ALW MW1 Match Wrap: Roar fall to Mariners at Gioca Stadium

Brisbane Roar suffered a tough 4-2 defeat at the hands of Central Coast Mariners in Ninja A-League Round One action at Gioca Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The hosts matched the Mariners for possession and found the back of the net twice through Brown and Guillou, but the visitors’ finishing either side of half-time proved the difference.

Final score: Brisbane Roar FC 2-4 Central Coast Mariners FC, with the Roar trailing 1-2 at half-time
Daisy Brown levelled the score in the first half, with Murphy Agnew providing the assist
Katrina Guillou made an impact off the bench, scoring six minutes after coming on to give the Roar late hope
Chloe Lincoln made four saves, and possession was almost even at 50.5% to the Roar

First half

Central Coast Mariners made the brighter start at Gioca Stadium, and it took them just seven minutes to find the front foot. Peta Trimis fired a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the top left corner from Danika Matos’s headed pass to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

Roar settled and began to work their way into the contest, with Abby Smothers testing Morgan Aquino from outside the box. The Mariners kept coming at the Roar defence, though, with Trimis blocked and Skye Halmarick sent wide in quick succession midway through the half.

Roar levelled in the 26th minute, and it was a good piece of work from the set piece. Murphy Agnew whipped a cross in following a corner and Daisy Brown was on hand from very close range to send it into the back of the net and make it 1-1.

The Mariners pushed again after the equaliser. Chloe Lincoln did well to save Halmarick’s header on the half-hour, and a run of blocked and wayward efforts from Greta Kraszula, Halmarick, Trimis and Tess Quilligan followed as Roar worked to keep the visitors at bay.

Just before the break, Talia Kapetanellis took the ball on the left side of the box and curled a left-footed finish into the top right corner in the 44th minute. It left Roar 2-1 down at half-time, with plenty still to play for after the break.

Second half

The Mariners made a lively start to the second half, with Kapetanellis forcing a save from Lincoln within a minute of the restart. Roar answered with attempts from Isabel Hodgson, Kijah Stephenson and Brown, but none found the target before the visitors struck again.

Halmarick extended the Mariners’ lead in the 59th minute, finishing into the top right corner from the centre of the box after a cross from Kapetanellis. It made the score 3-1.

Johno Clemente responded on the hour with a double change, Lily Punch and Maja Markovski coming on for Smothers and Brown. Lincoln then denied Charlotte Lancaster, and a second double change followed in the 71st minute as Annabel Martin and Katrina Guillou replaced Hodgson and Stephenson.

Maja Markovski of Brisbane reacts at Gioca Stadium. (Photo: Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Mariners substitute Morgan Witz added a fourth in the 75th minute, burying a shot into the bottom right corner from Halmarick’s pass. Roar hit back almost immediately, with Guillou firing a left-footed effort into the top right corner from Zara Kruger’s assist two minutes later.

Quilligan, Kraszula and Taren King were each shown a yellow card for the Mariners between the 78th and 83rd minutes, and Hali Long replaced Natalie Tathem in the 79th minute. Roar kept pushing into stoppage time, with Guillou twice going close from Emily Roach’s service before the final whistle confirmed a 4-2 defeat.

Natalie Tathem of Brisbane competes against Talia Kapetanellis of Central Coast at Gioca Stadium. (Photo: Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Full time

Although possession was shared almost evenly, the visitors fired 19 shots to the hosts’ nine and put eight of them on target to Roar’s four, keeping Lincoln busy with four saves behind a defence that was under pressure for long stretches.

There were still positives for the home support to take from the afternoon. Roar kept attacking right to the end and found the back of the net twice, through a starter in Brown and a substitute in Guillou, whose late goal showed the group still had a response in them. The head-to-head record between the sides also remains in Roar’s favour, with five wins to the Mariners’ three and two draws from their previous meetings.