Western Sydney boss Tony Popovic was left wondering how his team missed out on a point in their late 2-1 loss to Brisbane Roar on Saturday night.
Wanderers successfully navigated the remainder of normal time following Scott Neville’s sending off and could have snatched all three points when Brendon Santalab drew a 90th minute save from Michael Theo.
Late drama as Roar down 10-man Wanderers
Instead, Roar scored with virtually the last kick of the game to inflict the away side’s fifth defeat of the season.
“To come away with nothing is a bit hard to take at the moment,” Popovic told Fox Sports.
“It’s always tough coming here and I thought we more than held our own.
“We restricted Brisbane to many shots outside the box. Ultimately that’s the goal that decided it.
“The chance at the end for Santa is a great save. I don’t think anyone would have begrudged us that victory away from home.”
Popovic surprised many by dropping star attacker Nico Martinez to the bench at Suncorp Stadium, but the Wanderers coach insisted it wasn’t about individuals as he manages his squad ahead of the start of their AFC Champions League campaign next month.
“You’ve got to be careful with all the players,” he said.
“Jumpei started and did very well and Nico made a difference when he came on. We had enough opportunities to win the game.”
