Wellington Phoenix has gone down 3-2 to Chinese club Guangzhou in a pre-season friendly overnight.

British striker Chris Greenacre scored his first goal for the Phoenix whilst captain Andrew Durante also managed to hit the back of the net.

Coach Ricki Herbert said that despite the loss, it was a good hit-out for his squad, especially for Chinese trialist Jiang Chen.

"Overall, it was a good opportunity for us to take a close look at the two triallists in a game context against very competitive opposition," Herbert said.

"Jiang, in particular, was very good and showed he definitely has the potential to do well in the Hyundai A-League."