Brisbane Roar have fallen at home to a 10-man Wellington Phoenix 0-3 in front of a packed house at KAYO Stadium.
The afternoon started saw the Roar start slowly and it was the Phoenix who struck first in the sixth minute after a clearance from the back cleared the defensive line and poor clearance fell to Ifeanyi Eze who slotted it past Dean Bouzanis.
More shaky moments at the back came and went for the Roar who finally started to find their feet 15 minutes into the contest and it was a minute later that they almost levelled the scores. A long throw from Youstin Salas was flicked on by Lucas Herrington. The defender’s header was saved well however Dimitri Valkanis was able to finish the rebound from close range.
The game exploded into life twenty minutes later when a horror challenge from Phoenix winger Carlo Armiento on Dimitri Valkanis sparked an all in coming together with both sides. As a result, Armiento was sent from the field.
Roar continued to push now up a man and managed to find the back of the net on the stroke of half time through Justin Vidic however the striker was ruled offside in the build up.
The second half started with Roar on top who fashioned a number of half chances however the Phoenix defence managed to stand tall. The next chance fell in the 55th minute when a ball flashed across the box by Michael Ruhs was flicked onto the post by Justin Vidic.
The Roar continued to push however a quick counter from the Nix saw Kazuki Nagasawa’s low strike find its way through a number of bodies and past Dean Bouzanis at the near post. The Phoenix then found another in the dying minutes when Paulo Retre slotted home from close range after Wellington broke on the counter attack, which saw with the Phoenix take all three points.
