A second half goal from Charlie Austin has given Brisbane Roar a point on the road against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
In their first away match of the season, Brisbane Roar finished with a 1-1 draw against the Western Sydney Wanderers after a Charlie Austin goal.
It was a quick start from the Roar as Austin looked to open the scoring but it was straight at the hands of Wanderers goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas.
Joe Knowles was then played through on a 1v1 with his strike hitting the outside of the post just a minute later.
The Wanderers took the ball down the other end as Marcelo put in a through ball for Sulejman Krpić who slid it past Jordan Holmes.
As both sides began to settle in, it became an evenly contested match.
It wasn’t until the 36th minute that Holmes was called back into action to save Macelo’s header before Riku Danzaki strike forced a diving save from Thomas.
Just five minutes into the second half, Austin found the back of the net for his first Isuzu UTE A-League goal after Joe Knowles cut the ball back – nutmegging a player in the process – into the box.
“I’m delighted to get off the mark but we should’ve come away with three points,” Austin said.
“It was a great performance by us, in the first half we were pretty good and in the second we kicked on and we were strong, we should’ve come away with all three points but it was a bit of unluckiness,” Knowles added.
Austin’s goal ignited a fire in Roar as they continued applying pressure to the Wanderers’ defenders with Connor Chapman hitting the bar before Scott Neville tapped it in.
The goal would be disallowed for offside but not before being checked by the VAR, who stuck with the original decision.
It wasn’t the only goal disallowed for the Roar on Saturday afternoon. A Jay O’Shea free kick hit the back of the net but was disallowed after a little forgotten rule which doesn’t allow an attacking player within 1m from a wall with three or more defenders.
The home side re-discovered their rhythm with chances from Krpić, forcing a double save from Holmes before a corner found Marcelo who fired it over the crossbar just three minutes apart.
The game would remain on level terms as it drew closer to fulltime.
Head Coach Warren Moon said his side’s second half performance showcased the football they wanted to play.
“The second half was there for everyone to see, that’s the kind of football we want to play, more aggressive, more on the front foot and I think we were unlucky tonight,” he said.
Brisbane Roar will be back at home on Saturday 29 October when they take on Melbourne Victory at Moreton Daily Stadium.
MATCH DETAILS
Western Sydney Wanderers (Krpic 5′) 1 v 1 Brisbane Roar (Austin 50′)
