A David Williams hat-trick guided Melbourne Heart FC to a Club record 5-0 win over Wellington Phoenix in a record-breaking afternoon at Westpac Stadium on Sunday.
A David Williams hat-trick guided Melbourne Heart FC to a Club record 5-0 win over Wellington Phoenix in a record-breaking afternoon at Westpac Stadium on Sunday.
Melbourne Heart grabbed an early lead in the 9th minute as marquee man Orlando Engelaar, who returned to the starting line-up following a one-match suspension, rocketed home a superb strike for the opener.
Williams struck his first of three ten minutes later, before adding his second and third in the 51st and 63rd minutes, respectively, either side of a powerful Robbie Wielaert strike. The goal actually awarded as an own-goal after it came off the back of goalkeeper Glen Moss.
The 5-0 demolition was Melbourne Heart’s biggest win in its four-year history, eclipsing its previous record of 4-0 over Sydney FC in the Club-s second season on December 29, 2011.
That was the last time the side had collected three points in an away fixture outside of Victoria, having won a designated home fixture in Albury, New South Wales, last weekend over Perth Glory.
The records continued with Williams’ hat-trick the first-ever from a Melbourne Heart player, while the three goals made Williams the Club-s outright all-time top scorer with 15 goals, having commenced the match tied on 12 goals with former striker Eli Babalj.
Williams- tally also takes him to top of the Hyundai A-League goal-scoring charts, equal on 9 goals this season with Stein Huysegems and James Troisi.
Entering the match high on confidence with three wins in the last four matches, the clash against an in-form Wellington Phoenix posed a potential banana skin for John van-t Schip-s side.
But instead of slipping up away from home, Melbourne Heart played with freedom and finesse and were clinical in dispatching a Wellington side which had recorded its own 5-0 demolition of Melbourne Victory earlier in the season.
Melbourne Heart-s win was made more impressive given the team were without in-form captain Harry Kewell after he was ruled out with a toe injury during the week, while Jonatan Germano also missed the encounter.
But Melbourne Heart welcomed back marquee Engelaar after he missed last week-s 2-1 win over Perth, and promoted Liberian centre-back Patrick Gerhardt into a defensive midfield role.
With Melbourne Heart commencing the match brightly, with Iain Ramsay testing Phoenix stopper Glen Moss early, it did not take long for Dutchman Engelaar to make an impact, rifling an unstoppable strike past Moss for the opener in the ninth minute.
It was Engelaar-s first goal for the Red and White, and while Williams missed further chances to extend the lead after great work from Mate Dugandzic down the right-hand side on two occasions, Engelaar was at the centre of Heart-s second goal.
Collecting the ball in midfield, Engelaar illustrated his class with a perfectly-weighted through-ball which split the Phoenix defence and found Williams, with the later superbly chipping the onrushing Moss to double the lead and make amends for his earlier misses.
Further chances fell to Dugandzic, Williams and Ramsay, who were creating havoc in the final third, but the half drew to a close with Phoenix edging back into the contest, with Andrew Redmayne forced to deny a clever Carlos Herandez free-kick, which snuck under the Heart wall.
Six minutes into the second half, Williams made it three after a clinical counter-attack involving the industrious Massimo Murdocca, with the number 15 slotting home a powerful right-footed strike for the side-s fourth.
Wielaert then joined in on the goal-scoring action just three minutes later, cracking a powerful strike onto the crossbar which ricocheted into the back off the net off a flailing Moss for his first goal for Melbourne Heart.
Man-of-the-match Williams rounded out the demolition in the 63rd minute, securing his hat-trick and netting his fifth goal in three matches.
Picking up a smart short corner, Williams curled an inch-perfect effort from outside the box, with the ball nestling in the far corner of Moss- goal.
Substitute Stefan Mauk looked to add a sixth with three minutes of regulation time remaining, but his stinging drive was tipped over by Moss, as the clock wound down on a dominant and record-breaking display from the Red and White.
Match Details
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Wellington Phoenix 0
Melbourne Heart FC 5 (Engelaar 9-, Williams 19-, 51-, 63-, Moss OG 54-)
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
HT: 0-2
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Attendance: 9,767
Wellington Phoenix FC Starting XI: 1. Glen MOSS, 2. Manny MUSCAT, 5. Michael BOXALL, 9. Kenny CUNNINGHAM (12. Tyler BOY 59-), 10. Stein HUYSEGEMS, 11. Jeremy BROCKIE, 15. Jason HICKS (23. Matthew RIDENTON 46-), 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 21. Carlos HERNANDEZ, 22. Andrew DURANTE
Substitutes not used: 20. Lewis ITALIANO (GK), 3. Reece CAIRA, 24. Hamish WATSON
Yellow Cards: Lia 61-
Red Cards: Nil
Melbourne Heart FC Starting XI: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 3. Robbie WIELAERT (C), 4. Orlando ENGELAAR, 6. Patrick GERHARDT (22. Nicholas KALMAR 57-), 7. Iain RAMSAY (19. Benjamin GARUCCIO 69-), 8. Massimo MURDOCCA (21. Stefan MAUK 73-), 15. David WILLIAMS, 16. Aziz BEHICH, 17. Jason HOFFMAN, 23. Mate DUGANDZIC, 24. Patrick KISNORBO
Substitutes not used: 20. Tando VELAPHI (GK), 27. Luke O-DEA
Yellow cards: Weilaert 29-, Hoffman 32-, Gerhardt 45-
Red cards: Nil
