Soccer: Phoenix halt Victory winning streak

Nick Ward of the Phoenix (right) and Grant Brebner of the Victory jump for the ball. Photo / Getty Images

Two goals in five minutes saw Wellington Phoenix pick up an entertaining 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory in an A-League soccer match here tonight.

It took until the 67th minute for the Phoenix to break the scoreless deadlock, but there had been plenty of action right from the first whistle.

Towering forward Dylan Macallister had featured right throughout, and it was only fair that he benefited from a superb Marco Rojas cross into the box midway through the second spell.

Macallister rose high, and although Melbourne keeper Michael Petkovic parried the bullet header, the big striker followed up to scramble the ball home.

Five minutes later, Rojas featured again, combining with Nicky Ward and Macallister before a clinical finish from the 19-year-old striker left Petkovic sprawling.

The Phoenix had dominated early on, with Rojas, Ward and Macallister proving a slick combination. The Phoenix midfield too looked sharp, Manny Muscat in particular impressive with some scything runs down the middle.

Although the Wellington team were missing Jade North, on duty with the Australian team in the Middle East, they welcomed back All Whites fullback Tony Lochhead, returning after a three-month injury break.

The Phoenix not only stretched the Victory out wide, they exploited an uncharacteristically disorganised Melbourne defence and Petkovic was under constant pressure.

Much of the reason for that would have been the missing influence of gritty captain Kevin Muscat, rested for this game. The Victory were also without striker Robbie Kruse -- another on duty with the Australian team overseas -- and striker Archie Thompson was missing due to a niggling hamstring injury.

Melbourne, with four wins from their last four starts, went into the match as favourites, six points clear of the Phoenix on the table.

However, despite the Phoenix's glut of possession and an abundance of chances, the two teams went into the break scoreless.

The Phoenix, however, would have been unhappy with their conversion rate: the halftime statistics show they had 10 shots on goal to the Victory's one nd coach Ricki Herbert -- in his 100th A-League game -- did not look relaxed.

It was more of the same in the second half, Petkovic pulling off a couple of early top-notch saves to keep the Victory in the match.

The first came in the 52nd minute when Petkovic threw himself at the feet of Andrew Durante to smother a near-certain goal, the second seven minutes later after a pinpoint Ward cross found the unlikely head of midfielder Vince Lia.

But despite Petkovic's best efforts, the Phoenix's dominance in terms of possession and territory wore down the Victory, and the goals inevitably came.

The win leaves the Phoenix in seventh place, one point shy of the sixth-placed Melbourne Heart but with a game in hand, and four points above eighth-placed Newcastle Jets.

- NZPA