A second-half finish from 19-year-old debutant Niall Thom secured the Brisbane Roar a 2-2 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers in the Isuzu UTE A-League at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The home side burst out of the blocks and took the lead just six minutes in after a slick passage of combination play on the counterattack saw Sam Klein whip in a low, curling cross into the centre of the box. The Red and Black defence cleared the ball, only as far as Georgios Vrakas, who blazed it first time into the far left corner.Â
Momentum stayed with the Roar, and two minutes later Michael Ruhs came within inches of doubling the advantage. Controlling a long ball from halfway, he steadied himself and unleashed a powerful strike from distance that cannoned off the woodwork and back into play.
Within minutes at the other end, Wanderers’ midfielder Angus Thurgate drove into the box down the left flank but his low cross was thwarted by a sharp sliding block from 20-year-old Roar centre-back Dimitri Valkanis.
The men in orange kept threatening, and ten minutes later Ruhs surged through the Wanderers’ defence to go one-on-one with goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas. The Den braced for the back of the net to rattle but the attacker flashed his shot wide from a tight angle.
The Wanderers found their rhythm in the latter stages of the first half and 35 minutes in, Ryan Fraser met a well-weighted pass on the left edge of the box and volleyed it first-time across goal for Brandon Borrello to head home and level the proceedings 1-1.Â
On the stroke of half-time, Wanderers’ Thurgate found space on the left and played it back to an onrushing Bozhidar Kraev, who powered a long-range strike into the back of the net to give the visitors a 2-1 lead going into the break.
The Wanderers came out strongly down the left flank after the restart, launching several dangerous deliveries into the box and creating a handful of openings, yet the scoreline held firm.
Midway through the second half, the Roar’s young substitutes turned the tide.
Just 20 minutes into his Brisbane Roar debut, 19-year-old striker Niall Thom volleyed home a loose ball from Quinn MacNicol’s right-edged effort to level the scores at 2-2.
The game opened up in the closing stages with opportunities for both teams, yet neither could land the winner, ending 2-2.
The Roar will now welcome Wellington Phoenix to Suncorp Stadium next Saturday with kick-off scheduled for 2:00pm AEST.
