Phoenix Stay Perfect as Piper Strikes Again in 3-0 Rout of Jets

Wellington Phoenix kept their perfect start to the A-League Men season alive with a 3-0 win away to Newcastle Jets on Saturday, staying top of the table. Corban Piper opened the scoring in the 14th minute, beating the offside trap to collect Kazuki Nagasawa's pass and lift the ball over goalkeeper James Delianov, only for a long VAR check to confirm he had been played onside by Alex Grant. The goal was the Phoenix's 700th in A-League Men history and Piper's third in as many games this season, coming just hours after news of his first All Whites call-up. Newcastle piled on the pressure after falling behind but could not find a way through, and the visitors sealed the points late. Substitute Riley Bidois doubled the lead in the 87th minute before Nathan Walker finished a counter-attack in the third minute of stoppage time, with Nagasawa assisting all three goals. It is the first time Wellington have won their opening three games of an A-League Men campaign, and head coach Chris Greenacre told Paramount+ afterwards: "We're delighted to have three from three." The Phoenix now head into next Saturday's derby against defending champions Auckland FC as league leaders, while Newcastle turn their attention to a home clash with Shanghai Port on Tuesday.