Brisbane Roar boss John Aloisi has lauded the resilience of goalscoring hero Luke DeVere after the injury-plagued defender rescued his side a point in Friday’s season opener.
Mitch Austin looked to have secured Melbourne Victory all three points at Suncorp Stadium until DeVere miraculously equalised for a 10-man Roar in the sixth minute of added time.
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The goal marked a sweet return for the defender following a frustrating 18-month period between Hyundai A-League appearances.
“I couldn’t be happier for someone like Luke DeVere. He’s been through a lot,” Aloisi said.
“Luke DeVere is what this club is about.
“He’s gone through tough times, a lot of people at this club have gone through tough times, but they don’t know how to give up.”
Despite looking unlikely for a result when Austin’s opener compounded Matt McKay’s sending off, Aloisi felt his side could have taken even more from a fiery clash.
“We’ve proven in the past we never give up, we never stop, and we deserved something out of the game,” Aloisi said.
“(I’m) disappointed because we didn’t get the three points. I thought (after the first 10-15 minutes) we just dominated them.
“Then the red card happened and they got a little bit on top without really still hurting us. Even with 10 men we were still pushing and pushing.”
