A-League champions Newcastle Jets' hopes of defending their title appear finished, with Socceroos Joel Griffiths and Mark Milligan facing extended bans after being sent off in a 2-0 defeat to the Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand on Sunday.
Two goals in the final 11 minutes to striker Shane Smeltz and substitute Troy Hearfield settled the match for the Phoenix, who moved within sight of the top four with the win at Westpac Stadium.
The Jets were forced to do it tough for most of the game, with Griffiths sent off on 28 minutes for wildly kicking out at Phoenix defender Karl Dodd.
They were reduced to nine men early in the second half, with referee Matthew Breeze marching Milligan for a studs-up challenge.
Griffiths' brain explosion is certain to earn him the ire of the match review panel on Monday, and he looks set to have extra matches added to his guaranteed automatic one-game suspension.
Milligan, who is currently signed as a guest player, may also find himself with extra time to serve when the match review panel makes its deliberations on Monday for his X-rated challenge.
It continues a horror run with both discipline and results for the Jets, whose coach Gary van Egmond watched Sunday's match from the sidelines as he served the first of a two-match ban for abusing a Perth Glory player after his side's previous game.
Newcastle now sit second bottom and well adrift of even making the top four this season.
Despite being two men down, the Jets defended resolutely for long periods and looked some chance of pinching a point until Smeltz bobbed up with a near post header from a Hearfield cross.
Then Hearfield struck with a goal of his own in the 86th minute.
Newcastle's miserable afternoon was compounded when fullback Tarek Elrich missed a penalty in stoppage time after he was brought down by Dodd.
Star Brazilian midfielder Fred also made an impressive debut for the Phoenix in the first game of his six-match guest stint.
He was busy and involved until replaced with 15 minutes remaining.
Newcastle assistant coach Mark Jones praised his side for the way they went about holding off the Phoenix.
"With nine men, it's near impossible to win. But we didn't get broken down too much until the last 10 minutes and we thought we could pinch something," Jones said.
The win gives the Phoenix their fourth win in 12 matches and takes them to 15 points.