Brisbane Roar coach Warren Moon has expressed irritation with the red card that sparked Western United’s come-from-behind 3-2 win over his side at Moreton Daily Stadium.
Netting through Juan Lescano just two minutes in after pressing United keeper Jamie Young into an error, Roar sat back and absorbed United’s attacking waves on Saturday.
Having survived a disallowed Leo Lacroix goal, the hosts had more shots despite surrendering a lion’s share of possession.
But referee Adam Kersey’s decision to send Brisbane keeper Jordan Holmes off after he charged out of his area and brought down Lachlan Wales’ breakaway served to turn the game on its head.
“I think (Wales) looked for that,” Moon said of the red card.
“It was a feather touch, he’s gone down making the most of it.
“It should have been looked at to be overturned.”
Needless to say, United boss John Aloisi disagreed.
“I thought it was red,” he said.
“If the keeper doesn’t take (Wales) then Lachie’s got an empty goal and he was getting to the ball before the defender. I think that’s stopping a clear goal-scoring opportunity.”
Adisu Bayew’s maiden ALM goal in the 35th minute tied it up and Scott Neville inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to give the visitors the lead in the 58th.
Catching Brisbane’s defence napping, Aleksandar Prijovic’s sixth goal of the season on 83 minutes then allowed his side to absorb a furious finish and ensure Jay O’Shea’s 88th-minute penalty was mere a consolation.
Though his side were inspired to a strong conclusion by substitute Cyrus Dehmie and had three times as many shots on target as United, Moon said the dismissal disrupted a start he felt his side controlled.
“We were comfortable and that’s what the frustration is,” he said.
“We scored the early goal, we carved out a few opportunities. We didn’t have possession but … possession doesn’t win you football games. Chances and goals do.”
United moved level on points with Melbourne City atop the ALM table and possess a game in hand ahead of a clash with Central Coast in Ballarat next week.
“It’s the first time we came from 1-0 down. So now they get that belief,” Aloisi added.
Roar remain second from the bottom and will host Wellington midweek.
RE-LIVE: BRISBANE ROAR 2-3 WESTERN UNITED, AS IT HAPPENED
By Matt Comito for KEEPUP
87′: PENALTY! O’Shea pegs one back for the Roar (2-3)
Nicholas Olsen gets ahead of Western’s Jerry Skotadis in the box, going down under contact as Skotadis attempted to clear the danger.
O’Shea stepped forward to go face-to-face with his former teammate Young from the spot, putting his penalty straight down the middle to halve the deficit. It’s 3-2 heading into the final five minutes of play.
83′: GOAL! Prijović gets his goal (1-3)
Leo Lacroix spotted Prijović with a quick-thinking free kick curled into the box and the Western striker guided his header over Freke and into the back of the net.
It was a similar finish to his offside goal in the first half – but there’s no taking this one away from Prijović as he doubles Western’s lead.
59′: OWN GOAL! Neville puts ball into his own net as Western take the lead (1-2)
The visitors are in front after Roar defender Scott Neville bundled a cross from the right flank over his own goal line.
Western now have the lead and a one-man advantage, with the Roar down to 10 and chasing the game.
56′: SAVE! Young keeps long-range O’Shea strike out (1-1)
Jay O’Shea was well placed to meet a clearance out of Western’s defensive box, taking the clearance on the chest before firing a shot on goal. But Young was up to the challenge of preventing the hosts regaining the lead with a lunging stop which led to a Roar corner.
HALF-TIME: ROAR 1-1 WESTERN
That was a dramatic first half. The Roar took the lead, before a red card to Holmes turned momentum in favour of the visitors. Bayew levelled the scores before Prijović struck to complete the turnaround – only for the offside flag to go up to deny the Serbian spearhead.
It’s 1-1 at the break.
OFFSIDE! Prijović scores from illegal position (1-1)
Aleksandar Prijović looked to have found a second Western goal, heading Steven Lustica’s cross over Freke into the back of the net.
But Wales was caught offside in the build-up, which wiped Prijović’s strike off the scoresheet.
36′: GOAL: Bayew makes Roar pay with equaliser (1-1)
Western have quickly capitalised on their one-man advantage, with Adisu Bayew heading the visitors back on level terms just six minutes after the dismissal of Holmes.
30′: RED CARD – Jordan Holmes dismissed (1-0)
It’s a straight red card for Roar keeper Jordan Holmes, who came well outside of his box to clip the ankles of Lachie Wales as the Western forward broke toward goal.
Holmes was confident he made no contact on Wales, but VAR did not intervene to overturn the decision on the field. Holmes walked down the tunnel in frustration, with substitute keeper Macklin Freke replacing Roar striker Luke Ivanovic in the aftermath.
9′: OFFSIDE! Close range Lacroix finish chalked off (1-0)
It was the simplest of tap-ins for Leo Lacroix after Nikolai Topor-Stanley found his defensive partner with a volleyed pass into the six-yard box from a Western free-kick routine.
But, the flag went up to deny Lacroix and Western an equaliser.
3′: Young error pounced on by Roar as hosts lead early (1-0)
Brisbane right-back Jack Hingert forced a turnover from Western goalkeeper Jamie Young inside his own penalty area, and Juan Lescano pounced to tuck the opening goal into the back of the net.
That was a moment the former Roar custodian would like to have back.
1′: KICK-OFF
The two teams are out and the first whistle blows to get proceedings underway at Moreton Daily Stadium.
