Football: Phoenix beaten by Brisbane

Thomas Broich of the Roar and Vince Lia of Wellington Phoenix compete for the ball during the round 16 A-League match between the Brisbane Roar and the Wellington Phoenix. Photo / Getty Images

Brisbane remains a location where the Wellington Phoenix cannot find a way to win.

The Phoenix have coughed up a 1-0 lead to eventually go down 3-2 to the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium across the Tasman tonight.

Goals to James Donachie, Brandon Borrello and Jean Carlos Solorzano sealed the deal for the home side after Roy Krishna and Kenny Cunningham scored for the Phoenix.

The game seemed destined for a 2-2 draw but Solorzano helped the Roar grab all three points as he scored in stoppage time, which was a cruel blow to a valiant Phoenix side.

Wellington have now played Brisbane away from home 12 times and have lost 10 with two draws.

It was always going to be tough to predict what the near-month-long layoff would do for the Phoenix given they had been in such hot form before the A-League went on hiatus due to the Asian Cup. Their last match was against the Roar in the capital on January 4, which they won 3-0.

Wellington striker Nathan Burns was selected in the Australian side and grabbed spots of playing time during the Socceroos' run to the Asian Cup title so he wouldn't have missed a beat.

His striking partner Krishna needed the break to overcome a hamstring injury and Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick insisted it was a good opportunity for his players to mentally refresh during the middle of the season.

Brisbane made a handful of changes for the game and welcomed back German import Thomas Broich who had a hand in two of his side's goals.

The lack of recent match play ensured the first spell provided little excitement, and no goals, as neither outfit was able to execute their plans.

Krishna broke the deadlock as Wellington took the lead in the 50th minute after he turned in a cross from Burns, which sparked a crazy period where a further four goals were scored in the remaining 40 minutes and change.

Burns, who has been the subject of transfer speculation with an offer from a Chinese club on the table, was deployed in a wider role during the second spell, which gave Wellington plenty of width.

Wellington's lead didn't last long though as Roar defender Donachie squared the ledger with a well-struck header from a corner with half an hour to play.

As the game wore on, Wellington skipper Andrew Durante was called in to action regularly at the back as he and fellow centre back Ben Sigmund did their best to keep a rampant Brisbane side under wraps.

But the weight of pressure told eventually as Broich laid on a beautiful ball for Borrello who did the rest. Cunningham later pulled one back with 10 minutes left but Solorzano stole the result in injury time.

Wellington, who remain inside the top four despite the loss, have a sharp turnaround with an away trip to meet lowly Western Sydney on Sunday.

Brisbane Roar 3 (James Donachie 60, Brandon Borrello 76, Jean Carlos Solorzano 90+2) Wellington Phoenix 2 (Roy Krishna 50, Kenny Cunningham 81) halftime: 0-0.