A sixteen-minute goal blitz in the second half of their Hyundai A-League encounter with Queensland Roar broke the resistance of ten-man Wellington Phoenix at a rain-soaked Suncorp Stadium on Armistice Day, the home team climbing to second spot on the table thanks to their 3-0 win, one which delighted the 13,808 present despite the conditions. Wellington weren't prepared to follow the script, however, as was seen just seventy-five seconds into the match. Ahmad Elrich somehow found some space on the right through which he fired an inviting cross to the near post, which Queensland's rearguard failed to deal with. Shane Smeltz was lurking nearby, and deftly lobbed the ball across to present Daniel with a headed chance, but before he could capitalise, Stuart McLaren stepped in to avert the danger on a slippery surface, one which prompted plenty of long-ball activity from both teams in the early stages of proceedings, as they adjusted to the playing conditions. Queensland were first to properly settle, and in the eleventh minute, Matt McKay whipped in a wicked free-kick from the right which picked out young striking sensation Robbie Kruse. His close-range effort was blocked by the legs of Glen Moss. Wellington scrambled this opening to safety, but soon found themselves under pressure again, as the home team sought an early opening goal with a delightful move which saw them string together at least a dozen passes. Their enterprise culminated in McKay directing the ball into the path of Hyuk Su Seo, who unleashed a twenty-yarder which flashed high past the far post. Moments later, the same upright was rattled by Reinaldo, the striker leaving Moss standing as he capitalised on a wayward headed clearance from Steven Old. The Brazilian squandered two more openings in the next couple of minutes, the latter engineered by the outstanding Kruse, who worked a lovely one-two with Massimo Murdocca before curling an inviting cross into the near post area. Kruse then roamed down the left in the twentieth minute, from where he angled a lovely cross into the goalmouth. Reinaldo was again unable to take advantage of his fellow front-runner's creativity, while Michael Zullo was similarly challenged when Reinaldo sent him scurrying down the left three minutes later. The game turned on a 34th minute incident which saw Seo collapse to the ground clutching his face as he and Elrich jostled to contest a throw-in. Referee Matthew Breeze had no hesitation in administering a red card to the Wellington player, who the official deemed had used his elbow to fell his opponent. This left the visitors with ten men for the duration, and the natives sat back in anticipation of a ritual slaughtering of the under-manned team, who are struggling in seventh spot in the eight-team competition. It didn't come immediately, however, Wellington's stubborn resistance seeing them progress well beyond half-time with the scoreless scoreline still in place. Steven Old - his best game in a Phoenix shirt - thwarted Craig Moore's headed effort following a McKay corner two minutes after Elrich's dismissal. After the break, a McKay free-kick picked out Sasa Ognenovski, whose 53rd minute header flashed over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Kruse surged past three opponents before threading a ball through for McKay on the left. He took one touch to control it prior to unleashing an unerring low drive which Moss saved well, low to his left. So well organised was the Phoenix rearguard action that Queensland was limited to long-range attempts on goal for the first half of the second spell. But Roar coach Frank Farina opted to give his opposite number, Ricki Herbert, another option to think about when throwing Marcinho into the mix on the hour. The newcomer wasted little time in making his mark, earning his team a penalty in the 65th minute by attempting an overhead kick in the penalty area. Karl Dodd, who was right behind Marcinho when he let fly. The defender instinctively protected his face with his hands, and you don't need to be Einstein to guess what part of his anatomy the ball

hit! Referee Breeze hesitated not in pointing to the penalty spot, from where Reinaldo duly despatched the ball beyond Moss. Cue wild celebrations, which were swiftly curtailed as the Brazilian prepared to launch into his gymnastics floor routine - someone in a Queensland shirt had encroached in the penalty area, meaning the spot-kick had to be taken again. For all the drama, the outcome was exactly the same, as Reinaldo rammed the ball beyond Moss to open the scoring. This time, there were no interruptions, and the gathered throngs were treated to their hero's unique acrobatic goalscoring celebration. Conceding the goal meant ten-man Wellington had to break out of their stubborn defensive shell if they wanted to extract anything from the match, a situation which played right into Queensland's hands. For it meant that they would have space aplenty to exploit on the counter-attack. Sure enough … Sixteen minutes from time, an incisive burst from Marcinho culminated in his releasing Zullo down the left. The young speedster spotted his fellow teenage tearaway racing in towards the near post, and the cross he delivered into Kruse's path was an inviting one. The striker met it with a brilliant volley with the outside of his right foot, which had 'goal' written all over it until Moss produced a stunning save to deny Kruse his third goal of the season. Moore only just failed to make contact with the resulting corner from McKay. Eleven minutes from time, Queensland doubled their advantage with a beautifully taken goal. Kruse was the architect of the strike, surging forward before releasing McKay down the right with a delightful reverse pass. The midfielder swept the ball into the near post for Reinaldo, whose finish was exquisite - a sumptuous back-heeled finish which completely wrong-footed both Moss and the covering figure of Old. That effectively sealed the contest for the home team, but they sensed more goals were there for the taking. And with Kruse well and truly in the mood, they went for broke. The youngster ignited another raid in the 82nd minute, his mazy run resulting in a ball swept wide for Zullo to latch onto. He cut inside and let loose a twenty-yarder which Moss was right behind. The goalkeeper stood no chance sixty seconds later, however, and nor did his opposite number. Liam Reddy had barely been involved in the contest since Wellington's first minute foray, but he was left standing by Michael Ferrante's ferocious twenty-five yard free-kick, which cannoned off the crossbar as all-comers looked on. Queensland hastily hoofed the ball downfield, and who should be there to gather it in but the jet-heeled figure of Zullo. Off he raced down the left at breakneck speed before looking up to see who was in support. Arriving on the far post was Marcinho, and the cross which picked him out was inch-perfect. The Brazilian controlled the ball with his first touch, then used the retreating figure of Tony Lochhead to prevent Moss from seeing his shot until it was far too late for the goalkeeper to move. The ball bulleted past him high into the net - 3-0. And still they pressed, Marcinho drilling a shot across the face of goal three minutes from time, seconds before he lashed a twenty-yarder just past the post on receipt of a Kruse cross. But 3-0 was more than suffice to fire Queensland into second place on the league table at the expense of ten-man Wellington, who, with Perth Glory's maiden victory of the campaign in this round, find themselves just two points off the bottom once more in their maiden A-League season. Queensland:     Reddy; Seo, Ognenovski, Moore, McCloughan (booked, 22) (Packer, 76); Murdocca,  McLaren (Marcinho, 59), McKay; Kruse, Reinaldo (Milicic, 80), Zullo Wellington:     Moss; Christie (booked, 90), Dodd (booked, 11), Old, Lochhead (booked, 53); Elrich (sent off, 34), Johnson (Brownlie, 78), Brown (booked, 90), Lia, Daniel (Ferrante, 68); Smeltz Referee:     Matthew Breeze