Soccer: Milicic bags three as Jets beat Knights

AUCKLAND - Striker Ante Milicic scored three goals as Newcastle swamped the New Zealand Knights 4-2 in a high-scoring A-League soccer match at North Harbour Stadium last night.

Two late goals in a cameo appearance by 18-year-old Knights substitute Jeremy Brockie gave the home team some respectability in an otherwise one-sided game.

The Jets led 3-0 at halftime after piling on the goals in an eight-minute burst of open, attacking football which left the Knights shellshocked.

Both sides had their chances early in the half as the ball rapidly went from one end to another on a windy night.

Milicic's opening goal came in the 19th minute when a pinpoint pass picked him out on the edge of the goal square and the striker drilled it past goalkeeper Danny Milosevic.

Just two minutes later Newcastle scored again when Knights captain Danny Hay missed a Jets' cross which went through to Matthew Thompson, whose goal shot bounced off defender Darren Bazely to find the back of the net.

The third came not long after as Milicic trapped a cross in the goal square and made no mistake right in front for his second.

The striker missed a chance before halftime when his header at close range went wide.

Instead it came in the 56th minute when Milicic trapped a skied ball in in the corner of the box and deftly chipped it over the keeper's head.

Only a minute later, his chance for a fourth came when a hand ball by the Knights' Cole Tinkler in the box gave him a penalty kick.

But a brilliant Milosevic dive to his right kept out what should have been Milicic's easiest score of the night and with that the Knights lifted.

The comeback began in the 71st minute when Brockie received a pass, tapped past a Jets defender and just got his boot to ball, evading the keeper.

His second came five minutes later from a confident run down the centre in which the hefty 1,83m teenager shrugged off a Jets tackler and slammed the ball home.

- AAP