Brisbane Roar return home empty-handed after a late goal by Macarthur resulted in a 2-3 loss away at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A break from Daniel De Silva in the 14th minute sparked a counterattack from Macarthur as Al Hassan Toure used his speed to beat the Brisbane defence.
Toure then crossed the ball in for Bachana Arabuli to hit a half-volley at the near post for the Bulls to lead 1-0.
In the 35th minute, Stefan Scepovic struck a tremendous volley to the top left corner, but Macarthur goalkeeper Filip Kurto got a hand to it.
Matt Millar successfully carried the ball through the Brisbane defence and after entering the 18-yard box, took a shot towards the bottom left corner, putting the Bulls up 2-0 at half-time.
A lay-off from Henry Hore in the 78th minute saw Jay O’Shea shoot from the edge of the 18-yard box to the top right corner, putting the Roar back into the contest.
Only two minutes later, Jordan Courtney-Perkins put in a great cross for Jez Lofthouse to score his first Isuzu UTE A-League goal with a header to level the score line 2-2.
Just when the points looked like they were being shared, Ivan Vujica put a flying ball into the goal area for a back-post header by Jake McGing to secure the Macarthur victory in the fifth minute of added time.
Interim Head Coach Nick Green is disappointed to return home empty-handed but is taking positives from the team’s comeback after being two goals down in the first half.
“It’s a tough one to take, I thought we were on the front foot. I think, if anything, maybe the last 15-20 minutes, if there was going to be one winner, I thought it was going to be us,” Green said.
“2-0 down, it could’ve been quite easy to throw the towel in, but they gave it a good go, we made a couple of changes, and we fought our way back into the game,” he added.
Green is keeping a positive mindset and is focusing on the improvement of the team since snapping their seven-game winless streak.
“The club before we came in had won three games all season, so you can see that we are actually trying to settle to win games now and that’s the pleasing thing,” Green said.
“It’s not an overnight fix, it’s a balance that we’re trying to find within the group.”
Green believes there is still plenty to play for in the remaining seven games and is ready to reset and get ready for next week’s clash against Melbourne City.
“There’s 21 points to play for, there’s all to play for. It was disappointing for today, but we’ve got to get back on the grass and get working with the lads and prepare now for next week,” he said.
Brisbane Roar will face Melbourne City in Round 20 of the Isuzu UTE A-League next Sunday at 2:00pm AEST.
Catch the action on Paramount+ and 10Bold.
