a full review, which has not been done," Grant said.

"We have not undertaken as an administration a review of what does expansion mean for us, where should we expand, on what basis should we expand, what are the criteria for our footy clubs?

"There's a whole bunch of questions that remain unanswered."

First the ARLC wants to get its own house in order, as they take on greater control over clubs with payment to each franchise to be performance-based from 2014 onwards.

Clubs will find out on Wednesday just how much they will have to spend in 2013, but beyond that they will need to prove their growth as an entity to ensure their funding.

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Fan frenzy greets Woods and McIlroy

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One-on-one ... World No.1 Rory McIlroy (R) and world No.2 Tiger Woods have a laugh in China. Source:AFP

Rory McIlroy beat Tiger Woods by a single shot in their 18-hole "Duel at Jinsha Lake'' in China Monday in a high quality showdown before a frenzied audience that came to greet the world's top two.

Having flown in late on Sunday night after coming second and fourth that day respectively in the BMW Masters in Shanghai and the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, McIlroy and Woods had any tiredness quickly extinguished by a lavish opening ceremony.

They were greeted by drum majorettes, fireworks and speeches from local dignitaries before clanging a ceremonial Chinese gong and having their handprints and autographs immortalised in clay, Hollywood-style appropriately for McIlroy, who was brought up in Holywood, Belfast.

World number one McIlroy carded a five under par 67 on the 7,039-yard, par-72 layout at Jinsha Lake Golf Club, with world number two and 14 times major winner Woods registering a 68.

It was remarkable scoring given the chaotic crowds constantly taking photos, letting their phones ring and refusing to stand still or be quiet even as the players were swinging.

McIlroy grabbed an immediate birdie at the first hole, after struggling to keep a straight face in posing for photos staring Woods down boxing-style, and was never headed, thus gaining a modicum of revenge for his seven-stroke defeat when the pair last met in Turkey.

"I got off to a good start,'' McIlroy said. "And just tried to keep my nose in front.''

"We had a great match,'' Woods told reporters afterwards. "It was a lot of fun and a great exhibition. I think everyone enjoyed it.''

China is seen as the next great market for golf to conquer in its global expansion, and the fans clearly love it though are mostly oblivious to the etiquette of the game, demonstrated amply when they broke through the ropes and invaded the driving range as McIlroy and Woods warmed up.

"I wouldn't say it was crazy out there. The word I would use is 'enthusiastic','' said McIlroy. "It's good to see so many people out there. So many people that follow golf and want to watch us play. I hope that continues.''

The international golf media present were astounded at the never-before-seen antics on a golf course: leisure helicopters parked alongside putting greens; models in revealing evening gowns standing on tees; and enthusiastic spectators being tackled to the ground as they attempted to out sprint security guards.

A luxury yacht even sailed serenely across a lake in front of Woods playing an approach shot.

The sheer decadence of the occasion, coinciding with the launch of the multi-million dollar "Golf Villas'' to be built around the golf course, was in vivid contrast to the stark industrial conurbation of Zhengzhou just a few kilometres down the road.

It is home to around 10 million people, capital of Henan province and one of the eight ancient capitals of China. But the line-up of luxury cars parked around the clubhouse - including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Maseratis - were pure Monaco.

The world's top two, though clearly here to spread the gospel of golf to a new and lucrative audience, did pick up a handsome pay day rumoured to be $2 million between them for a day's work.

Woods's next stop is Singapore, while McIlroy is off to Bulgaria. At least it should be quieter in Sofia.

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'Sigmund obviously has a grab'

Backup ... Bruce Djite says teammate Jeronimo, who he is defending here, had the right to go down. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Fox Sports' Mark Bosnich is joined by former A-League coach Miron Bleiberg and Adelaide United's Bruce Djite in reviewing the weekend's A-League action, with Djite defending teammate Jeronimo's controversial 'dive'.

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Newcastle Jets 2 defeat Melbourne Victory 1 at Hunter Stadium

Miron says: I'm not impressed with Newcastle Jets' football and Gary van Egmond will be honest enough and probably agree with me. They've got the same symptom as (Sydney FC with) Alessandro Del Piero - Emile Heskey comes a week or two weeks after five months of preparation. But they adjusted better because it's easier to adjust to someone playing on the top. At the moment they are getting results, and if you ask in a professional environment - you are not playing in a church league - what is better: to get nine points and not be happy with the football, or to be happy with the football and be on the bottom of the ladder? So Gary should be happy and things will get better, and you can't take it away from them. Three wins, nine points out of 12, it's good. As for Melbourne Victory it's a bit of a mixed bag. I disagree with (Victory coach) Ange Postecoglou that he's happy with the improvement because no one is happy to be on the bottom of the ladder in a professional sport. I think they're playing better than they played at the beginning (of the season) but what the future holds for them, I'm not sure.

