A spectacular strike from second-half replacement James Meyer was enough to ensure Brisbane Roar’s amazing Hyundai A-League unbeaten run continued following a thrilling 3-3 draw with the Central Coast Mariners at Gosford on Wednesday night.
In one of the games of the season, the Roar are now unbeaten in 21 games after coming behind two times in a pulsating second half at Bluetongue Stadium.
The Mariners looked on course to score one of the club’s best wins when midfielder Patricio Perez scored from the penalty spot in the 74th minute after a foul by Milan Susak on Joshua Rose.
Susak picked up his second yellow card for the challenge and was sent off.
But, as they have throughout the season, the Roar showed true fighting qualities to score an equaliser. Meyer launched into a powerful right foot drive in the 79th minute. Mariners goalkeeper Mathew Ryan got a touch on the ball but Meyer-s shot was too strong.
Jubilant Roar coach Ange Postecoglou said he was proud of his players for fighting back so gallantly in the second half.
He said the past 24 hours had been very tough for his players due to the floods in Queensland.
”Tonight it was important to try and give the people of Queensland something to cheer about,” he said.
“We spoke about it before the game, we wanted to represent the city and the state and put in a massive effort. The boys never give in.”
In amazing end to the match Central Coast striker Matt Simon had a goal-bound header cleared off the line by Luke Devere in second injury time. Then within 30 seconds Brisbane’s Kosta Barbarouses volleyed over the bar at the other end of the field. Both teams could have won the match in injury time.
Brisbane opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a goal by Erik Paartalu. A great pass by Oliver Bozanic laid on Adam Kwasnik’s ninth goal for the Mariners this season in the 37th minute. The Mariners also had two claims for a penalty turned down by referee Peter Green in the first stanza. The first came when a goal-bound Simon header struck Matthew Smith on the hand in the 32nd minute.
Eight minutes later Barbarouses appeared to handball in the box.
Simon put the Mariners in front for the first time in the 47th minute after scoring from a Perez freekick.
The scores were level again in the 65th minute when Thomas Broich, who was kept quiet for much of the game, was left free in the box and beat Ryan.
Mariners coach Graham Arnold was full of praise for his team.
“It was a cracking game,” he said.
“Overall our performance was fantastic.”
Central Coast 3 (Adam Kwasnik 37, Matt Simon 47-, Patricio Perez 74- penalty)
Brisbane 3 (Erik Paartalu 23-, Thomas Broich 65th, James Meyer 79-)
Crowd: 7312
