Brisbane Roar downed Perth Glory 1-0 on Saturday afternoon to record a sixth straight Hyundai A-League win at Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane Roar downed Perth Glory 1-0 on Saturday afternoon to record a sixth straight Hyundai A-League win at Suncorp Stadium.
The Glory defence took some breaking down, but Brisbane’s attacking pressure eventually paid off, with Besart Berisha’s sharply taken goal in the 59th minute ensuring the Roar extend their lead at the top of the table.
Perth created a handful of goal opportunities but were largely outplayed over the course of the match, with the home side enjoying 65 per cent possession and notching 22 shots on goal to the Glory’s five.
The warning signs were there for the Glory in the opening stages, as Brisbane’s passing machine kicked into gear to create several early chances.
After attempts from Berisha and Henrique went wide, the Brazilian once again missed the target in the 12th minute when teed up by Thomas Broich on the edge of the D.
An Ivan Franjic flick-on found Broich in space on the edge of the box after 24 minutes, but his curling shot did not have enough sting to beat Danny Vukovic in the Perth goal.
New Zealand international Shane Smeltz was forced off through injury after a coming together with Matt Smith, forcing Perth coach Alistair Edwards to use his first substitution after just 33 minutes.
Berisha controlled a Brisbane corner well before turning and firing a shot on goal, but Vukovic was again up to the task.
Perth very nearly took a shock lead on the stroke of half time when Michael Thwaite headed powerfully towards goal from a corner which Luke Brattan was forced to head clear off the line.
Just as it appeared the Glory were working their way into the contest in the second half after threatening the Roar goal with a series of corners, the home side found the go-ahead goal thanks to their two foreign stars.
Broich floated into space just outside the area and fed Berisha, who showed all his striking instincts to create space for himself then fire low into the far corner of the net.
The Albanian marksman nearly scored a second moments later when he swerved past three defenders and fired at goal, but this time Vukovic athletically pushed the effort wide.
A desperate block from Brattan prevented a Perth equaliser in the 70th minute following nifty footwork from Jamie Mclaren, who moved the ball to his right foot before blasting at goal.
Kwame Yeboah replaced a not-fully-fit Berisha and nearly scored with one of his first touches, heading over a pinpoint Broich cross in the 73rd minute.
Brisbane continued to dominate play in the closing minutes, with Perth unable to find any spark in attack with so little possession.
Brisbane Roar 1 (Berisha 57)
Perth Glory 0
Crowd: 12,308 @Suncorp Stadium
