Jamie Maclaren said Brisbane Roar were punished for thinking they’d already won their semi final with Wanderers after going up 3-0 inside the first 25 minutes.
Roar had a dream start scoring three times as Wanderers’ defensive mistakes were exposed.
But Roar let the home side back into the semi final, and cheered on by an exuberant 20,000 plus crowd, Wanderers eventually defeated Roar 5-4 in extra time.
Wanderers win sensational semi final in extra time
It was one of the greatest games in Hyundai A-League history, though Maclaren was bitterly disappointed his side weren’t able to kill off the Wanderers when they had the chance.
“You go 3-0 up and you think the game’s over. We took our foot off the pedal,” a devastated Maclaren told Fox Sports.
“And when you do that you get punished by such a good team like Wanderers.
“We’re very disappointed.”
Roar blew the chance to win the Premiership two weeks ago when drawing 0-0 with Victory in Melbourne.
Against an under-strength Big V they had a huge chance to win silverware but they somehow couldn’t find a way past Lawrence Thomas.
Now after going three goals up, Roar again blew the chance to win and make a fourth grand final
But in his first shot at finals football, Maclaren and Roar’s seasons are now over.
“Brisbane Roar have shown character in all the years they’ve played [finals football]. But we’re gutted,” the striker added.
