Brisbane Roar has twice comeback from a goal down to secure a hard fought draw against Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium on Wednesday night.
After conceding an early goal, Brisbane went blow-for-blow with the Jets, scoring twice in the final 30 minutes either side of a second for the hosts.
It was a night of milestones for the Roar with the Hyundai A-League debut of Young Roar defender Aaron Reardon and long-serving fullback Jack Hingert also playing his 150th league game for the Club.
“We showed tonight in the second half that we can stick together, fight, and we got a decent result in the end,” Hingert said post-match.
“The first half wasn’t the best, but we put it behind us, moved on and showed our fighting spirit and character.”
TICKETS: See your Brisbane Roar in action this Sunday
“I’m happy for the boys to get a well-earned point, and we can only move forward from here.”
The home side got off to a hot start as Dimitri Petratos took advantage of a turnover in defence before dribbling deep into the box and slotting the game’s first goal.
From there the Roar clawed their way back into the contest, evening up possession and territory stakes with Jamie Young also making some terrific point-blank saves to keep the margin at a single goal at the break.
The Roar equalised in the 65th minute when Connor O’Toole sent a delightful cross from the left side into the area that found Adam Taggart sliding in for his seventh goal of the season.
The one-all scoreline was temporary as a scramble in the Roar’s 18-yard box just minutes later eventuated in a goal to Roy O’Donovan, who benefited as the ball spilled loose from a swarm of players to poke home the go-ahead goal.
The Roar pushed hard for a late equaliser and it was Brisbane’s Marquee Frenchman Eric Bautheac who came up clutch with a header in the 87th minute to once again draw the Roar level.
Press Conference: Interim Head Coach Darren Davies – Jets vs Roar
Two of Brisbane’s young talents in Dane Ingham and Nicholas D’Agostino combined on the right flank before D’Agostino floated the ball on a dime for Bautheac at the back post to head home.
Both sides peppered the goals in search of what would have been a winning strike, but both were forced to share the points.
Interim Head Coach Darren Davies was pleased with his side’s fight tonight to claim a point.
“In fairness to the boys, they were positive and we rolled our sleeves up, made a few changes [in the second half] and deserved the point,” Davies said.
“[There was] positives all over the pitch and I’m over the moon for the playing group to comeback from those difficult positions and secure the Club a point.”
After three consecutive games on the road, the Roar return to Suncorp Stadium this Sunday for a blockbuster Sunday evening clash against Perth Glory. Get your tickets HERE.
STORY OF THE GAME
- Adam Taggart’s second-half goal sees him become the all-time leading Hyundai A-League goal scorer at McDonald Jones Stadium with 18 goals.
- 19-year-old Aaron Reardon made his Hyundai A-League debut, earning a spot in the starting XI.
- Long-serving defender Jack Hingert tonight played his 150th Hyundai-League game for BRFC
- Goals from Taggart and a late strike from Bautheac saw the Roar earn a hard-earned point to open 2019.
GOALS
Newcastle Jets – Petratos 5’ – 1-0
Dimitri Petratos pounces on a Roar turnover in the defensive third, weaves around two players and strikes it under Jamie Young from close range.
Brisbane Roar – Taggart 65’ – 1-1
Connor O’Toole sends in a lovely cross to Adam Taggart who gets goal-side separation and pokes in a diving volley from point-blank range.
Newcastle Jets – O’Donovan 67’ – 2-1
Roy O’Donovan is in the right space at the right time as he rolls it past Young after a big scrimmage of players forms in the Newcastle box.
Brisbane Roar – Bautheac 87’ – 2-2
Eric Bautheac heads home from inside the six-yard area, latching on to a well-placed cross from Nick D’Agostino.
MATCH DETAILS
Hyundai A-League 2018/19 – Round 12: Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Wednesday, 2 January
Newcastle Jets 2 (Petratos 5’, O’Donovan 67’)
Brisbane Roar 2 (Taggart 65’, Bautheac 87’)
Half-time: 1-0
.png)
