Brisbane Roar has played out an action-packed draw with defending Hyundai A-League champions Melbourne Victory in Morwell.
Just the two strikes made their way into the back of the respective nets, but it was far from a dull encounter between two sides who will have lofty expectations for the upcoming campaign.
Both goals came within two minutes of each other partway through the first period, with the Roar carving the better opportunities in search of a go-ahead goal that didn’t eventuate.
It was another strong pre-season performance that impressed Head Coach John Aloisi, highlighted by the first half showing.
“It was a really good first-half performance. We created alot of chances in the first 45 minutes and our front four were causing them a lot of problems,” Head Coach John Aloisi said.
“In the second half, we got a bit stretched and we probably weren’t as good as we were in the first period. Overall though, in tough conditions, we’re happy with the way we played.”
Opportunities were few and far between for both sides in the opening quarter of an hour before the contest sparked to life when the hosts were awarded a penalty in the 18th minute.
Leigh Broxham stepped up to the spot and was superbly denied by Jamie Young, but there was little the Roar stopper could do on the follow up as Broxham put the Victory in front.
That lead was gone in the blink of an eye however as new recruit Adam Taggart was played through on goal before finishing coolly just two minutes later.
“It was great to see him get a goal and his movement and understanding with his teammates was really good. The goal was brilliant – it was a great ball from Connor [O’Toole] and a great finish too,” Aloisi continued.
The best chances for the remainder of the opening half fell the Roar’s way as Taggart went close again on a number of occasions, including a goal-line clearance by Broxham.
It was then Eric Bautheac’s turn to make the Victory defence sweat, calling Lawrence Thomas into action shortly after the restart.
The home side weren’t without their chances, but defending Hyundai A-League Goalkeeper of the Year Jamie Young was up to the challenge on each occasion.
Both sides played out a tense final 10 minutes with a number of players from both sides earning cautions, including a second yellow card for Danish attacker Tobias Mikkelsen.
“In my opinion, I thought that he was unlucky to get a red card. He never goes to hurt anyone and he’s pretty upset that he got sent off,” Aloisi continued.
The Roar return to Brisbane to continue preparations ahead of a number of pre-season matches to be played in South-East Queensland – the next, a September 15 clash at A.J. Kelly Park against recently-promoted outfit Peninsula Power.
MATCH DETAILS
Hyundai A-League Pre-season Friendly: Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar
Latrobe City Sports and Entertainment Stadium, Morwell
Saturday, 1 September
Melbourne Victory 1 (Broxham 20’)
Brisbane Roar 1 (Taggart 22’)
Half-time: 1-1
Crowd: 1,638
