Central Coast Mariners debutant Arthur De Lima scored his first Isuzu UTE A-League goal to seal a 3-1 win over Brisbane Roar on Friday night.
A Walid Shour own goal gave the Mariners a first-half lead but the Roar launched a determined fightback, and equalised at 1-1 through Ben Halloran in the 71st minute.
But the Mariners found the answers to Brisbane’s comeback effort, as Harrison Steele and De Lima scored on either side of Hosine Bility’s send-off for a pair of second-half yellow cards as Brisbane suffered a seventh-consecutive home defeat – an equal Isuzu UTE A-League record (New Zealand Knights, 2005).
Brisbane’s 13th game without a win set a record for the club’s longest winless streak in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
The visitors took an early lead when Mikael Doka’s dangerous delivery from a deep free-kick struck the heel of Shour before a touch off the hand of the Lebanon international helped the ball over the line.
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Jay O’Shea called Mariners keeper Dylan Peraić-Cullen into his first save of the game with a first-time effort from the edge of the area in the 18th minute; the Irishman’s shot was on target but Peraić-Cullen got down quickly to his right to make a smart save.
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Brisbane reacted positively to falling behind and became a greater threat to the Mariners’ goal as the first half ticked by. Keegan Jelacic had a chance to equalise just before the hour mark but having carved out space to shoot from a tight angle, had his low shot saved by Peraić-Cullen who had rushed off his line to close the space.
Thomas Waddingham was next to fire a shot on target when he latched onto an O’Shea through ball at the edge of the penalty area but Brian Kaltak slid in to make a crucial block and take the sting out of the teenage striker’s attempt on goal. Moments later the young forward was at it again, firing a low, left-footed strike straight at Peraić-Cullen who made yet another strong stop.
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Just before the hour mark, Waddingham had Brisbane’s best chance of the game but couldn’t take advantage of a glorious opportunity created by Jelacic’s reverse pass into the penalty area.
Waddingham had time and space to dispatch his shot but Peraić-Cullen was once again up to the task of keeping the Roar striker off the scoresheet, getting his right glove to the ball to divert the ball off target.
But Brisbane kept up their pursuit of an equaliser and, in the 71st minute, that equaliser finally came when Halloran, who returned to the club from Adelaide in the off-season, volleyed home his first goal for the club since March, 2013.
There was a nervous wait for the hosts as VAR checked a potential handball from Corey Brown in the build-up but the goal was allowed to stand as play resumed with Brisbane back on level terms.
Brisbane’s parity lasted less than 10 minutes as Steele restored Central Coast’s lead with a flying header.
The Mariners midfielder made a late run into the box to meet Roux’s inviting cross toward the penalty spot and buried his header past Macklin Freke and into the back of the net as the visitors quickly regained the advantage at Suncorp Stadium.
Shortly after the Mariners’ second goal of the night, Brisbane pushed aggressively for another equaliser and a series of blocked shots and big saves from Peraić-Cullen denied the hosts a way back in a chaotic sequence inside the Roar’s attacking penalty area.
Then, after receiving a yellow card earlier in the half for a dangerous challenge on Kaltak, Bility received his second caution of the game and a subsequent red after tangling with Ryan Edmondson in his defensive half as the Mariners striker looked to steal possession off the Brisbane centre-back.
In second-half stoppage time, former Brisbane Roar junior De Lima sealed the result for the Mariners with a 95th-minute goal against his old side as Central Coast notched a 3-1 win on the road.