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Adelaide United 3 defeated Wellington Phoenix 1 at Hindmardh Stadium

Bruce says: They were calling Jeronimo a cheat on the pitch but he didn't understand so that's maybe a positive of being a foreigner sometimes! Obviously it was a contentious talking point and it's gotten a lot of media, and it will probably get a lot of media during the week. But the guy's obviously touched Jeronimo, he's felt the contact. You can see Ben Sigmund obviously has a grab at his shirt and he goes down. I think with the delayed reaction some people are a bit upset about that but the same thing happened to us in the Asian Champions League and it completely changed the game for us. You could say that was the reason we got knocked out. Jeronimo's a very honest guy, a very good guy, and in the heat of the moment it's a tricky one. I think the same with Andrew Durante calling him a cheat - if you want to hear people's opinions right after a game you're going to get the full brunt of it.

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Western Sydney Wanderers 1 defeated Brisbane Roar 0 at Suncorp Stadium

Miron says: I think it was unheard of an away team having an 8-0 corner ration after twenty minutes. It was just a matter of time before (a goal) would come and Wanderers totally deserved it. I think the problem with Brisbane is they came unprepared. They are still the greatest team in the competition but I think they came with the attitude that it's not if we're going to win but by how much we're going to win. They will learn from it and they will play better in the future, but it's got that they got this shock now at this stage of the season.

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Central Coast Mariners 1 defeated Melbourne Heart 0 at AAMI Park

Bozza says: (Heart goalkeeper) Clint Bolton first and foremost made an outstanding save to keep Heart in the game in the first half, but we spoke about this with the Alessandro Del Piero free kick against Ben Kennedy a couple weeks ago, about the starting position for goalkeepers when they're facing free kicks in and around the edge of the box. It's very, very important that goalkeepers start on their line. If they start forward of their line, like Clint did a little bit, you end up starting to dive backwards, and that's why it ends up in the back of the net. As you start to dive backwards you lose time on the ball. But in saying that it's an outstanding free kick by Pedj Bojic. He had one in a similar position in the first half and Miron actually said to me in the green room "he's going to score this one" and he didn't. But he did score the second one! A very good performance by Central Coast Mariners. Melbourne Heart did have their chances in the second half - Josip Tadic as well as Richard Garcia - but a resolute Central Coast Mariners performance, and they're going to be a team that's also going to be battling for the championship.

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Sydney FC 2 defeated Perth Glory 1 at ANZ Stadium

Miron says: Perth shouldn't feel ripped off because the game was very easy to explain and to understand. Up to the penalty decision Perth had full control and they felt at home, even though their home is far, far in the west. But once they were down to 10 men Sydney took advantage and the game changed, so Perth have only themselves to blame, and mainly Steve Pantelidis.

Bozza says: The game changed completely on that decision and the referee got that 100 per cent right. It was a silly challenge by Pantelidis, Del Piero put away the penalty and the whole complexion of the game changed. The only Sydney first-half performance which was as disjointed (as this one) was the Wellington game in the opening game of the season. They were really at sixes and sevens. It was a stroke of luck, but you have enough bad luck during the season that you've got to take the good luck when it comes.

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Bushrangers win with record total

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Big hitting ... Aaron Finch batted well for his 63. Source: Themba Hadebe / AAP

Victoria beat Tasmania by 25 runs after David Hussey's superb century paced the Bushrangers to a record one-day cricket score at the MCG.

ODD - Melbourne Cricket Ground

28 October 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

Tasmania 1st Innings

J. Faulkner	37	23	3	1	160.87
J. Bird	2	2	0	0	100
J. Herrick	4.4	0	37	1	7.93

Hussey smashed 100 from 78 balls on Sunday, including seven fours and four sixes, as Victoria won the toss and amassed 6-348 from 50 overs.

Victoria won by 25 runs after Tasmania responded with 323 from 49.4 overs, denying the home side the bonus point.

The Bushrangers' score is a domestic and international one-day record for the ground.

George Bailey and Ed Cowan gave the Tigers some hope with a fighting stand of 145, but Darren Pattinson removed them in successive overs to confirm the win.

Bailey and Cowan shared Tasmania's top score of 74, while Pattinson was the pick of the bowlers with 4-46 from nine overs.

"Watch for Darren Pattinson - I think he has three or four wickets in him tonight," Hussey joked to Fox Sports at the innings break.

Victoria were in the box seat when John Hastings had Ricky Ponting caught by Cameron White for 25, leaving Tasmania 3-81.

It was the first time the Bushrangers had dismissed Ponting in a week, following his unbeaten 162 and 60 in their Sheffield Shield clash.

