Berisha brilliance has Victory seeing threes

THREE was the magic number at AAMI Park last night, but was not a lucky one for Mariners defender Antony Golec, who suffered a broken leg after colliding with Victory goalie Lawrence Thomas.

Melbourne Victory recorded three-straight wins in the A-League for just the second time this season.

In doing so, Victory jumped cross-town rival Melbourne City into third spot on the ladder — the highest it has been this campaign.

And Besart Berisha scored his first hat-trick of the year as a five-star Victory routed a hapless Central Coast 5-1.

Berisha could have opened the scoring in the ninth minute, only to have a goal chalked off for off-side.

But he need not have worried as goals in the 25th, 54th and 74th minute — one each with his left foot, right foot and head — capped a man of the match display, one that was assisted ably by the attacking brilliance of Leroy George on the left wing and James Troisi, who this week goes away on Socceroos duty.

This was the first time Berisha has scored multiple goals this season, taking his league tally to 12.

There was always the sense that if an early goal came this could be a rout and that proved the case after George opened the scoring in the 15th minute.

Substitute Christian Theoharous put the icing on the cake with a sublime strike across Ben Kennedy in the 83rd minute, his first A-League goal, before Connor Pain got two back against his old side.

The Mariners would have wanted to get away from the ground as quickly as possible but had to endure what may have been the longest game played in the competition’s history as 17 minutes of stoppage time was needed — nine in the first half and eight in the second.

The first-half delay came after Golec broke his leg after colliding with Victory’s keeper.

The second-half delay was rather more comical, after a George shot was hit so fiercely into the side of the net that it came loose.

After six minutes of dither- ing, Kosta Barbarouses, the smallest man on the park, was lifted by his goalkeeping coach Dean Anastasiadis to tie the net back on to its hinges.

But the laughable scenes only added to the jovial atmosphere as Victory fans flocked back in number, revelling in a rare afternoon kick-off.

With four games remaining Victory is set to secure a home final and the third 2019 Asian Champions League spot, sitting a point ahead of fourthplaced City and five ahead of fifth-placed Adelaide.