Wellington Phoenix ruined Melbourne Victory’s unbeaten start to the season thanks to Kosta Barbarouses and a 1-0 win as the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League Semi-Finalists continued their impressive run of form.
Victory entered Unite Round top of the table and undefeated through four rounds but last season’s runners-up succumbed to Barbarouses’ 82nd-minute strike at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday.
A two-time champion with Victory to go with a Premiership and Australia Cup, Barbarouses celebrated his 96th A-Leagues goal to inspire the triumph.
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Not only did it help the Phoenix exact some sort of revenge on Victory, having suffered a dramatic extra-time loss to the four-time champions in the 2023-24 Semi-Finals, but it means Giancarlo Italiano’s Wellington have now beaten two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners and Grand Finalists Victory in back-to-back matches.
As the result, the ‘Nix provisionally climbed to the summit on goal difference ahead of Victory and Adelaide United, with Melbourne City and Auckland FC a point adrift and boasting games in hand.
There was notable face back among the substitutes in Sydney as Bruno Fornaroli returned to Victory’s matchday squad following an extended absence, while Daniel Arzani came into the starting XI at the expense of Reno Piscopo.
Victory made a dominant start in a rematch of the 2023-24 Semi-Final, which the Victorian outfit won in dramatic fashion after extra time last season.
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The Phoenix did not looking threatening on the break and Paulo Retre nearly found the back of the net with a curling shot from the edge of the area in the 13th minute.
Victory almost broke the deadlock seven minutes later – a delightful threaded throughball from Arzani picked out Kasey Bos, who delivered an inviting ball across the six-yard box but it evaded everyone.
Phoenix goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi got down low to deny Zinedine Machach before Arzani’s deflected shot sailed just wide of the post in the space of two minutes.
Wellington defender Matthew Sheridan then cleared Arzani’s shot off the line seven minutes prior to half-time.
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Golden chance for Victory went begging as an unmarked Roderick Miranda headed over the crossbar from close range. The flag went up for offside anyway, though replays appeared to show the Victory captain was not in an offside position.
The ‘Nix stunned Victory nine minutes from the end when Barbarouses struck against his former club – his strike proved too hot to handle for Jack Duncan.
Fornaroli entered the fray during the closing stages and the veteran talisman almost drew Victory level – the Socceroo’s first action was to step over a free-kick and he saw his set-piece pushing onto the post by Oluwayemi.
