Macarthur FC’s six-game winless run came to an end after a 3-1 win over Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.
The Bulls took a 1-0 lead via captain Ulises Dávila in rainy Brisbane conditions and pulled three goals clear early in the second half, with Raphael Borges Rodrigues and Jed Drew both finding the back of the net after the break.
The hosts struck back soon after conceding a third to Macarthur, with Brisbane substitute Jonas Markovski scoring for the second consecutive game, but despite fashioning several dangerous chances, Ben Cahn’s side couldn’t find the goals to get back into the contest as the Bulls claimed all three Isuzu UTE A-League points on the road.
Brisbane signed Olyroos midfielder Keegan Jelacic last week but his return to the club after a near three-year absence began with a short-lived cameo as a challenge on Clayton Lewis earned the Roar substitute a straight red card.
The result sent Macarthur into fourth spot on the table, having played two more games than the majority of the competition.
Brisbane had a pair of early chances, with Jay O’Shea striking from range into the arms of Filip Kurto, who did well to get low and smother the shot as it bounced in front of him.
Alex Parsons was the next Brisbane player to threaten Macarthur’s goal, applying a strong header to Nikola Mileusnic’s floated cut-back cross. Parsons was thwarted by Kurto who continued his bright start to the first half.
After soaking up early pressure, Macarthur struck the first blow and it was captain Dávila in his 100th A-Leagues appearance firing into the bottom-left corner.
Dávila dispossessed Ryan Lethlean and sprung the attack, feeding Jed Drew down the wing who cut the ball back to Dávila to finish through Kai Trewin’s legs and into the back of the net.
Brisbane had the chance to equalise when Matthew Jurman coughed up possession cheaply to Mileusnic on the edge of the area, but the Bulls defender closed the space quickly to thwart the opportunity.
Dávila had a strike from distance saved comfortably by Macklin Freke as Brisbane went into half-time trailing 1-0.
An entertaining start to the second stanza saw three goals added to the ledger by the hour mark, as Macarthur pulled 3-0 clear through Raphael and Drew before Markovski pegged one back for the Roar.
Raphael tapped home for Macarthur at the back post after an expert low cross from Valère Germain to put the visitors two goals to the good.
Just six minutes later, Drew tucked home Macarthur’s third after Raphael’s initial strike hit the post and fell fortuitously into his path for a routine finish from close range.
The manic start to the second half rolled on as Brisbane found their first goal of the night three minutes after going 3-0 behind.
Markovski scored his second goal in as many games to make it 3-1, heading O’Shea’s cross from a corner routine past Kurto from inside the six-yard box.
Joe Caletti rattled the woodwork shortly after Markovski’s strike as Brisbane ramped up the pressure on the Bulls.
Brisbane boss Cahn brought his new recruit Jelacic off the bench in the second half but the Olyroos midfielder’s bench cameo ended in the 88th minute when his tackle on Lewis in midfield earned a straight red card from referee Alex King.
