Brisbane Roar’s road trip down south has bared fruit with the travellers taking out a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.
Though largely a stalemate of a contest, the lacklustre affair would matter little in the scheme of things for the Roar, with Warren Moon no doubt pleased the squad heads back up to Queensland with their unbeaten run in tact as it extends to eight games.
Both teams started out of the gates slow, with both the Roar and Victory taking their time to feel each other out. Neither side threatened to score in opening half, with a Jake Brimmer freekick the closest the Victory came to breaking the deadlock inside the first opening 45 minutes, meanwhile Nikola Mileusnic for the Roar had his chances to put the away side ahead, with his header inches over the crossbar being Brisbane’s biggest chance of the opening half.
The second half started a bit more lively, with Mileusnic one again threatening, he’d come close in the 55th minute to put the away side ahead going on a great run to find himself one-one-one with Victory shot-stopper Matt Acton, but would fire wide and leave Victory off the hook.
Though the next time the Roar would get close, they’d make it count, Henry Hore and Jay O’Shea combining to put the away side ahead in the 73rd minute. It’d be enough to see of the Victory and record an encouraging win.
Final score…
Brisbane Roar 1 (Jay O’shea 73′)
Melbourne Victory 0
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Chances nearly go begging for Warren Moon’s men
Though they leave with their unbeaten run in tact, Brisbane arguably could’ve come away with more from their Melbourne road trip than just a 1-0 win, spurning chances throughout the game.
Mileusnic would be the biggest culprit, finishing the game with three shots at goal, all of which would fail to find the net. His shot on goal in the 57th minute one-on-one with Acton and hitting the side netting closing in on goal, a moment he would like to have back, though luckily for him and the Roar it wouldn’t come back to haunt them.
The Brisbane Roar finished the game with nine shots on goal, only one of which was on target, with Jay O’Shea’s strike in the 73rd taking a deflection to pass Acton in goal. Though it’d ultimately prove to be winning goal and enough to see of the Victory to take all three-points, being clinical in front of goal will be something Warren Moon’s side will want to address as they look to make a finals berth.
Eight on the trot for the Roar
Expected to be strugglers in the lead up to the 2022/23 campaign, the Roar have been anything but, with the side sitting inside the top-six after Round 11 and going the past eight games unbeaten.
Recording just their third win of the season, the Roar have made it a theme for sharing points this season, but would take maximum points on the road at AAMI Park. In a tight competition with wins coming at a premium, this victory is a valuable one for the Roar who look to extend it to nine games when they face the Perth Glory next week.
Pressure mounting on Popovic and the Victory
After an encouraging first season in charge of the Victory, 2022/23 has been a horror show for coach Tony Popovic who’s side currently sit in 11th spot on the table and with just the three wins to their name.
While Warren Moon looks to be getting the best out of the Roar, Popovic on the flip side has struggled to get anything going out of his squad who remain largely unchanged from last season.
With a finals spot getting concerningly out of reach and you’d assume points deductions to come was their sanctions hearing commences in the fallout of the Melbourne Derby incident, the signs are concerning for the Victory.
With Popaball not having the same impact and the side looking to have been found out by oppositions, the pressure is now on Popovic and his side to turn things around as their season looks to be almost over before the halfway mark.
Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
