Rising star Henry Hore’s cool finish and a curling shot from Luke Ivanovic have secured Brisbane a vital 2-0 A-League Men’s win over Newcastle at Moreton Daily Stadium.
Having carved out the best chances in a scrappy Sunday match, Hore popped up in the 83rd minute with his fifth goal of the season to break the deadlock.
Substitute Ivanovic then curled home a lovely effort in stoppage time to end a three-game losing run for the Roar.
The victory lifts Brisbane to 10th on the ladder and keeps their slim finals hopes alive, seven points behind sixth-placed Wellington with seven matches to play.
Newcastle’s ninth-loss of the season leaves them ninth, five points outside the finals positions and was their first defeat in four games.
Playing without the suspended Daniel Penha and injured Olivier Boumal, the Jets struggled to break down the hosts and suffered a setback shortly before Hore’s strike when substitute Lucas Mauragis was dismissed following a second yellow card offence in the 80th minute.
Hore was arguably the brightest attacking talent throughout, one of seven changes to Warren Moon’s starting XI from the team which fell 3-0 to the Phoenix in midweek.
The Jets also made four changes due to Penha and Boumal’s absence and with Taylor Regan and Archie Goodwin also absent with injury.
Neither team created much in a cagey first half, with Hore smashing one close-range effort into the side-netting before Dylan Murnane was subbed off by Jets coach Arthur Papas at the 35-minute mark for Mauragis after an underwhelming display.
Newcastle thought they’d won a penalty in the 50th minute when Jay O’Shea appeared to block Josh Hoffman’s shot on the line with his arm but a VAR check revealed Hoffman had also controlled the ball with his arm and the hosts escaped with a free-kick of their own.
Roar midfielder Jesse Daley then smacked the post with a sidefoot effort from the edge of the area in the 54th minute, the 24-year-old inches away from his first ALM goal.
Brisbane had a penalty shout of their own when Jets’ captain Matthew Jurman and Cyrus Dehmie got in a tussle but referee Chris Beath awarded a free-kick to the Roar for an initial infringement just outside the area for which Jurman was booked.
Mauragis then received his marching orders after sliding in late on Scott Neville before the hosts took the lead.
Hore kept his head as he ran through the penalty area, keeping Jets defenders at bay before firing into the far corner.
Ivanovic then sealed the win in the 93rd minute with a cracking finish.
A fifth yellow card of the season to O’Shea means the influential Irish midfielder will miss Brisbane’s clash with Western Sydney next weekend.
RE-LIVE: BRISBANE ROAR 2-0 NEWCASTLE JETS, AS IT HAPPENED
By Matt Comito for KEEPUP
90+3′: GOAL! Ivanovic with a superb finish (2-0)
That ices the cake for the Roar.
Luke Ivanovic has found the back of the net with a curling strike off the left side of the penalty area struck into the far-right corner, leaving Duncan no chance of keeping the ball out.
83′: GOAL! Hore gives Roar deserved lead (1-0)
Brisbane have a well-deserved lead in the final 10 minutes, with Hore grabbing his fifth goal of the campaign to go equal-top on the Roar’s leading goalscorer list for the season.
Hore found the back of the net on the end of a run which began on the left side of the box, dribbling into the box and across the face of goal, faking to shoot on multiple occasions before sliding the ball past Duncan.
81′: RED CARD! Mauragis off for second yellow (0-0)
For the second time in as many games, the Jets are down to 10 men. This time it was Mauragis receiving his marching orders for a second yellow, coming in late to collect Roar defender Scott Neville.
72′: FREE-KICK! But no penalty for the hosts (0-0)
A tussle between Matthew Jurman and Cyrus Dehmie began outside the box and continued into the penalty area.
Referee Beath blew the whistle, but for a free-kick, not a penalty, with Beath interpreting the initial foul – a shirt tug – beginning outside the box.
The Roar players were adamant a penalty should have been awarded, but instead settled for the free-kick which O’Shea blasted off the wall and out for a corner.
58′: CHANCE! O’Shea strike evades top corner (0-0)
Dribbling across the edge of the 18-yard box, O’Shea let a strike off his weaker left foot rip; the shot rifled toward the top-left corner, but lacked the necessary curl to hit the target, instead floating just past the top corner.
54′: CHANCE! Daley off the post (0-0)
Jesse Daley has rattled the woodwork with a curling effort from outside the box as Brisbane look to take the lead.
His first-time strike had Duncan beaten but the ball cannoned into the right-hand goalpost.
50′: CHANCE! O’Shea off the line at Jets plea for penalty (0-0)
A Jason Hoffman strike from a narrow angle in the box looked sure to rattle the back of the net before deflecting off Roar midfielder Jay O’Shea and away for a corner.
Hoffman led a chorus of Newcastle shouts for handball on the goal line, and referee Chris Beath ventured to the pitch side monitor to review the incident, only to find a handball on Hoffman before the ball was struck toward goal.
46′: SECOND HALF UNDERWAY (0-0)
It’s another early Jets substitution, with Valentino Yuel coming off the pine in place of Siatravanis to change the fave of Newcastle’s attacking unit in the second stanza.
HALF-TIME: ROAR 0-0 JETS
The Jets survive to half-time having barely tested the Roar defence, with goalkeeper Jordan Holmes going virtually unsighted throughout the opening 45 minutes in goal for the hosts.
One positive for Newcastle, however, is that they are yet to concede; Brisbane have had plenty of the ball, but in terms of genuine chances have had just as much success as the visitors thus far.
35′: Murnane hooked by Papas early (0-0)
Lucas Mauragis is on for Dylan Murnane after just 35 minutes in the first half, as Jets boss Arthur Papas looks to change the early pattern of play with the Roar in control.
33′: Jets level drops as Brisbane get on top (0-0)
The hosts are enjoying a sustained spell of possession and are starting to create chances as the Jets sit back, not showing the same level of energy displayed through the opening 15 minutes of play.
20′: Hore fires wide (0-0)
Henry Hore looked to find the bottom right corner with a shot from distance – but failed to get enough purchase on the strike as he fell to the ground. The ball looked set to test Jets keeper Jack Duncan before fading past the post.
8′: Thurgate set free in Penha absence (0-0)
Angus Thurgate is operating in a more offensive role with key Jets creator Daniel Penha suspended for today’s clash with the Roar.
Both Thurgate and Savvas Siatravanis are set up as Newcastle’s two most attacking midfielders, holding narrow position in behind striker Beka Mikeltadze.
1′: KICK-OFF (0-0)
The teams are out in the Queensland sunshine as play gets underway at Moreton Daily Stadium.
