Queensland Roar have fought back after conceding an early goal to record a gutsy 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory in their Round 7 National Youth League encounter at Suncorp Stadium.
Dimitri Hatzimouratis opened the scoring for the Victory in the 12th minute, only for his strike to be cancelled out by a chip from Josh McVey in the 34th minute.
The match was there for the taking in a closely fought second half and Roar skipper Chris Grossman was the man to do it for the home side, slotting a goal in the 60th minute before grabbing his brace in the 87th.
The winner came about after Victory goalkeeper Mijo Marinovic fumbled a blistering shot from McVey that was fired straight at him, with Grossman quick to pounce on the crumbs.
The Roar striker then became equal top scorer of the National Youth League when he grabbed his fifth goal for the season and put the result beyond any doubt.
The win sees the Roar climb to second position on the ladder, after coming away with all three points in a compelling curtain-raiser for Saturday night’s Hyundai A-League clash in front of 750 fans.
The match started in frenetic fashion, with both sides making their intentions well and truly clear from the outset where an attacking opening ten minutes almost resulted in goals to both sides.
Mitchell Bevan was creative from the midfield for the home side, while McVey loomed large up front and the pair put Marinovic to the test in the sixth minute.
Matthew Theodore looked sharp for Melbourne and troubled Roar custodian Griffin McMaster soon after before Hatzimouratis put his side on the scoreboard when he found space in the box and calmly finished past McMaster.
The Roar’s spirits were not dashed and McVey almost had the better of Marinovic when the Victory keeper was forced to make a desperate sliding clearance outside his box.
There continued to be chances aplenty in the first half, with Hatzimouratis going very close twice, before McVey squared the game up.
The 17-year-old was on the end of a speculative long ball and after being given plenty of space, composedly chipped the ball over Marinovic, who was caught in no man’s land.
The game continued to be played at a high tempo during the second half and both teams looked dangerous as they attempted to break the deadlock.
The Victory were gallant, with Hatzimouratis continuing to cause a lot of headaches for the home side’s defence, but in the end the visitors had few answers as Grossman, McVey and second-half substitute Jordan Farina, son of Roar coach Frank, wreaked havoc up front.
Match Details
Queensland Roar 3 (Josh McVey 34′, Chris Grossman 60′ & 87′)
Melbourne Victory 1 (Dimitri Hatzimouratis 12′)
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Crowd: 750
Saturday 8 November 2008
Referee: Jared Gillett
Queensland Roar line-up: 1.Griffin McMASTER (gk) (OA) (20.Matt ACTON (gk) 58-), 2.Daniel BOWLES, 3.Brad McDONALD (4.Koh SATAKE 58-), 5.Mitchell BEVAN, 8.Michael RYAN, 9.Tyler THURTELL (6.Jordan FARINA 46-), 10.William TUMUSIIME, 11.Josh McVEY, 12.Luke BRATTAN (7.Michael ANGUS 54-), 13.Chris GROSSMAN (c), 14.Ben GRIFFIN (OA)
Yellow Cards: Michael Angus 88-, Matt Acton 90-
Red Cards: Nil
Melbourne Victory line-up: 1.Mijo MARINOVIC (gk), 2.Robbie WYNNE, 3.Steven PACE (OA) (14.Mifit BOJKU 20-), 4.Matthew FOSCHINI (12.Bonel OBRADOVIC 59-), 5.Fabio DI LIZIA (8.Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 59-), 6.Cameron DRAKE, 7.Aziz BEHICH, 9.Mathew THEODORE (c), 10.Steve PANTELIDIS (OA), 11.Dimitri HATZIMOURATIS, 13.Tedros YABIO.
Yellow Cards: Steve Pantelidis 79-
Red Cards: Nil