Cowan and Bailey made the most of early lives to pile on 145 from 128 balls.

Stand-in wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb dropped a tough chance off Andrew McDonald when Cowan was yet to score.

It was the one blemish for Handscomb, who took four catches in Matthew Wade's absence.

Wade, expected to be confirmed as the Test 'keeper on Monday, was rested after injuring a thumb in last week's Shield match.

Bailey had made 13 when he lofted McDonald to long off, where Hastings and Clint McKay let the ball drop between them.

When Pattinson returned to the attack in the 38th over, Tasmania were an outside chance at 3-226.

But a faint inside edge had Bailey caught behind and two overs later, Cowan chopped on Pattinson.

James Faulkner was unbeaten on 37 and Clint McKay took 3-87 from 13 overs.

Earlier, Victoria also passed their previous record one-day score against the Tigers of 7-326, set three seasons ago in Hobart.

One of the highlights of Hussey's innings was smashing 22 off James Faulkner in the 39th over - four fours and a six - to pass 50.

After scoring a rare double bonus point earlier this month against Queensland, the Bushrangers top order again showed strong form.

Openers Rob Quiney and Aaron Finch had their second-straight 100 partnership, with Quiney scoring 53 and Finch out for 63.

Glenn Maxwell made 42 and Hussey then combined with captain Cameron White for a blistering stand of 115 from 92 balls for the fourth wicket.

White belted 45 from 40 balls and McDonald made a quickfire 33.

Ben Laughlin took 3-68 from 10 overs.

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Vettel win India GP, Webber third

Four in a row ... Sebastian Vettel stands atop his car after triumphing at the Indian Grand Prix. Source: AP

Reigning Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel rattled off his fourth successive win of the season in the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday to tighten his grip on the 2012 title with three races remaining.

The 25-year-old German led all the way from his pole position start to pull 13 points clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who finished ten seconds behind in the race near New Delhi.

Vettel's Red Bull teammate Mark Webber took third place ahead of McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

It was Vettel's 26th win and he revelled in his familiar trick of adding the fastest lap of the race in the final lap and then standing atop of his car to milk the applause from the crowd.

Aiming to become Formula 1's youngest triple champion the German said: "Two years and two wins here, it's a very special Grand Prix, I don't know what it is about this circuit.

"A big thanks to my team, we're all pushing very hard.

"This is another good step (to the title) for us but there is still a long way to go."

Alonso commented: "It's not easy at the moment to fight with Red Bull but we will never give up."

The only danger to Vettel in an otherwise seamless success came in the closing laps when sparks sprayed out from underneath his car's front spoiler but there was no trouble.

Felipe Massa finished sixth in the second Ferrari ahead of his old friend Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus, Nico Hulkenberg of Force India, Romain Grosjean in the second Lotus and 10th-placed Bruno Senna of Williams.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo was 13th in his Toro Rosso.

The next race is on November 4 in Abu Dhabi, where Vettel won his first world title in 2010 ahead of Alonso in what was then the season finale.

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Bozza's Save of the Week, R4

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Save of the Week ... Mark Birighitti was in fine form on Friday night. Source: Liam Driver / News Limited

Emile Heskey stole the headlines but Mark Birighitti played a starring role in Newcastle Jets' win over Melbourne Victory on Friday night.

The young goalkeeper was in superb form at Hunter Stadium, making several outstanding saves that allowed the Jets to hold onto their lead and eventually run out 2-1 winners.

Perhaps Birighitti's finest save was a diving effort to keep out a long-range thunderbolt from Adama Traore that looked destined for the top corner until the Newcaslte No.1 intervened.

He also made a superb save with an outstretched leg to deny Melbourne's Archie Thompson early in the game.

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Click on the video at the top to see the block Bozza nominated as Save of the Week and tune in to Sunday Shootout on Fox Sports 1HD every Sunday for analysis of every round of A-League.

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His work was enough to earn the Save of the Week title from Fox Sports football expert and former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, who was full of praise for the young shot stopper.

"Mark Birighitti made a wonderful compilation of saves," Bosnich said.

"Melbourne Victory would feel disappointed they didn't go into the break two or three up, and that was because of that man Mark Birighitti.

"We talk about goalkeepers making miracles, and this (save against Archie Thompson) is a miracle.

"Archie Thompson would have thought when that left his foot, 'that's a goal'. It changes the game, and that's worth its weight in gold."

At the end of each round of A-League action, Bozza will nominate his Save of the Week on Sunday Shootout.

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Did you think Birighitti's save was the best from all the games in A-League round four? Leave a comment below to have your say on Bozza's pick!

