The Brisbane Roar are still on the hunt for their second victory of the Isuzu UTE A-League season after a last-gasp equaliser from Kasey Bos allowed Melbourne Victory to escape with a point at Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane, who had created the most promising chances in the first half, found the breakthrough in the 20th minute when Henry Hore unleashed a superb strike from inside the box, beating goalkeeper Mitch Langerak at his near post.
The Roar had several opportunities to extend their lead, with young forward Nathan Amanitidis missing two significant chances to score when one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Despite Melbourne Victory trailing by a goal, goalkeeper Matt Acton had a relatively quiet evening as the visitors struggled to make an impact. Brisbane had a golden chance to make it 2-0 late in stoppage time, but Sam Klein’s strike flew over the bar.
In a dramatic twist, Bos found the net in the 97th minute, securing an equaliser from a seemingly unwinnable position.
The result leaves Brisbane Roar languishing at the bottom of the table, thwarting their chances for a much-needed second win this season.
As for the Victory, Arthur Diles’ team sits in fifth place on the ladder, having salvaged a point thanks to Bos’ inaugural goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
With little else left to play for this season aside from pride, Brisbane sought to unsettle a Victory side eager to climb into third place on the ladder.
Amanitidis was presented with Brisbane’s best chance early on but failed to convert.
Timing his run perfectly, Amanitidis sprinted past the high defensive line of Victory. After rounding Langerak, his shot aimed at goal lacked the necessary power, allowing the recovering Josh Rawlins to make a timely clearance with a desperate block.
Although the Victory struggled in the opening half, Brisbane took a deserved lead in the 20th minute.
Receiving the ball on the left, Hore surged into the box, performed a series of quick stepovers, and struck the ball past Langerak at his near post to put Brisbane ahead 1-0.
In what had been a disappointing first half for Victory, Greek forward Nikos Vergos forced a save from goalkeeper Matt Acton just before half-time, marking a rare attacking moment for the visitors.
Leading at the break, Brisbane came out strong in the second half, feeling they should have increased their advantage. But once again, Amanitidis squandered an excellent opportunity.
After working hard in his own half, Amanitidis broke through the Victory defence and found himself alone with Langerak yet again. This time, he chose to shoot rather than round the keeper, only to direct his effort straight at the advancing Socceroo.
Things took a turn for the worse when the youngster appeared to injure his hamstring during the attempt and was subsequently substituted, capping off a strong performance even if he couldn’t find the net.
Continuing their quest for a second goal, Langerak was called into action again, making a smart save to deny Sam Klein as the Roar midfielder tried to surprise him at his near post.
Despite being behind, Victory struggled to create scoring opportunities, while Brisbane, sitting at the bottom of the table, looked more likely to net a second goal.
After stringing together some slick passes, substitute Ben Halloran saw his shot from outside the box deflected wide of the far post as Rawlins intervened.
Ultimately, the home side’s failure to convert their chances came back to haunt them when Bos pounced on Victory’s last opportunity of the match to toe-poke the equaliser, clinching what seemed an unlikely point.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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