Wellington extended the A-League’s reigning champions’ winless streak to four with a 2-1 win in Melbourne last night.

Despite taking the lead early through a Karl Dodd own goal, Victory were made to rue their inability to convert and slumped to a third loss.

New Zealand international Shane Smeltz equalised before Brazilian star Daniel snatched a winner in the 87th minute.

While the match marked the return of Socceroo Archie Thompson, and the rather ineffectual debut of new signing Leandro Love, Melbourne clearly missed the ingenuity of Fred as Carlos Hernandez continued his adaptation to the Australian game.

Merrick said: “It was a scrappy game, there were a lot of chances for both teams, and Wellington took theirs.

“I thought we had more than enough opportunities. We scored one and should have scored another.”

Merrick was frustrated at his side’s performance but praised Wellington for
their endeavour, indicating he expected Phoenix to turn heads this season.

“They play a high risk style of football," he said. "They sacrifice a lot at the back and do get caught out, but if you don’t punish them, they will create pressure and score goals.

“I thought we played well in patches and created some good opportunities but at other times looked very disorganised.

“Obviously new players have got to settle in, but we conceded an incredibly cheap first goal.”

By Simon Chiarelli