Krishna 3 boosts campaign
Wellington Phoenix win A-League pre-season clash against defending champions.
Two weeks out from the start of their A-League season, the Wellington Phoenix have claimed a 3-1 win over defending champions the Melbourne Victory, in a behindclosed-doors friendly at AAMI Park on Friday.
As new coach Mark Rudan prepares to oversee his first campaign he would have been buoyed by what he saw from his troops, as a Roy Krishna hat-trick sealed a confidence-boosting result against a strong Victory lineup.
The hosts handed the captain’s armband to new recruit Keisuke Honda, and the Japanese superstar scored from the penalty spot, but it wasn’t enough to trouble the Phoenix, who had opened the scoring via the spot themselves in the first quarter, when Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas upended Krishna.
The 31-year-old Fiji international then gave his team the lead back shortly after halftime, when the home side failed to deal with a low cross and he was able to fire past Thomas amid appeals for offside.
Krishna then had his hat-trick not long after when a Victory attack broke down, with Sarpreet Singh feeding David Williams, who then delivered for an unchallenged Krishna to slot home.
The Phoenix, who since last making the playoffs in 2014-15 have gone on to finish ninth, seventh and ninth, open their season proper on October 21 against the Newcastle Jets in Wellington. -