Brisbane Roar Back On Top
Round 7 of the A-League began with second-placed Brisbane Roar hosting the unbeaten first-placed Western Sydney Wanderers. The previous four encounters between the two sides saw Wanderers win all four contests but this game was different.
The return of live wire Roar striker Besart Berisha added an electricity to a Brisbane side determined to make a statement against the Wanderers. Berisha’s return helped establish a 1:0 lead in the 5′ of the game, as he waltzed through 3 Wanderers players to slot the ball past a helpless Ante Covic.
It was the first time that the Wanderers had conceded inside the first twenty minutes of a game.The early period was dominated by the Roar, helped by the fact that the Wanderers’ defence was looking shaky early. It didn’t get any better for the Wanderers though, as in the 19′ the Roar doubled their lead to make it 2:0.
Henrique laid the ball back to Ivan Franjic. He then controlled the ball to strike a sweet volley into the Wanderers goal. That was two goals conceded inside the first twenty minutes by the Wanderers, something extremely unusual for a well drilled side like the Wanderers.
From here the game seemed to settle down for the Wanderers and while their defence was questionable early, their attack was still solid and dangerous. They were carving out some good chances but just couldn’t apply the finishing touch.
But the Roar gave the Wanderers a way back in. The Roar defence played a sloppy pass that allowed Mark Bridge to intercept and lay off to Brendan Santalab. Santalab then darted into the box with ball, dinking the ball over an advancing Michael Theo to pull one back for the Wanderers.
Injuries seemed to be haunting the Wanderers though, as Shinji Ono was subbed off shortly before half time and replaced by Labinot Haliti.
The second half started in the same fashion as the first. But this time the Wanderers seemed to have the upper hand, if only slightly. As the half progressed, it seemed as though the Wanderers would be able to snatch a result.
The Roar seemed to be getting tired late on, while the Wanderers kept pushing for the equaliser. But second half substitute, Kwame Yeboah sealed the points for the Roar in the 91′.
Jerome Polenz was lazy in tracking Yeboah’s run, allowing Yeboah to cut into the box and and open up space for himself away from Nikolai Topor-Stanley. Yeboah unleashed an unstoppable shot, stranding Covic to the middle of the goal and sealing the three points for the Roar.
In the end, it was a deserving win for the Roar and just reward for their early dominance. The game showed that both these sides are the benchmarks this early in the season and the reality is that either side could’ve taken the points. As it stands, Roar move back to top spot, simultaneously inflicting the Wanderers first defeat of the season.
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