A gritty and defiant Brisbane Roar held A-League champions Melbourne City to a 0-0 draw to provisionally move to fourth on the ladder.
Roar coach Michael Valkanis has added steel to the side that finished 12th last year, and they absorbed early pressure to stay right in the fight.
“They are a team capable of creating chances and I thought that part of the game we did very well in terms of stifling them,” Valkanis said.
“I am a really happy with that effort, grit and defending part of the game. The (attacking) part of the game we will grow and get better at.”
City’s point kept them at the top of the ladder.
The biggest concern for coach Aurelio Vidmar was the hamstring injury to midfielder and stand-in captain Matthew Leckie, who did not return after halftime.
Vidmar said Leckie was “complaining of tightness in the hamstring”, but he wasn’t sure of the extent of the injury ahead of Tuesday night’s away AFC Champions League Elite clash with Japanese side Machida Zelvia.
“We didn’t move the ball as well as we usually do and made our life difficult in the first half. We fixed that in the second half and created two clear chances,” Vidmar said of his side’s performance.
Friday’s clash ended with fire and brimstone in stoppage time after Roar’s George Vrakas won a penalty after a Nathaniel Atkinson challenge.
The players came together in a melee that threatened to explode.
“That’s passion,” Valkanis said.
The Roar had won just the once against the powerhouse City outfit in their past 10 meetings, losing their previous three.
The heavy pitch at Suncorp Stadium, cut up by rain and a Samoa versus Tonga rugby league Test match five days earlier, had players slipping and sliding in highly humid conditions.
The visitors dominated possession in the opening quarter of the match but did little with it in front of 5146 fans as the Roar found it tough to string multiple passes together.
Roar midfielder Jordan Lauton was given a yellow for a challenge on Atkinson in the 18th minute.
Socceroos star Leckie was classy when he glided forward and drew a yellow card for Roar defender Lucas Herrington.
Neither goalkeeper had much to do in the opening half.
The best chance for either side came in the shadows of halftime when forward Justin Vidic set up captain Jay O’Shea for a shot that slid wide from just outside the box.
The Roar started the second half like they began the first, giving the ball away.
City forward Ben Mazzeo was presented with a clear shot on goal after the break, but sprayed a golden chance.
City 16-year-old Besian Kutleshi had a strong match in defence in his first A-League start.
Herrington was a tower of strength for the Roar in central defence and will be missed when he joins the Colorado Rapids in January.
Meanwhile, World Cup winner Juan Mata has scored just his second A-League goal and Keegan Jelacic came back to haunt his former side as Perth Glory’s week of upheaval ended with a 2-0 loss to Melbourne Victory in Perth.
Glory entered Friday night’s match at HBF Park under the guidance of interim coach Adam Griffiths after David Zdrilic was sacked on Tuesday – just two rounds into the season.
Griffiths made four changes to the starting line-up from last week’s 4-0 loss to Melbourne City, with star import Tom Lawrence being the biggest inclusion.
But it was ex-Glory whiz-kid Jelacic who opened the scoring in the 11th minute, before former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Mata doubled the lead in the 54th minute.
Mata scored just one goal from 23 appearances for the Wanderers last season, but he ensured his first start for Victory – following on from two bench cameos – was a memorable one.
The win was a strong response for Victory following last week’s 5-2 horror show against Newcastle.
Glory remain winless, with just one point to show from three games and the search for a new coach ongoing.
“I enjoyed it. It’s been some time since I played from the beginning, so I tried my best to train as hard as I could since I arrived at the club,” Mata told Paramount.
“I’m very happy for the Victory. We needed a reaction from last week, last week was not good enough. Today was a very professional performance.
“We deserved the win today.”
A moment’s of applause was held before Friday night’s match to mark the passing of former Glory assistant Alan Vest at the age of 86.
Glory started the match brightly, with Adam Taggart looking dangerous early in combination with star recruit Lawrence.
But it was Victory who drew first blood through Jelacic.
Matthew Grimaldi set up the play by squeezing a pass under pressure to Jelacic, who took one touch to settle before going bang from outside the box.
Glory subbed off Lawrence at half-time, and Victory’s lead doubled shortly after when the visitors swung the ball forward for an unmarked Mata to slam home at the far post.
Perth created enough chances in the second half as heavy showers hit the stadium, but they lacked the finishing touch.
On the rare occasions they did get a shot on target, Victory goalkeeper Jack Duncan was up for the challenge each time.
Mata was subbed off in the 70th minute with his side already well on their way to the win.
It marked a significant increase in playing time from the combined 45 minutes he tallied in the first two rounds.
Newshttps://www.theroar.com.au/2025/11/01/thats-passion-melee-erupts-as-roar-hold-on-to-deny-city-glory-misery-continues-after-mata-strikes-for-victory/‘That’s passion’: Melee erupts as Roar hold on to deny City, Glory misery continues after Mata strikes for Victory
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