In the first half Brisbane felt a very long way from home, and looked a very different team from last season as Phoenix raced to a 3-0 advantage through a Andrija Kaluderovic double, before Krishna added a third with an absolute belter.

But Massimo Maccarone struck twice either side of an Avraam Papadopoulos header to earn a very unconvincing draw.

Tempers and testosterone boiled over towards the end of the match as both sides struggled for legs and any sense of defensive coordination.

After Matt Ridenton conceded a late penalty, Wellington’s teenage shot-stopper Keegan Smith blew Maccarone a kiss as he was waiting to take the resultant spot kick.

After Maccarone blasted his penalty down the middle, he appeared to caress Smith’s face, leading to some surprisingly ugly comments and an all-in-pushing contest.

An unexpected and peculiarly New Zealand-flavoured brawl to wind down an surprisingly entertaining contest. The only thing that was lacking was proper defending, but who wants that anyway…