The Liberty A-League’s finals race will go down to the wire after Melbourne Victory spurned multiple chances to claim all three points and solidify their top-four spot in a dramatic 1-1 comeback draw with Brisbane Roar.
In-form Roar striker Shea Connors handed Brisbane the lead against the run of play in the 29th minute, with help from an uncharacteristic error from goalkeeper Casey Dumont.
Melina Ayres levelled from the penalty spot eight minutes later.
Victory had 16 shots to the Roar’s two, including eight on target, but failed to make them count.
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As a result, Victory leapfrogged Canberra back into fourth place on goal difference alone, with both teams sitting on 28 points, while sixth-placed Perth (25 points) stunned third-placed City (29 points) later on Sunday evening to stay alive.
Victory’s goal difference (+9) keeps them ahead of United (+7) heading into the final round, when they will face Wellington away and Canberra play City.
“We’ve highlighted the areas that we need to be better in and good thing is one or two senior players were speaking up in the huddle after the game. I left them talking,” coach Jeff Hopkins told AAP.
“But I know this group, I know what they’re like, especially around this time of the year. They’ll be hurting.
“All I said to them is we need to be better next week and we need to prepare for another huge game. All we can do is go there and win.
“There’s nothing we can do to affect anything else apart from recover from this game, learn a few lessons from this game and then get to work next week and win the game. And that’s what we intend to do.”
Only Western United (36 points) and Sydney FC (34 points) are locked in for finals.
Perth have a game in hand and play Sydney away mid-week then ninth-placed Brisbane away on the weekend.
Brisbane took the lead when Connors tried her luck with her left foot from long range, with Dumont fumbling her attempted save into her own net.
But Victory earned a chance to equalise when Brisbane defender Talitha Kramer unnecessarily brought down Amy Jackson as the midfielder charged into the box.
Ayres coolly dispatched her spot kick into the bottom corner.
Roar goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff put her side in danger on multiple occasions early in the second half but switched gears and proved crucial to Brisbane holding Victory at bay.
In the 58th minute Beattie Goad danced through the Roar defence and forced a good save.
Victory screamed for a handball in the 74th minute when Kayla Morrison’s header was cleared off the line before Hancuff made a superb save to deny Goad.
Four minutes late, Ayres smashed a terrific close-range opportunity over the bar.
Victory continued to pepper the Roar defence in the closing minutes but they, and Hancuff, held firm for a hard-fought point.
“We’re disappointed on the penalty decision that we didn’t think was (there) and disappointed we didn’t take out three points,” Roar coach Garrath McPherson told AAP.
“Hard-fought and we knew Melbourne were going to come out – they had finals to play for but Brisbane aren’t a side that lays down and shies away from a challenge and it was good to see a desire from our playing group.
“We have things to lose as well and it wasn’t a spot in the finals today for us but there’s positions on the table at stake and there’s the pride in the jersey.”
Brisbane have until Tuesday to appeal their points deduction for fielding an ineligible player against Western United, which gave the league leaders all three points, and hope for a quick resolution.
