Brisbane Roar has been knocked out of the FFA Cup after a strike from Bruno Fornaroli in the final minute of extra time secured City a 1-0 win at Redcliffe’s Dolphin Stadium.
The two sides couldn’t be separated throughout the first 90 minutes of regular time, in a gutsy performance from the boys in orange, who dominated large periods of play during Tuesday night’s contest.
Head Coach John Aloisi believed his side deserved more out of the encounter, describing the loss as a heartbreaker for his team and the fans.
“The boys gave everything for us tonight, we had the better chances and created plenty of clear cut opportunities that we should have put away,” Aloisi said.
“Conceding a goal like that in the final minute, a spectacular goal, its hard to take but the supporters would have seen just how much effort we put into this match and just how much room we have to improve as a unit.”
Brisbane created the better of the chances in both halves, with the home side looking dangerous going forward.
Aloisi was quick to congratulate his squad on their effort and determination, as the Roar continue to work towards full match fitness.
“In the first half, we caused them lots of problems on the left-hand side, creating chances with our attacking players,” Aloisi continued.
“I am proud of the team’s effort.
“Taggs (Adam Taggert), Toby (Tobias Mikkelsen), Riki (Henrique) & Stefan Mauk all got into good attacking positions and nearly made them pay on three or four occasions.
“From what I saw tonight, knowing how much improvement our attacking players have, I am happy with what I have seen and the way we are performing.”
Off-season recruit Stefan Mauk, playing against his former side, was a standout for the Roar and was constant threat in the final third.
The Roar created chance after chance with Mauk, Bautheac, and Hingert all going close to opening the scoring on the night but were denied by desperate defending from the visitors as the scoreline remained 0-0.
After an end-to-end 90 minutes of FFA Cup action, neither side was able to break the deadlock and the game headed into 30 minutes of extra time.
The best chance of the first period of added on time fell to young winger Daniel Leck, who dragged his shot only inches wide with City’s goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic beaten.
There was to be late drama, with the contest seemly headed for penalties, a moment of brilliance from Bruno Fornaroli sealed the win for the visitors in spectacular fashion.
Story of the Game
- The Brisbane Roar’s first major chance came in the third minute as a Stefan Mauk header was rocketed into the keeper’s hands.
- Melbourne City’s best chance of the opening 90 fell to Riley McGree in the 23rd minute, as Jamie Young parried his shot just wide from the edge of the box.
- As the game looked sure to head to extra time, Bautheac’s shot from the edge of the box in the 89th minute was almost the tiebreaker but flew just wide.
- After a back and forth game, both teams appeared ready for penalties before a stunning long-range effort from Fornaroli ended up in the back of the net.
- Strong local support from the Redcliffe community saw of crowd of over 6,000 people attend Tuesday night’s FFA Cup Round of 32 match at Dolphin Stadium.
Match Details:
FFA Cup 2018 Round of 32 – Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City
Tuesday, 7 August 2018. Dolphin Stadium, Redcliffe
Brisbane Roar 0
Melbourne City 1 (Fornaroli ‘120)
Half-time: 0-0
Attendance: 6,151
