The Wellington Phoenix have lost the first game of head coach Mark Rudan's tenure at the club, going down 1-0 to Bentleigh Greens in the FFA Cup.
Bentleigh were down to 10 men for most of the match, but still dominated the match, going ahead through Marko Jankovic's 23rd-minute strike.
Import signings Steven Taylor, Michal Kopczynski and Filip Kurto all made their Phoenix debuts, as did Australian Mitch Nichols.
But it wasn't enough for the Phoenix to avoid becoming just the fifth A-League side to lose to a non-A-League side in the FFA Cup.
With the A-League season still 10 weeks away, the Phoenix have plenty of time to improve on their disappointing opening showing.
Newshub
