Luke Ivanović led a brilliant Brisbane Roar comeback as a half-time triple change sparked a 3-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers and secured Australia Cup qualification on Friday.
Trailing to a fortuitous Wanderers goal, Warren Moon introduced Ivanović, Cyrus Dehmie and Nikola Mileusnić at the interval and was rewarded with three goals in 30 minutes.
Dehmie set the turnaround in motion when he turned in a Tom Aldred header before Ivanović curled home a classy strike just seven minutes later.
The in-form forward notched his third goal in two games and seventh for the season across all competitions by coolly capping a counter-attack with 15 minutes remaining.
The second-half fightback booked Brisbane’s spot in the Round of 32 and completed an uplifting end to the season, with back-to-back wins over the two Sydney teams.
GOALS
Western Sydney Wanderers | Jarrod Carluccio (8′)
Carluccio is perfectly placed to head home after a Wanderers free-kick deflects wickedly off the wall and into his path.
Brisbane Roar | Cyrus Dehmie (51′)
On the pitch for barely five minutes, Dehmie brings Brisbane back into the game by scrambling in the loose ball after Aldred got his head to Jay O’Shea’s corner.
Brisbane Roar | Luke Ivanović (58′’)
Aldred steps into midfield and puts a pass into Ivanović, who cuts inside Adama Traore and curls beyond Tomas Mejias with a tidy left-footed finish.
Brisbane Roar | Luke Ivanović (67′)
Dehmie helps force a turnover on halfway before pushing the loose ball out into space for Ivanović. The attacker strides through on goal and holds his nerve, beating Mejias inside the near post.
