Defending champions defeated by classy Reds

Reigning champions Brisbane Roar were given a taste of reality in the opening round of the A-League, losing 2-1 to an impressive Adelaide United side.

Over 16,000 fans flooded Suncorp Stadium for the opening match between powerhouses Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United.

However, the sea of orange left with an unfamiliar feeling after an own goal sealed victory for Adelaide United.

The first half was well contested with both teams confirming why they had the best attacking records from last season.

Brisbane started strong and Thomas Broich opened the scoring with a free kick that skipped past several players and through debutant Mensur Kurtisi’s legs, proving too good for Eugene Galekovic.

This season appears to be no different for Broich, who was a stand out once again.

Teamwork between Broich and Kurtisi produced some good opportunities early on, but their failure to add to the scoreboard sparked frustration in Broich.

Kurtisi showed glimpses of his ability and linked the play well at times, though he was handed a yellow card in the first half, raising the question as to whether he will follow in Berisha’s footsteps in more ways than one.

Brisbane goalkeeper Jamie Young wasted no time in his debut for the Roar, making an impressive save in the opening minutes from a diving header off Marcelo Carrusca.

Adelaide’s momentum continued to lift and Bruce Djite produced a brilliant equaliser from 25 metres out in the 33rd minute.

The Roar had some prime opportunities to re-take the lead, but struggled to maintain momentum.

The trend of own goals continued in Brisbane when James Donachie gave Adelaide the lead in the second half after he deflected the ball into the left corner behind Young.

Djite produced additional danger late in the second half with a header hitting the crossbar.

Matt McKay unleashed frustration after a foul, earning him a yellow card straight to a red card, leaving the Roar left to pick up the pieces with 10 men.

Henrique took Kurtisi’s place in an attempt to unleash some magic similar to last year’s Grand Final.

He certainly raised some excitement for Roar fans and looked likely to score in the final minutes, but a perfectly-timed tackle from United's Tarek Elrich stopped what would have been a near-certain equaliser.

Fatigue appeared to be the Roar’s biggest challenge, as they struggled to maintain pace and let their frustration get the better of them.

Five minutes of stoppage time filled Roar fans with hope but it wasn’t enough for the defending champions to create an equaliser.



Brisbane Roar FC squad: 2.Matt SMITH (c), 3.Shane STEFANUTTO, 4.Adam SAROTA, 7.Mensur KURTISHI, 8.Steven LUSTICA, 10 HENRIQUE, 11.Liam MILLER, 12.Jean Carlos SOLORZANO, 13.Jade NORTH, 14.Daniel BOWLES, 15.James DONACHIE, 17.Matt McKAY, 18.Luke BRATTAN, 19.Jack HINGERT, 21.Jamie YOUNG (GK), 22.Thomas BROICH, 23.Dimitri PETRATOS, 30.Matthew ACTON (GK)


Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (c) (GK), 2.Michael MARRONE, 3.Nigel BOOGAARD, 4.Dylan McGOWAN, 6.CÁSSIO, 7.PABLO SÁNCHEZ, 8.ISAÍAS, 9.Sergio CIRIO, 10.Marcelo CARRUSCA, 11.Bruce DJITE, 16.Craig GOODWIN, 18.Jimmy JEGGO, 21.Tarek ELRICH, 22.Fabio FERREIRA, 24.Bruce KAMAU, 30.John HALL (GK), 32.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS