Barbarouses on target as Wellington beat Melbourne Victory

Wellington celebrate after Roly Bonevacia scored.
Wellington celebrate after Roly Bonevacia scored.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Wellington Phoenix ended Melbourne Victory's six-game A-League winning streak in style with a 3-0 victory at Westpac Stadium.

Roly Bonevacia's first-half strike on Tuesday set up a fast-paced, entertaining match, ending with late goals from Jacob Tratt and Kosta Barbarouses.

Wellington attacked from the kickoff, Barbarouses working a smart one-two with Bonevacia inside the first minute before unleashing a stinging shot which forced a sharp save from Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas.

Spanish centre-back Alan Baro, returning from a one-match ban, combined with Nick Ansell to give a more-settled look at the back and, although Wellington continued to force corners, they couldn't find the crucial final touch.

They finally found a way through in the 35th minute, Krishna finding space down the left then pulling back a low cross for Bonevacia, at full stretch, to toe home.

Besart Berisha and Marco Rojas between them plundered five goals in Melbourne's 6-1 early season thrashing of Wellington, but were afforded limited opportunities in the first half as Victory struggled to find their rhythm.

Wellington celebrate after Roly Bonevacia scored.
Wellington celebrate after Roly Bonevacia scored.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Play swung from one end of the pitch to the other as the first half came to a close, a fine Thomas save denying Bonevacia from a beautiful Shane Smeltz through ball. Phoenix keeper Glen Moss was then called on to punch away a Victory set-piece strike in stoppage time.

A fired-up Victory attacked the second half with plenty of intent, but Wellington continued to push forward.

Melbourne looked to have secured the equaliser as the hour mark neared, Rojas's well-worked corner finding Leigh Broxham in acres of space out wide only for Moss to parry the powerfully struck volley wide.

Five minutes later, Berisha found the net, but was denied for offside.

Wellington continued to pressure Thomas' goal, the Victory keeper yellow carded for handling the ball outside his area after 70 minutes as the chances came thick and fast for the Phoenix.

Thomas made two superb late saves but couldn't keep out Tratt's 90th-minute header from a superb McGlinchey cross, then Barbarouses let fly with a 93rd-minute bullet from long range to put the icing on the cake.

For the seventh-placed Phoenix, it is their fifth win of the season while, for Victory, it is just their third loss.