A-League wrap: Mariners see off Phoenix challenge

The Central Coast Mariners returned to winning ways in the A-League with a 2-0 victory against the Wellington Phoenix in Gosford.

Teenager Tomas Rogic, who scored his first goal in Mariners colours against Melbourne Victory last week, highlighted his potential when he fired home a perfectly placed shot from the edge of the penalty box in the 52nd minute.

Rogic picked up a loose ball, took a touch and then unleashed a curling left foot strike that left Wellington goalkeeper Mark Paston with no chance.

The top-of-the-table Mariners sealed the points when central defender Patrick Zwaanswijk scored his sixth goal of the season when he headed home a Michael McGlinchey freekick in the 83rd minute.

Elsewhere, Brisbane claimed a 3-2 win over the Melbourne Victory in an end-to-end battle at Suncorp Stadium that featured doubles for Besart Berisha and Harry Kewell.

In a fan-friendly contest, a comfortable 3-1 half-time lead for the Roar was followed by a nervous final 40, when Kewell continued a standout performance, banging home his second clinical finish in the 50th.

Carlos Hernandez rattled the Roar’s crossbar with a volley from 25 yards out in the final quarter of play, but in the end Berisha’s brace and a penalty from Henrique – all in a dominant first-half – saw the hosts through to their third straight victory.

The result extends Brisbane’s hold on second-place to five points over the third-placed Phoenix, while the Victory remain outside the top six.

In Perth, the Glory moved to third on the table after a routine 2-0 win over the Newcastle Jets.

The victory never looked in doubt for the hosts, who took the lead via the head of Adam Hughes after 15 minutes.

Only some poor finishing from Perth prevented Newcastle from going further behind in the first half, but the Glory wrapped up the points on the hour mark through Billy Mehmet.