Brisbane Roar made it three wins in a row with a 2-0 win over the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium on Friday night.
A couple of second half penalties proved the difference, with the irony being the Mariners had gone down four times in the box in the first half looking for a spot kick.
For two teams desperately seeking points to stay in the finals hunt, they both fell short when it counted. Brisbane countered well and the Mariners engineered chances in the box throughout the game, but neither side could convert their chances into goals from general play. There was plenty of build-up, but not much polish.
What they said
“We could have played a little bit better but at the end of the day we got the three points and that’s what we came here to do.  That’s three games on the trot and it was also really important that we got a clean sheet.”  – Roar midfielder Adam Sarota
“Yeah definitely disappointed.  Two penalties which cost us the game and tonight I actually thought we played some good football. We’ve got the Asian Champions League on Tuesday and our full focus will go towards that now.” – Mariners defender Jacob Poscoliero
Goals –
0-1 (50’) – Jean Carlos Solorzano – A penalty belted into the left netting with Liam Reddy diving the other way.
0-2 (90+2’) – Andrija Kaluderovic – Calmly slotted his penalty into the bottom left corner to seal the game.
Key Moment –
48’ – Eddy Bosnar’s handball. Poor old Eddy had already tried his hand at a few long range free-kicks without any luck, and when a Brisbane cross took a deflection of Thomas Broich inside the box and ricocheted up to his arm, the ref was quick to award a penalty to the visitors.
Unlucky, but fair. Bosnar’s arm was away from his body, but debate will rage on the coast.
Opta Data Stats –
Luke Brattan was prolific for the Roar, touching the ball 90 times and making 77 passes with 89% accuracy.
Highlights Reel –
What an opening goal it was! Solorzano wound up and struck it with the supreme confidence of a guy who’s going at almost a goal a game.
Coach Killer –
With three minutes of added, Anthony Kalik got himself in all sorts of trouble with the ball at his feet inside the Mariners’ box. Thomas Broich stole it and Kalik lashed out, bringing Broich down and effectively ending the contest.
Injury Ward –
Brisbane’s Luke Brattan looked like he tweaked a hammy after a long-range strike, but he pulled through alright.
Solorzano went off clutching his hamstring in the 76th minute. Â
Tweet –
Mariners –
Liam Reddy, Storm Roux, Josh Rose, Jacob Poscoliero, John Hutchinson (c) (Anthony Kalik 70’), Nick Montgomery, Anthony Caceres (Matt Sim  83’), Nick Fitzgerald, Matthew Simon, Eddy Bosnar, Fabio Ferriera (Travis Major 58’)
Roar –
Michael Theo, Jerome Polenz, Adam Sarota, Corey Brown, Jean Carlos Solorzano (Andrija Kaluderovic 76’), Jade North, James Donachie, Matthew McKay (c), Luke Brattan, Thomas Broich, Brandon Borrello
Scorers –
Mariners: –
Roar: Solorzano, Kaluderovic
Yellow Cards –
Mariners: Roux (30’)
Roar: Corey Brown (42’)
Red Cards –
None
Conditions –
Warm with a downpour midway through the first half.
Attendance –
6021
