Brisbane Roar emerged victorious as they beat Melbourne Victory in their own backyard with goals from Scott McDonald, Macaulay Gillesphey and Dylan Wenzel-Halls.
The hosts came into the game after a very forgettable time last year, finishing 10th and winning only six league games in that campaign. But following a massive rebuild of the squad by manager Grant Brebner, the club had a very good pre-season making it to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League.
On the flip side, the visitors began their season with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Melbourne City last time out. With the 12th man strongly behind the home side, they were always going to have to work harder than usual to carve out any sort of a result.
Both sides started well as they showcased positive mentality going forward, but neither side could get the better of the other as defenses were on top. But all of that changed 15 minutes into the game, when Corey Brown got past defender Storm Roux on the left to cut it back to striker Wenzel-Halls. The 27-year-old took a shot that appeared to be going in, but his front line partner McDonald – who was right in front of goal – got a foot in to put it in the back of the net. While initially appearing to be offside and being adjudged as such by the linesman, VAR showed that defender Nick Ansell – who was making his 100th appearance in all competitions for the club – had in fact played the ageing hitman onside.
Less than 10 minutes had passed after Brisbane opened the scoring, when midfielder Callum McManaman made an interception and went down the right, cut in, and hit home a long range effort to instantly endear himself as a fan favourite on his A-League debut.
Precisely at the 27th minute, the supporters paid an emotional tribute as they mourned the sudden passing of a 27-year-old fan Benjamin Diaz. Meanwhile the players on the pitch wearing blue were putting in a solid performance having made a comeback to equalise just a little earlier.
There was an injury scare in the first period for Victory fan favourite Marco Rojas, who appeared be in a bit of pain. But following discussions with the physio, the New Zealander was allowed to continue as his link up play with McManaman showcased positive signs for the club going forward. The 29-year-old was also put through the paces during the break to assess his fitness levels given how reliant the team are on his skills.
The second-half began with a role reversal between the two sides, as Warren Moon’s men were causing the hosts a lot of trouble. An hour had passed in the game, when Brisbane took the lead as Gillesphey jumped the highest and headed the ball into the back of the net from a set play. Questions could be asked as to why goalkeeper Max Crocombe did not come out to attempt a parry as the delivery appeared to be in the six-yard box.
With under 20 minutes to go, things were going to get worse for the home side as Rojas – who the staff knew was not at a 100 per cent – was forced to hobble off the pitch and was replaced by Elvis Kamsoba. The fitness of the Kiwi will be a cause for concern among the fans as the club have only just started the season.
The final nail in the coffin came in the 79th minute when Wenzel-Halls as he rushed forward past the hosts’ defender Aaron Anderson to collect a cleared long ball. He then went one way and then another to beat Ansell with good composure, and toe punted the ball past the shot-stopper.
The Roar and Melbourne Victory will lock horns again on January 10 in Brisbane.
