Brisbane Roar held on for a draw against Ulsan Hyundai in the AFC Champions League despite playing almost the entire second half with ten men.
Brisbane Roar held on for a 1-1 draw against Ulsan Hyundai in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday, despite playing almost the entire second half with ten men.
The Roar were the better side in the first half and deservedly led 1-0 at half-time thanks to a goal from Nick Fitzgerald.
Matthew Jurman’s red card a minute after half-time changed the game.
Jae-Sung Lee equalised for Ulsan 10 minutes into the second-half, but the home side failed to break down Brisbane’s defence a second time.
Jurman’s dismissal ultimately cost Brisbane a realistic chance of victory after they had dominated the first half.
In the fifth minute, Thomas Broich drilled a cross into the box from the left.
The ball bounced off a defender to Massimo Murdocca, but the midfielder’s shot was straight at goalkeeper Seung-Gyu Kim.
After a quarter of an hour Broich’s free-kick was tipped over the bar and then a few minutes later an Ulsan corner was powerfully headed onto the crossbar by captain Tae-Hwi Kwak.
In the 24th minute, the home side threatened again when Juan Velez cracked a shot towards the corner, but Shane Steffanuto saved the Roar with a header on the line.
But for the rest of the half, Ange Postecoglou’s side controlled play, comfortably stroking the ball around the pitch.
Brisbane had plenty of space to attack but their shooting initially let them down.
In the 36th minute, however, Fitzgerald got it right.
Ivan Franjic was given plenty of time on the right wing, picked out Besart Berisha, who laid the ball off with his first touch, and Fitzgerald rushed into the box to finish past Seung-Gyu.
The Roar continued to dominate for the rest of the half but failed to add to their 1-0 lead before the break.
Right after half-time, the reigning A-League champions suffered a huge blow.
Brisbane’s central defender Matthew Jurman slipped in the penalty area as the ball came to him and after regaining his footing, the 22-year-old pulled back Seung-Yong Kim, who had burst into the area and conceded a penalty.
As the last defender, Jurman was sent off, but Theoklitos maintained the visitors’ lead when he saved Keun-Ho Lee’s penalty.
But it did not take much longer for Ulsan to equalise.
In the 54th minute, Velez whipped the ball back into the penalty area after a corner went long.
His cross fell to Jae-Sung, who shot into the roof of the net from only two metres out.
Despite being a man down, Brisbane continued to attack, leaving the match open.
But neither side created a proper opportunity and a draw seemed a fair result in Group F.
