Brisbane Roar are still alive in the Isuzu UTE A-League finals race after goalkeeper Macklin Freke produced a clutch 91st-minute penalty save to earn his side a 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday night.
Defeat to the Wanderers would have left Brisbane 11 points outside the top six with just three games to play but captain Tom Aldred’s first goal of the season put the travelling side on course to victory.
A stylish back-heeled strike by Wanderers substitute Dylan Pierias levelled the score in the second half but Henry Hore put Brisbane back on top with the third goal of the night and give the visitors a 2-1 advantage.
There was late drama in Parramatta when referee Daniel Elder awarded the hosts a penalty after reviewing a potential handball from Aldred in the penalty area; Elder initially chose not to award the penalty but reversed his decision after watching it back on the pitch-side monitor – but it ultimately mattered little as Freke kept Marcus Antonsson’s centrally-struck penalty out with his legs.
Friday’s result not only extended Western Sydney’s winless streak at CommBank Stadium to five games, but it lifted Brisbane to within five points of the sixth-placed Wanderers on the Isuzu UTE A-League table, where an intriguing jostle for ascendancy in and around the fringe of the finals series looks set to commence.
The Wanderers are sixth on 34 points, just four points ahead of Melbourne City in seventh, five ahead of Brisbane in eighth and nine above Adelaide, who have two games in hand over the Western Sydney after Friday night’s result.
It’s been nearly three months since the Wanderers’ last win on home turf – with that win technically coming in an “away” game for Marko Rudan’s side, hosted by Melbourne City at CommBank Stadium in mid-January’s Unite Round.
The Wanderers’ last official “home” win at CommBank Stadium came against Macarthur FC on New Year’s Day.
Western Sydney face Sydney FC in Round 24, then Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory to round out the regular season. On the Paramount+ post-game show, former A-Leagues strikers Daniel McBreen and Grace Gill assessed both Western Sydney and Brisbane’s chances of making the finals series from here.
“It is a tough run-in for them (Wanderers),” said McBreen. “They had their chances tonight to get something out of the game and they haven’t managed to get it.
“Now they’ll be really looking over their shoulder, and looking at the games tomorrow going: ‘What’s going to happen there?’ Because their season is in the balance.”
“For the neutral, tonight’s result was perfect,” Gill replied. “Because Western Sydney are there, precariously perched on sixth position, City just chomping at their heels and now Brisbane are well and truly in the race.
“It’s a perfect end to the season.”
The first half of Brisbane’s 2-1 win over the Wanderers featured many wasted chances for the home side, beginning with an unmarked Brandon Borrello header from a Lachlan Brook cross that faded wide of the target.
Brook was next to angle a shot on goal, collecting the ball after a driving Oscar Priestman run through midfield; his shot from the edge of the area stung the gloves of Freke in goal for Brisbane.
Roar midfielder Jay O’Shea had his head in his hands after he wasted a glorious opportunity to put the visitors on top. Hore created the space, prodding the ball into O’Shea’s vicinity inside the box but the Irishman blasted over the crossbar.
Hore had an attempt of his own denied by Wanderers keeper Lawrence Thomas – and it was an inventive one at that, flicked around his body towards the bottom-left corner.
Brisbane made their brief period of attacking impetus count when captain Aldred ventured forward for a corner and nodded O’Shea’s delivery past Thomas to register his first goal of the season.
Wanderers winger Nicolas Milanovic missed an open goal soon after Aldred’s opener after Borrello found him all alone with a cross off the right wing towards the back post as the hosts ended the first half without a goal on the board.
The second half was bereft of opportunities until the 58th minute when Hore was allowed too much space to attack another O’Shea corner whipped into a dangerous area. Hore’s attempt was on target but lacked power and was easily blocked by the Wanderers.
Western Sydney head coach Rudan made a string of changes at the hour mark; one of whom was Pierias, who popped up with an inventive equaliser back-heeled on the half volley past Freke after Milanovic’s header toward the six-yard box.
The Wanderers’ parity would last less than 15 minutes. After going close on several occasions Hore finally broke through and it was once again a corner routine doing the damage at CommBank Stadium.
Aldred flicked Corey Brown’s delivery to the back post where Hore stood unmarked to control and bury his strike past Thomas and put Brisbane back into the lead.
As the game ticked into second-half stoppage time, the hosts were gifted one last chance to take a point when referee Elder pointed to the spot after a VAR review on a handball from Roar captain Aldred.
Antonsson put penalty-taking duties on his shoulder but was denied by a clutch save from Freke, who dived to the right but blocked the spot kick with his outstretched legs as Brisbane claimed three pivotal points on the road.
