Wrexham dominate Victory to start Down Under tour

The Welsh side won 3-0 in Melbourne.

Wrexham AFC have claimed a dominant 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory in the first of three local friendlies.

The Welsh side, made famous internationally by celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, defeated a Victory side without big names including Ryan Teague, Daniel Arzani, and Kasey Bos.

There were early chances at both ends in the first stop of the ‘Wrexham Down Under’ tour. Just as it looked like we’d see a goalless first half, the visitors were able to open the scoring with Tom O'Connor, with Wrexham up 1-0 at the break.

Wrexham stayed in control in the second half, with substitute Ryan Hardie, in his club debut, scoring the second in the 67th minute. That was followed by a third and final in the 78th minute, thanks to George Evans.

The next stop on Wrexham’s tour will be against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday, followed by a trip across the ditch to play Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium on Saturday.

The pre-season friendly for Victory comes after they lost the A-League Men grand final to Melbourne City 1-0 in May, having reached the decider after defeating premier Auckland FC in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, in NPLM Victoria, Victory’s youth team sit in the relegation zone at 12th, six points behind 11th-placed Altona Magic.

Earlier this year, Wrexham claimed a record third successive promotion in the English football league system, going up from League One to the EFL Championship, one step below the Premier League.

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