The Brisbane Roar have moved into second on the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder after a nail-biting 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory, extending their unbeaten streak to four games.
Decked out in orange, The Den turned out in force at Suncorp Stadium for the Roar’s blockbuster ‘Christmas in November’ match, the club’s final home game of the year on Friday night.
The Roar came out firing, and just three minutes in, forward Michael Ruhs, in his 100th Isuzu UTE A-League appearance, charged down the right flank and delivered a pinpoint cross to Justin Vidic in the box. Vidic laid it back to Sam Klein, who drilled the ball into the top-left corner past Victory keeper Jack Duncan, sending The Den into raptures.
The Roar threatened again in the 10th minute when a free kick from New Zealand international James McGarry found 18-year-old Lucas Herrington, but his header sailed over the crossbar.
Fifteen minutes later, Victory’s Denis Genreau and Jing Reec combined to put Reec one-on-one in the box. Roar goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis came off his line to make a stunning block and preserve the Roar’s lead.
Minutes later, a feisty clash between Milorad Stajic and Reec sparked a confrontation involving all players, resulting in yellow cards for Vidic and Victory centre-back Sebastian Esposito.
Both sides created chances, but neither could seriously threaten the goal for the remainder of the half.
Victory started the second half brightly, creating several opportunities, but Brisbane’s defence and a resolute Bouzanis in goal kept them at bay.
As tensions mounted, Ruhs earned a yellow card in the 60th minute for a late collision.
The Roar’s next big chance came in the 79th minute. Vidic broke onto a long lob from McGarry played from just behind halfway and looked set to be through on goal, but Esposito denied him with a well-timed slide tackle.
In the final minutes of stoppage time, Victory’s Genreau received a red card for violent conduct after treading on Henry Hore at the corner flag. That was the last action of the game and the Roar secured a hard-fought 1-0 triumph.
After today’s win, the men in orange will face a demanding stretch of four consecutive away games, starting with a clash in Adelaide next Sunday.
