Boca Juniors were welcomed to Wellington with a haka yesterday and the famous Argentinian club is expecting Friday’s pre-season clash with the Phoenix to be equally spirited.

The match has been billed as a festival of football but Boca’s first match Down Under, a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory last Friday, was anything but friendly.

Promising midfielder Marcelo Canete, who scored a superb solo goal, suffered a bleeding nose after colliding with the referee’s elbow, and tempers frayed in a spiteful match that featured six yellow cards.