View from the Victory, Volume Six: Crossing the Tasman

The question that was on the minds of Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory was this: would they ever score in, let alone win, a contest?

Melbourne went 270 minutes without a goal, with the only player bothering to make an effort being goalkeeper Ante Covic.

Marco Rojas, a young winger on the Victory, departed from the Wellington Phoenix at the end of last season, marking a bittersweet homecoming at Westpac Stadium.

"No, I don't think I'd celebrate (a goal). The Yellow Fever mean a lot to me so I'll respect them," Rojas told Guy Hand of AAP. "The scholarship the Yellow Fever gave me to start my career I'm very thankful for. I have no hard feelings at all, but I'm not sure what to expect."

Former Victory starter Nick Ward understands the pressure that Melbourne are in at the moment.

"When I was at the Victory we'd sit down as a group every year and go through our goals and expectations," Ward told Sam Worthington of Stuff.co.nz. "They were always to win the championship and make finals so there's a lot of pressure on them. Especially this year with the players they've brought in, Kewell, and you look at the crowds they're bringing in as well.

"It's got to be playing on their mind, that they haven't been scoring goals, and there'll be a lot of pressure on them, the coaching staff and the players."

Lawrence THomas got Melbourne on the board in the 42nd minute and Carlos Hernandez put the game out of reach on a penalty in the 68th minute.

Dani Sanchez salvaged some sort of pride for the Phoenix in the 71st minute but it wasn't enough as the Melbourne Victory secured their first victory of the season, 2-1, over a Wellington side that played down to 10 men.

Melbourne's next opponent is against defending A-League champions Brisbane Roar at Etihad Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:45 p.m. AEST.