A 10-man Brisbane Roar came away with a point in their 0-0 draw against Melbourne Victory on Saturday afternoon at Moreton Daily Stadium.
It was a match marred by the sending off of Jordan Holmes, after a clash with Nicholas D’Agostino just minutes into the second half.
Going a man down in heat over 30 degrees, Brisbane Roar Head Coach Warren Moon praised his side’s efforts for showing great resilience and character in the wake of the red card.
“They showed resilience and great character in extreme weather conditions in that heat to take the decision on the chin…to hold on for a point and keep them out, I think we will be the ones taking this as a positive and they’ll be a bit deflated,” Moon said.
“It changed the game, any man disadvantage in this heat was always going to change how we set up but I thought the lads were tremendous, the way they dug deep, I thought it was a top effort.”
Joe Knowles kick started the game after going close to scoring in the sixth minute as he worked the ball into the box before forcing a goal-line save from Jake Brimmer.
Victory then made their way up to the Roar 18-yard box when Tom Aldred and D’Agostino were involved in a nasty head clash, with both players receiving treatment after.
While the Roar would have bursts of attacks on goal, Victory would hold most of the possession throughout the first half but was kept at bay despite their chances.
Just minutes from halftime, Knowles controlled a high ball to pass it off to Riku Danzaki who had his shot deflected.
The Roar came out with a renewed fire in the second half, with Charlie Austin controlling the ball down from his chest, laying it off for Jay O’Shea to have a shot.
Things quickly turned when Holmes was shown a straight red for dangerous play after a VAR check.
Macklin Freke came in to replace Holmes after Rahmat Akbari was substituted off, and made an instant impact, helping his side keep a clean sheet for the second time this season.
Despite being a man down, Roar kept the chances coming and, in the end, took a point for their defensive efforts.
“We haven’t won, and we want to win but there are so many positives to take from the first four games,” Moon said.
“We’ve shown signs of improvement of where we were last year. We’ve shown grit, determination, defensively well structured, and have become more of a threat going forward,” he added.
Brisbane Roar will be back at Moreton Daily Stadium on Sunday 6 November when they’ll take on Sydney FC at 2pm.
MATCH DETAILS
Brisbane Roar 0 – 0 Melbourne Victory
