It wasn’t Brisbane Roar’s best performance but Head Coach John Aloisi admitted the three points was all that mattered after his side’s gritty 1-0 win over the Mariners on Saturday night.
A 13th-minute strike from fan-favourite Henrique, his first in Brisbane orange in almost two years, proved to be enough for the hosts to pile the pressure on fellow finals contenders and climb into the top six.
The win saw Roar usurp Wanderers into sixth spot ahead of next week’s crucial clash with Josep Gombau’s side in Sydney.
“We knew that it was going to be a tough game. They only had one real chance in the first half, and in the second we showed them just what we could do and controlled it,” Aloisi said.
“We should have won the game more comfortably, but all in all, we’re really happy because we needed those three points.
“It was great to see Henrique score. He played well and kept causing them problems, as did Eric [Bautheac], Fahid [Ben Khalfallah] and Massimo [Maccarone].”
Frenchman Eric Bautheac was named as man of the match and says the attention now turns to finishing the season strongly and extending the campaign into the Finals Series.
“This win is very important because we only have a few matches left. Now, we have two games that are like finals for us, and to get the win was important for us and our confidence,” Bautheac said.
