Rochedale Rovers has provided Brisbane Roar with their toughest test of the pre-season so far, holding the Hyundai A-League Champions to a 1-1 draw at Underwood Park last night.
Rochedale Rovers has provided Brisbane Roar with their toughest test of the pre-season so far, holding the Hyundai A-League Champions to a 1-1 draw at Underwood Park last night.
Despite holding onto the bulk of the possession and creating more chances than their Brisbane Premier League opponents, the Roar struggled to find fluency and were made to pay for their missed chances in the final third.
The home side took the lead against the run of play just before the half-time break as former Roar National Youth League player Jake McLean latched onto the ball on the left wing and unleashed a powerful shot that deceived the dive of Roar custodian Michael Theo.
Brisbane went into overdrive in the second stanza with attacking pair Besart Berisha and Henrique in particular working hard to convert their side-s possession into clear cut chances in front of goal.
However, it was Berisha-s replacement, National Youth League squad member Brandon Borrello, who made the biggest impact on the score line.
Introduced in the 70th minute, Borrello found the equaliser eleven minutes later, calmly tapping home a cross from veteran defender Shane Stefanutto.
The youngster also had a shot fly agonisingly wide in the game-s dying stages as Brisbane Roar-s fourth pre-season fixture ended 1-1.
Rochedale Rovers 1 (Jake McLean 41-)
Brisbane Roar 1 (Brandon Borrello 81-)
