Roar stay winless in M1 Derby

In a match where Brisbane Roar were favourites to pick up their first ever win against neighbours Gold Coast United, spoils were shared in an entertaining 2-2 draw in which the team from the sandy strip played the final 15 minutes with eight defenders on the pitch.

Following a week where Mother Nature played party pooper for Clive Palmer's Christmas get-together, she did her best to send everyone home again. Ultimately though, 13 065 people turned up to watch a cracker of a match on a ground that strongly resembled a hockey pitch due to the lack of a centre circle.

Despite the weather, Brisbane came out and quite successfully attempted to play their usual brand of beautiful passing football, always managing to find space as well as very in your face defence. This style was exemplified in the 8th minute as Kosta Barbarouses spurned a one on one chance with United’s keeper Glen Moss after being set up by a clever Jean Carlos Solorzano ball.

But five minutes later, despite Brisbane’s early domination Gold Coast found themselves ahead. Following a cleared corner Adama Traore found himself with some space, taking his time to then find a flying Dino Djulbic who proceeded to slam home the ball with a brilliant header which was never in any doubt.

Almost immediately Gold Coast went back into their shell, with Roar dominating and forcing Moss into a number of fantastic saves. For the second match in a row Gold Coast could not hold back the floodwaters, and in the 30th minute a Barbarouses special finished off a wonderful movement from Matt McKay and Mitch Nichols.

McKay, after having a cross blocked and the move seemingly over, showed a quick burst of pace to head infield past his marker to lay-off to Mitch Nichols. Nichols took a touch and played a precision pass to an on-running Barbarouses, who magically flicked the ball over Moss with the outside of his left boot for his tenth goal of the season.

The mood as the players ran on for the second half was one of optimism from the Suncorp crowd, with the Brisbane fans anticipating that it would only be a matter of time before their side would take advantage of their possession and take the lead. As it turned out they didn’t have to wait long for a goal, but it was not according to script.

In the 50th minute, after a constant barrage of Brisbane attacks, Gold Coast had the ball in the attacking third for the first time in the second half but it did not look like a chance of scoring. That was until Matt Smith, marking Robson, had a brain snap and inexplicably went to ground, allowing the Brasilian to round him and place the ball through Theoklitos without any pressure. It is only the third A-League goal from the big man, strangely enough all against Queensland opposition.

Suddenly Gold Coast found an extra gear, and the anticipation of the Brisbane crowd had turned to anguish as it looked like United would be building on their lead if anything. But as can in happen in football, the tide once again turned with a goal against the run of play.

Barbarouses, in the process of leaping over a fallen John Curtis in the box, had his foot grabbed midair by the United defender resulting in a penalty which Solorzano duly fired straight down the middle, underneath Moss to again restore parity to set up a tense and exciting final twenty minutes.

Ultimately, despite some clear chances (including two to Thomas Broich), the men in orangé could not again breach the defensive line of the Gold Coast. A draw is neither a good nor bad result for either side, both of which will still feature heavily in this season’s finals series.


Goals:
Dino DJULBIC ‘14
Kosta BARBAROUSES ‘30
ROBSON ‘55
Jean Carlos SOLORZANO ’66 (pen)

Yellow Cards:
Michael THWAITE ‘33
Matt SMITH ‘41
John CURTIS ‘65
Milan SUSAK '90+6

Red Cards:

Brisbane Roar: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS, 2. Matt SMITH, 3. Luke DEVERE, 4. Shane STEFANUTTO (Milan SUSAK ’77), 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO (Rocky VISCONTE ’73), 15. Matt McKAY (c), 17. Mitch NICHOLS (Massimo MURDOCCA ’70), 22. Thomas BROICH.

Gold Coast United: 1.Glen MOSS, 3.Michael THWAITE, 5.ROBSON (Kristian REES ’78), 6.Dino DJULBIC, 7.Zenon CARAVELLA, 10.Jason CULINA (c), 11.Bruce DJITE (Ben HALLORAN ’86), 13.Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 14.Joel PORTER (Steve PANTELIDIS ’62), 22.Adama TRAORE, 24.John CURTIS.