Brisbane Roar battled hard with 10 men for an hour and threw everything at a Western United side which hung on for a 3-2 win at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday.
Juan Lescano continues the Roar’s run of early goals when he profited from Jack Hingert’s excellent pressing in the third minute, but the game swung substantially on the half-hour mark.
Jordan Holmes was adjudged to have denied Lachlan Wales an obvious goalscoring opportunity when the attacker went down under minimal contact around 30 yards from goal.
The referee brandished a red card, the first of several flashpoints, and the visitors quickly made the advantage count through Adisu Bayew’s header.
An own goal handed United the lead just prior to the hour and they appeared to have wrapped up three points through Aleksandar Prijovic’s deft header in the 83rd minute.
The Roar, however, continued to fight and a succession of promising openings led to a penalty that Jay O’Shea dispatched shortly before added time.
Chances to equalise for Henry Hore and the dangerous Cyrus Dehmie went begging in a frantic final few moments, which included two big penalty appeals – one involving a thorough VAR review – that were both turned down.
Brisbane will now get set for another big week at home, with Wellington on Wednesday and Newcastle on Sunday the next teams to visit Moreton Daily Stadium.
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GOALS
Brisbane Roar | Juan Lescano (3′)
Hingert harries Nikolai Topor-Stanley and then Jamie Young, blocking the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance and giving Lescano a simple finish into an open net.
Western United | Adisu Bayew (35′)
Left unmarked, Bayew heads in from a corner.
Western United | Scott Neville OG (59′)
Wales escapes down the right and hits a ball across the face which Neville can only turn into his own net.
Western United | Aleksandar Prijovic (83′)
Prijovic leaps to meet Leo Lacroix’s dinked free-kick and executes a perfect looping header.
Brisbane Roar | Jay O’Shea (88′)
Nick Olsen gets across a Western United defender and is tripped by a swinging leg. O’Shea coolly converts the resultant spot-kick.
MATCH DETAILS
Isuzu UTE A-League
Brisbane Roar v Western United
Saturday, 26 March 2022
Moreton Daily Stadium
Brisbane Roar 2 (Lescano 3′ O’Shea 88′)
Western United 3 (Bayew 35′ Neville OG 59′ Prijovic 83′)
NEXT GAME
Isuzu UTE A-League
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Moreton Daily Stadium
KO: 6:05pm (QLD)
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