Melbourne Victory were narrowly beaten away to Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Men on Sunday afternoon.
At Hnry Stadium, Giovanni Savarese’s team were undone by substitute Riley Bidois’ first-time finish 13 minutes from time.
Earlier in the Matchweek 1 clash, striker Charles Nduka had equalised Corban Piper’s header to give Victory a shot at the points in their third fixture across nine days.
The Boys in Blue bounce straight into Matchweek 2 and a must-watch Melbourne Derby against cross-town rivals Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Saturday, October 24, kick-off 7:40pm AEDT. Tickets can be purchased now by clicking here.
Team news
The Head Coach retained seven players from the starting XI that beat FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League Two on Wednesday night. Jason Davidson captaining the side on his 50th A-League appearance for the Club, Franco Lino, Nduka and Santos, rewarded for his goal in the 3-0 Group E win, were the players brought in. Striker Harry Sawyer was absent in New Zealand, being rested due to soreness following the ACL Two success.
Match action
Despite the visitors making a brighter start across the ditch, Wellington took the lead inside a quarter of an hour from their first meaningful forward exploration. Matthew Sheridan delivered from the right and Piper, stealing room between the two centre-backs, finished with a planted header.
The Phoenix, buoyed by the opener, were up and about, and youngster Luke Mitchell thumped the crossbar from range on his A-League debut as the task threatened to get away from Savarese’s side.
Fortunately, the alarm bells were heard, and midway through the half, parity was restored. Denis Genreau, fresh from a pair of assists in the ACL Two, was again the driving force. He forced play into the box and then cued up Nduka, who drove the ball home.
With both teams on the board, each fancied another and big chances were traded. Early introduction Nathan Walker, replacing the injured Rafael Duran, was foiled by Jack Duncan before Nduka beat Henry Grey but also the upright after bursting clear.
Half-time: Wellington Phoenix 1-1 Melbourne Victory
With an hour on the clock, Victory looked poised to go in front, when Grimaldi found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, only for his side-footer to be impressively turned behind by Gray.
That was the first chance of the second 45 for either team, and fresh legs in the form of Tom Lockyer and Keegan Jelacic were brought into the contest. These switches were followed by Michael Ghossaini and Xavier Stella being given the nod.
However, a Phoenix change would make a decisive mark on the scoreline. Walker found an avenue to exploit down the left, and his cutback was tucked away by Bidois, just a minute after he stepped onto the pitch, to win the points for the home team.
Match details
Wellington Phoenix 2 (PIPER 14′, BIDOIS 77′)
Melbourne Victory 1 (NDUKA 25′, GENREAU 71′)
Wellington Phoenix starting XI:Â 13. Henry GRAY (GK), 7. Bryce DUKE, 8. Max ANDERSON, 9. Rafael DURAN (17. Nathan WALKER 28′), 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD, 23. James MCGARRY (5. Walter SCOTT 62′), 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (C), 27. Matthew SHERIDAN, 28. Bill TUILOMA, 35. Luke MITCHELL (11. Riley BIDOIS 77′), 99. Corban PIPER.
Substitutes not used:Â 30. Albert KELLY-HEALD (GK), 24. Xuan LOKE, 34. Dylan GARDINER, 37. Anaru CASSIDY.
Booking:Â DUKE 82′.
Melbourne Victory starting XI:Â 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 16. Joshua INSERRA, 4. Philipp ZIEREIS (15. Tom LOCKYER 62′), 3. Jason DAVIDSON (C), 18. Franco LINO, 8. Jordi VALADON, 10. Denis GENREAU, 21. Guillermo MAY (22. Xavier STELLA 74′), 14. Matthew GRIMALDI (29. Michael GHOSSAINI 74′), 11. SANTOS (23. Keegan JELACIC 62′), 44. Charles NDUKA (5. Brendan HAMILL 87′).
Substitutes not used:Â 1. Jack WARSHAWSKY (GK), 36. Harry Shillington.
Booking:Â ZIEREIS 45′.
