Ashlyn Miller’s 87th minute strike saw Brisbane Roar draw 1-1 against Melbourne City on Tuesday night, as the league leaders missed out on the chance to go four points clear at the top of the Ninja A-League.
Clear-cut chances were hard to come by in the first half at Spencer Park but there were plenty of flashpoints during the opening 45 minutes.
With battles being contested on both flanks as well as in the middle it was only a matter of time before tempers flared and it was City’s Aideen Keane who received the first yellow card of the contest, and it could have been more.
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Jostling for possession with Brisbane’s Ava Piazza, Keane appeared to swing her right arm into the midriff of the Roar defender in frustration after being fouled and the Roar coaching staff were adamant it should have been a red.
Unfortunately for them though it wasn’t red and it would be Keane who helped her side make the all-important breakthrough just three minutes later.
Darting into the Roar box, Keane was brought down by fullback Aimee Medwin as she attempted to win the ball and after the referee pointed to the spot, Matildas ace Holly McNamara stepped up to coolly slot home her ninth goal of the season.
City came close to making it two early in the second half as both Taylor Otto and Bryleeh Henry were thwarted by some excellent goalkeeping and last-ditch defending on the goalline.
Spurred on by a vocal home crowd the Roar began to push hard for an equaliser and almost found the leveller in the 71st minute as City midfielder Leticia McKenna produced a strong block to deny Miller.
With less than 10 minutes to play the home side were vociferous in their calls for a penalty to be awarded for handball against Otto, however referee Izzy Cooper wasn’t interested at the time with replays later backing up her decision.
However the Roar were cranking up the pressure on City and it eventually told as they levelled things up in the 87th minute, much to the delight of the home crowd.
A lively presence since coming on as a substitute, Miller received the ball on the edge of the box and lashed a wicked shot towards goal which caught goalkeeper Malena Mieres by surprise and flew through the keepers gloves and into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
The draw sees Melbourne City move two points clear of second-placed Canberra United as Michael Matricciani’s side are left frustrated for the second game in succession having lost last time out against Newcastle Jets.
As for Brisbane Roar, Alex Smith’s side remain eighth on the ladder but are now just a point outside the top six after recording their third draw of the season.
