A first-half double from Sydney FC striker Fabio Gomes was enough to seal all three points for the Sky Blues as new Brisbane Roar head coach Ben Cahn was defeated 2-1 in his first game in charge.
Looking for a response following their 8-1 humiliation in Round 10 the home crowd saw their side 1-0 down after just 52 seconds with Brazilian striker Fabio heading home the opening goal.
Sydney were then guilty of wasting a whole host of chances before they eventually doubled their lead, with Fabio scoring a brilliant backheeled effort in the 41st minute.
Brisbane did pull one back on the stroke of half time through Nikola Mileusnic but Sydney held firm in the second half to secure the win and with it move into the competition’s top six.
The away side came flying out of the blocks and took the lead in the first minute of the match through Fabio, who leapt above a static Brisbane defence to head home Jaiden Kucharski’s excellent dinked cross.
Sydney were then inches away from making it two-nil soon after when Kucharski’s powerful header hit the post before rebounding back off the diving Macklin Freke and behind for a corner.
With Brisbane still struggling to gain any foothold in the game Sydney saw two more good chances go begging as first Fabio headed a teasing Joe Lolley cross over the bar before the Englishman then slalomed his way into the box but saw his shot saved by Freke.
Ufuk Talay’s team were threatening every time they went forward and the lively Kucharski combined brilliantly with Fabio on the edge of the box but couldn’t find the target, sending his fizzing shot over the bar.
Showing no signs of letting up, a Lolley freekick picked out defender Gabriel Lacerda at the far post but fortunately for Brisbane the Brazilian’s header bounced off the top of the crossbar but the Sky Blues would eventually get their second.
A cheap Brisbane turnover in midfield led to Lolley baring down on the Roar goal before the 31-year-old cut the ball back to Fabio who brilliantly back-heeled the ball beyond Freke to give Sydney a richly-deserved two-goal lead.
However, despite being well and truly dominated in the first half Cahn’s side went into the break with some hope after Mileusnic pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.
Played onside by the barest of margins, Mileusnic latched on to Florin Berenguer’s delicate through ball before drilling his shot past Andrew Redmayne to reduce the deficit to just one.
Ufuk Talay was then forced into making three changes after the break with Robert Mak and Jack Rodwell withdrawn due to injury while the impressive Fabio was subbed off in favour of Patrick Wood, with the Brazilian subsequently seen icing a wrist injury on the bench.
In stark contrast to the opening 45 minutes the second half was a much cagier affair with Brisbane’s Jez Lofthouse testing Redmayne from distance while captain Tom Aldred fired a stoppage time effort straight into the arms of the Sydney keeper as the Sky Blues held on for the win.
What they said
From a Brisbane Roar point of view it was very much a game of two halves at Suncorp Stadium according to new Head Coach Ben Cahn.
“We didn’t start well,” admitted Cahn when speaking on Paramount+ post-match, “but that was possibly an after-effect of the result last week and probably the boys feeling a bit conscious and a bit nervous.
“End of the first half they really came back into it well. In the end we lacked a bit of quality and we certainly lacked a bit of end product and box entry but in terms of a starting point from where we were last week its really good progress and it’s something to build on going into the next round of games.”
The home side were certainly dominated by their opponents in the first half with Sydney controlling possession and guilty of wasting a string of good chances.
However a series of tactical tweaks at the break from Cahn, most notably in an attempt to nullify the dangerous Joe Lolley, seemingly did the trick for the home side and while it’s still another defeat – their fourth in succession – the home crowd can leave Suncorp Stadium knowing their side gave a much better account of themselves in the second half which bodes well moving forward.
Meanwhile for Sydney FC and their boss Ufuk Talay thats now three-wins on the trot for the Sky Blues which sees them move into sixth on the ladder, albeit they’ve played a game more than Melbourne City.
“Our expectation was they were going to have a go with a new coach, a clean slate for all the players at the club,” reflected Talay in his post-match press conference. “so our expectation was they were going to come at us but look I thought we nullified that with our press in the first half.
“We performed well. We created opportunities to kill the game off in the first half, second half we probably weren’t as effective as we would have liked. Overall, a game of two halves. When you do very well in the first half, second half not so much but you walk away with three points it’s easy to build on.”
A big concern for Talay though will be the injuries picked up by Robert Mak and Jack Rodwell while Fabio Gomes was also substituted early in the second half and later seen icing an wrist injury whilst sat on the bench.
“Jack (Rodwell) felt his calf right at the moment we conceded that goal that’s why he didn’t play for that ball,” revealed Talay. “He felt his calf and I think Robbie felt his groin early in the second half so we had to make those changes.”
The talking point
A piece of Brazilian brilliance to finish off what was a fantastic team move worthy of winning any game.
After regaining the ball on the edge of their own box Sydney proceeded to play their way out of trouble. A string of precise passes saw the away side cut through Brisbane’s attempted press and before long the ball was in the back of the Roar net, with Fabio’s delicate back-heeled flick finishing of the move.
The star
Fabio has taken his time to settle into life in the Isuzu UTE A-League but we’re now seemingly getting to see what the Brazilian forward can really offer.
The 26-year-old used every inch of his 6-feet-2 frame to tower over the Brisbane defence for his side’s opener before showcasing his Sao Paulo skillset to delicately flick home his second of the game.
But goalscoring antics aside, he is now seemingly on the same wavelength as the other members of Sydney FC’s attack. Fabio’s physical presence and ability to drop deep and hold onto the ball compliments the pace and running game of Jaiden Kucharski while he and Joe Lolley have struck up nice partnership, with the Englishman laying on three of Fabio’s four goals this season.
What it means
After a disappointing first half Brisbane showed plenty of spirit after the break which will please boss Ben Cahn, given he’s only had a few days to work with his new side.
Next up for the Roar is a trip to Sydney where they take on Newcastle Jets at Allianz Stadium as part of Unite Round.
As for Sydney FC, Ufuk Talay’s team are well and truly purring now, winning their third-straight match to move up to sixth on the ladder.
Next up for the Sky Blues is a clash with Adelaide United in Unite Round.
