Roar Review – Round 21 Recap
It’s been a relatively quiet week here in Brisbane following the Roar’s incredible 6-3 loss to Perth on Saturday night, with the focus squarely on the Red hot Adelaide this weekend.
Round 20- Annihilation in Perth
Brisbane lost top spot on the table last week on goal difference thanks to their 6-3 loss to Perth, in a game which can only be described as crazy.
Seven goals in a pulsating first half fell in favour of the home side, with the Glory adding a further two in the second half to round out their victory.
Most frustratingly for the Roar was the fact that most if not all of the goals were preventable and from set pieces, an area they’ve been strong on so far this season and one they’ve profited on at the other end of the park.
Saturday’s capitulation at the hands of Perth broke many records for both Brisbane and the league as a whole, here’s a rundown of just some of the records that were broken at NIB Stadium.
– The record for first half goals was broken, with the two sides combining for seven goals in the opening 45 minutes.
– The 6-3 final score line made it the equal highest number of goals in a match, equalling the 8-1 annihilation between Adelaide and NQ Fury in 2011, and the 5-4 classic between Central Coast and Sydney FC in 2007.
– Perth’s 5 goals from set pieces is an A-League record, and it’s also a record for both clubs in terms of goals scored/conceded on set pieces in a single game.
– Brisbane’s 6 goals conceded was the highest in a single match in the clubs history, eclipsing the five goals that Gold Coast scored against the Roar in 2009 and Sydney FC managed in 2015.
– The result was Brisbane’s biggest ever defeat against Perth Glory, eclipsing the 4-2 win for Perth from the 2009-10 season.
Finally, Brisbane conceded 4 goals in just 17 minutes on the night, beating the previous worst of four goals in 18 minutes against Gold Coast back in 2009. Glory scored in the 32’, 38’, 41’ and 49’ minutes, trumping Gold Coasts run of goals in the 43’, 50’, 53’ and 61st minute.
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Round 21- Adelaide away
Moving on from that defeat in the West and it’s an even tougher test this time around for John Aloisi’ side as he takes Brisbane to his home town for the first time to take on an Adelaide side who are on a 12 game unbeaten run.
The game is the second in a run of six games which will decide Brisbane’s fate this season, with home games against Western Sydney, Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory next month, along with a trip to Melbourne to take on City.
Focusing on the Adelaide game however and the first two games this season have been split, with Brisbane running out 3-0 winners at home in round 4, before Adelaide turned the tables with a comprehensive 4-1 win just over a month ago.
For Brisbane, all the talk this week has been about tightening up at the back after shipping six goals this week, and things wont be helped by the knee injury picked up by James Donachie. That will result in Daniel Bowles returning to the starting line-up against his former side, with fellow central defender Luke DeVere not deemed match ready yet as he continues to recover from a severe groin injury at the end of last season.
As mentioned Adelaide come into this clash as the league’s form side, unbeaten in 12, a run which has seen them surge to third and just three points off the top of the table, and last up included a first win in Melbourne against the Victory in five years.
It promises to be an entertaining clash between two of the more free-flowing sides in the competition, and with so much on the line for both sides it’s a game that both will be desperate to win.
NPL Queensland resumes
The 2016 NPL Queensland season kicks off this weekend with the Brisbane derby between the Roar and Strikers at Perry Park on Saturday Evening.
The honours were split last season in the two clashes with a win a piece, however it was the Strikers who had the better season, with a second placed finish and a run to the Grand Final while the young Roar languished in 8th.
The competition however is not about results for the Roar due to their ineligibility for the finals, with the focus on development for the clubs youngsters.
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