Krishna, who hails from Siberia, came on as a second half substitute as the New Zealand club downed West Ham United 2-1 in front of 19,000 fans at Eden Park last night.
The 26-year-old joined the Phoenix in January this year after scoring Auckland City FC’s only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Raja Casablanca at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.
He’s netted one goal in nine appearances for the Phoenix since but last night it was skipper Andrew Durante and new signing Alex Rodriguez supplied the strikes as the Phoenix notched a memorable win.
Substitute Mauro Zarate netted a consolation for the visitors when he curled a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box late in the match.
The last time Fiji faced an English top flight club was when the national team met Newcastle United – then of the old English First Division – in two friendlies.
Fiji defeated Newcastle United 3-0 in the first of two matches when Rusiate Waqa netted a brace with Abdul Manaan grabbing the third in Nadi in front of 20,000 fans.
Stars for Newcastle United that day included Chris Waddle and Peter Beardsley, both of whom would go on to forge long careers as England internationals.
Also part of that Newcastle United squad was a teenage Paul Gascoigne, arguably one of England’s greatest ever football talents.
Waddle and Beardsley were both on target for Newcastle United when they downed Fiji 2-0 at the National Stadium in Suva a week later.
Krishna is not the first player of Fijian extraction to face English Premier League opposition in recent times with Jamaican international Adrian Mariappa – whose father is Fijian – enjoying a top flight career with Watford in 2006-07, Reading and Crystal Palace.
Before embarking on the Fijian leg of the tour, Newcastle United had previously played New Zealand’s All Whites in four friendly matches winning three and drawing one.
That included a 2-1 win in Christchurch, a 2-2 draw in Wellington, a 4-0 win in Napier and a narrow 3-2 victory in Auckland.
The Phoenix’s victory was the first for a New Zealand club over a British club since Christchurch United defeated Scottish club Hearts in 1976.
Ends