Roar off to best start in 15 years after Vidic steals it in stoppage time

Brisbane Roar FC left Campbelltown with three points after a hard-fought Isuzu UTE A-League meeting with Macarthur FC. Ngor gave the visitors the lead soon after the break, the hosts levelled through Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, and the Roar kept going until Vidić delivered the winner late on. It was a well-earned result, with the bench making its mark when it mattered.

First half

Macarthur FC had the first look at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, with Callum Talbot’s shot from outside the box in the 7th minute saved by George Plusnin. Nathan Paull sent a long-range effort wide of the left post soon after, and the Roar’s back line kept the hosts at arm’s length.

Brisbane Roar then found some rhythm of their own. Justin Vidić got a shot away from the right side of the box in the 18th minute, with Virgiliu Postolachi the provider, but Alexander Robinson was equal to it in the Macarthur goal.

Macarthur pushed again before the break, and Plusnin was called on twice in quick succession. He saved Musa Touré’s right-footed effort from the left side of the box in the 31st minute, then denied Touré again from outside the area in the 37th.

The Roar had to adjust late in the half. Milorad Stajić was shown a yellow card in the 38th minute and Hosine Bility replaced him two minutes later, with the visitors reshuffling and staying organised.

Five minutes were added at the end of the half. Vidić had an effort blocked from Sabit Ngor’s pass, and Plusnin held firm to save Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’s header from a Luke Vickery cross. The Roar reached the break level at 0-0.

Second half

Brisbane Roar made the perfect start to the second half. Ngor opened the scoring in the 48th minute, taking a pass from Plusnin and sending a left-footed shot from the centre of the box into the high centre of the goal.

Macarthur made three changes in the 57th minute, and Ngor was shown a yellow card a minute later. The Roar kept creating, with Vidić denied from close range by Robinson and Ngor sending a shot just wide in the 61st minute.

The hosts levelled in the 64th minute. Touré’s set-piece delivery found Stamatelopoulos, who finished from very close range into the bottom right corner to make it 1-1.

Michael Valkanis turned to his bench, with Nathan Amanatidis and Marko Ilic coming on in the 71st minute. Amanatidis was booked in the 81st minute, Jordan Lauton and Emin Durakovic followed in the 83rd, and Amanatidis tested the hosts with a blocked effort in stoppage time as the Roar kept pushing.

The reward came deep into stoppage time. Lauton set up Vidić, who struck right-footed from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner in the 95th minute. The goal was awarded after a VAR review, and the Roar held on for a 2-1 win.

Full time

Three points on the road is the story for Brisbane Roar FC, and it was a win built on discipline and clinical finishing. The Roar had slightly less of the ball than the hosts, with possession at 47.6% to 52.4%, but the shot count was level at nine apiece. Plusnin made four saves to keep Macarthur at bay, and when the moment came in stoppage time, the Roar took it to earn a 2-1 result the hard way.

It is also a welcome result in this fixture. Before this match, the head-to-head record favoured Macarthur, with seven wins to the Roar’s three and three draws, so a win at Campbelltown Sports Stadium is a good one to add. Michael Valkanis’s side showed it could adjust, hold its shape and finish the job, and the result extends the Roar’s unbeaten run to three matches.

Match details

Next match

Up next, the Roar are back home to face Sydney FC at Kayo Stadium on Saturday, 21 November (6:40pm local KO), looking to stay near the top of the table against a Sky Blues side sitting just above them.