Adrian Segecic Stuns with Hat-Trick for Portsmouth in 3-1 Win Over Stoke as Australia Regrets Lost Talent

Adrian Segecic scored his first hat-trick in English football to lead Portsmouth to a 3-1 victory over Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2026.

The Australia-born attacking midfielder, who switched his international allegiance to Croatia earlier this year, opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a left-footed finish after linking up with Harvey Blair.

Stoke responded early in the second half when Lamine Cisse headed home a corner to level the match in the 48th minute, but Segecic restored Portsmouth’s lead just past the hour mark with a close-range finish following a Josh Murphy cross.

With eight minutes remaining, Segecic completed his hat-trick with a 20-yard left-footed effort to seal the win for Portsmouth, securing a result of little consequence for the home side but significant for the visitors’ seasonal positioning.

The victory lifted Portsmouth to 18th in the SkyBet Championship standings, putting them within a point and a place of Stoke, who have endured an eighth successive bottom-half finish since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Portsmouth’s win marked their first ever triumph at Stoke’s bet365 Stadium, ending a run that stretched back to their last away victory at the club’s former Victoria Ground in February 1995.

The result came amid boos from the home crowd, with Stoke already mathematically safe from relegation but playing for pride in a season that has seen them fall far short of earlier expectations.

Adrian Segecic has demonstrated again why he could be such a big miss for Australian football as the man who walked away from the Socceroos plundered his first hat-trick in English football.

The Guardian

The 21-year-old from Sydney had previously scored during Portsmouth’s 5-1 defeat to Coventry earlier in the week, a result that secured the Championship title for Frank Lampard’s side.

Goalkeeper Josef Bursik started for Portsmouth but was forced off after just four minutes due to injury, with Ben Killip making his first appearance since September to replace him and help preserve the lead.

Around 3,000 Portsmouth supporters made the journey to Staffordshire to celebrate their recent safety from relegation, enjoying a rare away success despite the match’s limited implications for either side’s final standings.

Segecic’s performance took his season’s tally for Portsmouth to 10 goals, reinforcing his status as the club’s top scorer amid a campaign defined by survival rather than ambition.