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Jeronimo fires Reds over Phoenix

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At the double ... Jeronimo continued his impressive start in the A-League. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Adelaide United folk hero Cassio celebrated his 100th A-League game with a goal as the Reds downed Wellington Phoenix 3-1 on Saturday.

Argentine striker Jeronimo Neumann scored twice as Adelaide netted three goals in the final 40 minutes to deliver the Phoenix their first loss of the season.

The Phoenix finished with 10 men after Ben Sigmund was controversially sent off in the 77th minute.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Adelaide	4	3	0	1	4	9
2	Newcastle	4	3	0	1	1	9
3	Perth	3	2	0	1	2	6
4	Wellington	4	1	2	1	0	5
5	Brisbane	4	1	1	2	3	4
6	Central Coast	3	1	1	1	0	4
7	Heart	3	1	1	1	-1	4
8	Western Sydney	4	1	1	2	-1	4
9	Sydney	3	1	0	2	-2	3
10	Victory	4	1	0	3	-6	3

Wellington's Stein Huysegems scored the opening goal in the Hindmarsh Stadium fixture before the visitors were overwhelmed by Adelaide, who return to the top of the ladder with the win.

Jeronimo's brace was punctuated by fan favourite Cassio's 68th minute goal, which gave Adelaide a 2-1 lead.

Cassio, after a 20 metre run that sliced open Wellington's defence, flicked to Jeronimo, who fed the ball back to his teammate and the Brazilian promptly scored with a slick left-footer.

Replays suggested Jeronimo might have been offside when the ball was played to him, but the goal still stood.

Adelaide's comeback triumph came after Phoenix talisman Paul Ifill created Huysegems' strike with a crafty through ball in the 42nd minute.

As a flat-footed Adelaide defence stood hoping for an offside call, Ifill's insightful pass played the Belgian international into ample space.

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Relive all the key moments from the game with our A-League Match Centre, featuring stats and video highlights.

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Huysegems closed within 10 metres and powered a left-footer with such force it gave Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galevokic no chance.

Adelaide hit back just 10 minutes after halftime when Jeronimo scored.

After a scramble, Wellington's attempt to clear their defensive area rebounded into the path of the Argentine just 10m from goal.

While fortunate to find the ball at his feet, Jeronimo's finish was clinical - a left-footer which equalised against the flow of play.

Jeronimo repeated the dose in the 85th minute after being played into space by Adelaide's creative Dario Vidosic, his left-foot finish sealing the victory for the Reds.

While Phoenix captain Andrew Durante was fuming after the game about Jeronimo's actions that saw Sigmund sent off, coach Ricki Herbert was riled at a goal by Wellington's Jeremy Brockie being ruled offside in the 59th minute.

"You have seen the video footage, write it yourself, I probably don't need to put words in your mouth," Herbert said.

"At the end of the day we have got an opinion and sometimes we can't voice it and I think that is to be respected.

"But all we ask for, is there an equal sort of line across the board?

"I think Jeremy's goal was a great goal.

"I thought Cassio's goal ... that is offside.

"You make your own assessments on those.

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Vettel, Webber fastest again

Same again ... Vettel and Webber have dominated qualifying recently. Source: Greg Baker / AAP

Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel completed a third-successive Red Bull front row lockout on Saturday when he took pole position for Sunday's Indian Grand Prix ahead of teammate Mark Webber.

The 25-year-old German, who is seeking to become the youngest triple champion in F1 history, made an error on his first flying lap in the top-ten shootout but responded with a second effort in one minute 25.283 seconds to clock the fastest time.

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It was his fifth pole of the season and the 35th of his career.

"All in all it has been a great weekend so far," Vettel said.

"We have to keep pushing - there are a lot of races to go.

"I'm happy to be on pole but there's a hard race coming up tomorrow."

His Australian partner Webber did his utmost to match him, but could only deliver 1:25.327 and took second as Red Bull proved they have the overall pace to start as clear favourites.

"It wasn't the smoothest (flying lap) for (Sebastian) and also for me," said Webber.

"On the last corner I got a little on the Astroturf on the exit and didn't have the cleanest run to line, but I'm driving the car.

"It was a pretty tight run thing between Seb and I. The McLarens were doing a very slow out-laps, and I had no grip in the first sector. I was surprised to end up in second."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton took third place late in the session to jump ahead of his teammate and fellow Briton Jenson Button.

The two Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are on the third row.

Alonso, championship leader for a long period of the season, is now six points behind Vettel and, with four races remaining, needs to deliver a strong result, if not a victory, to stay in serious contention.

But the Red Bulls appear stronger, Vettel having overturned a 39-point deficit to Alonso by winning the last three races in Singapore, Japan and South Korea.

The German also won the inaugural Indian last year at the 5.125km Buddh Circuit, 45km south of New Delhi.

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