New Brisbane head coach Michael Valkanis has his first Isuzu UTE A-League win in charge of the Roar after his side defeated Macarthur Bulls 1-0 at Suncorp Stadium.
It was a competitive and combative start to the game at Suncorp Stadium but the breakthrough came from the spot; Roar skipper Jay O’Shea slammed home his spot-kick in the 34th minute after Bulls captain Luke Brattan was penalised for handball.
With intense duels being contested all over the field, Brisbane Roar debutant Dimitrios Valkanis overstepped the mark in the second half, receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Harrison Sawyer leaving Brisbane down to 10 players.
Bulls midfielder Anthony Caceres set a header from close range over the bar while debutant Šime Gržan sent a low shot wide of the far post but the away side were simply unable to make their numerical advantage count as the Roar won their opening league game of the season for the first time since 2015-16.
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Match highlights
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What they said
Hear from coaches and players from both sides in the aftermath of Brisbane’s 1-0 win over Macarthur.
Brisbane Roar head coach Michael Valkanis: ‘We always say find a way to win!’
Victorious Brisbane Roar boss Michael Valkanis praised his side’s attitude following their gritty 1-0 win over Macarthur Bulls at Suncorp Stadium.
Drawing particular praise from the new Roar head coach was 37-year-old skipper Jay O’Shea, who bagged the winning goal from the spot.
Macarthur Bulls head coach Mile Sterjovski: ‘We were a bit slow’
A frustrated Macarthur boss Mile Sterjovski spoke to Network 10’s Scott McDonald at full time following his side’s frustrating 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar.
Drawing particular ire from the Bulls head coach was his side’s inability to learn from an earlier lesson when it came to defending set-pieces.
