Adelaide Faces Major Finals Setback as Roar Star Shines Once More in Dramatic Draw

Adelaide United missed a golden opportunity to assert their position in the top six, settling for a frustrating 1-1 draw against the 12th-placed Brisbane Roar on Tuesday night.

Dylan Pierias got Adelaide off to a bright start, finding the net in the 11th minute at Suncorp Stadium. However, Brisbane reacted positively to going a goal down, having what they thought were two equalising goals ruled out for offside in the first half—Jacob Brazete and Asumah Abubakar were both denied by the linesman.

Brisbane carried this momentum into the second half and, just before the hour mark, restored parity. Abubakar unleashed a stunning long-range shot that left Reds goalkeeper Max Vartuli with no chance.

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Since joining Brisbane from Grasshopper Club Zurich in mid-February, Abubakar has been in remarkable form. With his performance on Tuesday, the Ghanaian, who previously played for Portugal’s Under-19 side, scored his fourth goal for the club in just nine appearances, helping Ruben Zadkovich’s team move a point above last-placed Perth Glory.

For Adelaide, the draw was a missed chance to leap back into the top six. They started the match trailing Sydney FC by a single point but now find themselves level on points with the Sky Blues, albeit with one less game to play.

Adelaide head coach Carl Veart made notable changes for the match, leaving equal Golden Boot co-leader Archie Goodwin and key playmaker Zach Clough on the bench. Nevertheless, the Reds managed to take an early lead when Dylan Pierias converted Yaya Dukuly’s dangerous cross into the six-yard box.

Despite having an open goal to aim at, Pierias misdirected his shot back towards Roar keeper Matt Acton, who got a strong block on it, but the ball ultimately found its way into the net as the visitors went ahead.

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Brisbane should have levelled the score just two minutes later, as Florin Berenguer squandered a fantastic chance to respond to Pierias’ opener.

A series of slick passes brought Brisbane close to the box, setting up Jay O’Shea for a shot on target that was blocked into Berenguer’s path. After taking a touch to control the ball, Berenguer attempted to chip it over the onrushing Vartuli but ended up sending it over the crossbar.

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Brisbane thought they had equalised through young winger Jacob Brazete, who scored a beautifully curled shot from the edge of the box; however, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside, as Brazete was deemed to have been behind Adelaide’s last defender when he received the ball from Keegan Jelacic.

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Moments later, Asumah Abubakar scored past Vartuli at the near post, but once again, the flag was raised, preserving Adelaide’s 1-0 lead at half-time.

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Brisbane came out firing after half-time, nearly equalising through an ambitious volley from Jay O’Shea that sailed just off target. The Roar captain’s attempt sparked an energetic start to the second half, and it was Abubakar who finally brought Brisbane level with a well-placed strike from distance.

Reds keeper Vartuli will be disappointed not to have saved the shot, which allowed Abubakar to claim his fourth goal in only nine matches for Brisbane since his February transfer.

“Nobody took him seriously from there,” remarked commentator Erik Paartalu after the long-range goal. “They thought he was going to pass, didn’t expect him to score from that distance.

“Nobody expected how talented this guy is. He means business, and Brisbane Roar are back in the contest.”

After Abubakar’s equaliser, neither team was able to find the back of the net again, resulting in a shared spoils at Suncorp Stadium.

The 1-1 draw ensured that Sydney FC remained in sixth position, while eighth-placed Macarthur Bulls kept their hopes alive, now just four points behind both Sydney FC and Adelaide with two games left to play.