The Western Sydney Wanderers were looking for a win against the lowly Brisbane Roar that would catapult them into the top 6 in Parramatta tonight but defensive mistakes and the inability to break down the Roar's packed defence saw them share the points instead.
The Wanderers knew that after the losses to Sydney FC & Wellington Phoenix earlier in the round that 3 points would put them in 6th place on tiebreak, and there was no better side in prospect to face than the last placed Brisbane Roar. There were no changes to the side that beat Melbourne City 2-0 before the Wanderers first bye weekend. Roar manager Ruben Zadkovich was facing immense pressure with sections of the media pushing to have him replaced by former A-League star Besart Berisha, who was reportedly in the country & angling for a head coaching role in the A-League or NPL.
Brandon Borrello had a big rush of blood to the head when he spotted Roar keeper Macklin Freke off his line and attempted a shot from closer to his own goal than the half-way line. It had enough power to get into the Roar penalty box but nowhere near enough to stop Freke running back and catching it.
Antonee Burke-Gilroy became the first man into the referees notebook when he cut down Nicolas Milanovic from behind to stop him rushing toward the box. The set piece proved deadly for the Roar, as Joshua Brillante delivered a curler to the back stick, Bozhidar Kraeve sent a looping header back into the mixer that the Roar defence could only head back across goal where Borrello nodded it home.
The lead lasted 3 minutes. The Roar attacked down their right flank, with Jack Clisby on his heels chasing a run from Ben Halloran he failed to intercept a ball passed straight at him. Halloran took the space and delivered a dangerous ball to the far post where Gabriel Cleur had to intervene to prevent a tap-in. Unfortunately for the Wanderers his intervention ended turning the ball into his own net.
Borrello was looking hungry for a goal and he had it in the 21st minute. Another foul from the Roar allowed the striker to line up an audacious 32 yard strike. It was hit well but not with massive power, but Freke had let himself get out of position as the shot was struck and it meant he wasn't in position to turn it over the bar. Instead it dipped wonderfully into the back of the net to make it 2-1.
The Roar levelled the game in the 31st minute. A simple midfield turnover from Milanovic set the Roar on attack, Tommy Waddingham only had Anthony Pantazopoulos to beat and he beat him through his legs with a nutmeg shot which Lawrence Thomas couldn't get near. Adam Zimmarino followed his coach and Burke-Gilroy into the book for a studs showing tackle near halfway. Zac Sapsford's strong header was aimed at Freke, he arrived late in the box for a Borrello cross. Kraev had looked uncomfortable defensively and he eventually picked up a booking when a midfield mix-up allowed the Roar to sprint away, Kraev eventually pulling the shirt and bringing down the attacker not long before the half-time break. There were no changes for either side on resumption.
Neither team made much of an impact before the first subs of the night as Kraev & Sapsford departed for Marcus Antonsson & Aydan Hammond. Milanovic continued his night of cutting back onto his left and shooting with no luck. Roar gave away another dangerous set piece that was curiously not punished with a card. Milanovic stood over the ball as the obvious shooting choice on his left foot but he sent it into Row Z.
Juan Mata finally made his appearance in the 70th minute. Milanovic had toiled hard, had a few shots at goal but didn't trouble the keeper and he was the one taken off for the World Cup winning midfielder. His entrance was subdued very quickly by the Roar time wasting, faking injuries and being allowed to derail the game by sitting on the pitch, followed up by even more time wasting with confusion as to which players were coming on and off. Eventually Harry Van Der Saag & Walid Shour left with Quinn MacNicol & Jack Hingert coming on. Pantazopoulos earned a card of his own by knocking down Brazete on the sideline in a clear trip. Cleur then earned one of his own in the 83rd. More "confusion" at who was coming on enabled yet more time wasting as Neicer Acosta & Florin Berenguer came on for Halloran & Loius Zabala.
Deep inside the final minutes of stoppage time the Roar almost snatched the three points, a mistake from Mata allowed the Roar to shoot on goal, an awkward shot that went across Thomas who spilled it into the path of Acosta, with Thomas scrambling back he did enough to prevent a goal. Up the other end it was the Wanderers who had their best chance of the half, Brillante finding Cleur with a neat ball to the byline that the Roar managed to block an effort from Mata. James Temelkovski came on for an A-League debut replacing Dylan Scicluna, Oscar Priestman on for Borrello. Even the Roar keeper was falling to the floor, prompted by Zadkovich.
Brisbane wasted the vast majority of the 7 minutes without punishment, either from the ref or the Wanderers attack and that was the summary of the second half. One of the worst halves of football in the history of the league, Roar playing anti-football and falling over, and Western Sydney playing football, but playing it awfully while wasting one of the best attacking talents that the league has ever seen.
The Wanderers next match is against the Wellington Phoenix, in Parramatta on Sunday the 22th of December with kick-off at 5pm.
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