Adelaide United’s remarkable resurgence extended to 13 matches with a dominant 3-0 win over a disappointing Brisbane Roar at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.
The Reds recorded their first home triumph over Brisbane in the league since February 2010 thanks to goals from Bruce Kamau, Bruce Djite and substitute Pablo Sanchez.
The hosts hit the woodwork inside 10 minutes when Jordan Elsey’s header clipped the outside of the post.
And after dominating possession they were rewarded for their endeavours when Sergio Cirio squared the ball to Kamau inside the penalty area, to calmly finish into the bottom corner.
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In the second-half, Djite doubled United’s advantage after gloveman Michael Theo parried Kamau’s initial strike straight into the path of the striker for an easy finish.
A double substitution from coach John Aloisi on 57 minutes could not spark the visitors into life as Sanchez capitalised on some poor defending to make it 3-0 for a third consecutive victory in front of 12,712 spectators.
The results sees Adelaide move into second trading places with the Roar, who dropped to third in the league standings.
Adelaide United
Eugene Galekovic – 6: Distribution was ineffective at times, but otherwise had a solid game.
Michael Marrone – 6.5: Composed on the ball and was rarely troubled by his opponent.
Dylan McGowan – 7: Defensively strong committing several vital interventions and also kept Maclaren relatively quiet.
Jordan Elsey – 6: Saw a header hit the outside of the post from a corner and defended with assuredness.
Tarek Elrich – 7.5: Ventured forward to great effect and was resolute defensively making several crucial interceptions.
George Mells – 6: Had to fill the huge void left by the injured Isaias, but the youngster was not overawed by the situation, anchoring the midfield adequately.
Stefan Mauk – 7: Seemed to be involved in every attacking play and worked tirelessly to retrieve the ball back.
Marcelo Carrusca – 7: Once again demonstrated his silky skills on the ball and manipulating passes to teammates in tight areas that appeared to not exist.
Bruce Kamau – 8: Was given the nod ahead of Goodwin and looked lively throughout the encounter on the wing and consolidated last weekend’s performance with another well-taken goal. Best on Ground.
Bruce Djite – 6: Industrious as usual and netted a simple tap-in after Kamau’s shot rebounded off Theo and into the path of the 28-year-old.
Sergio Cirio – 6: Grabbed the assist for Kamau’s goal in what was a much-improved outing after a quiet game against the Victory.
Substitutes
Pablo Sanchez – 6.5: Superseded Carrusca to a standing ovation and put the match beyond doubt with a third 10 minutes before time.
Mate Dugandzic – N/A: Replaced Kamau with four minutes remaining for Kamau who put in a man-of-the-match performance.
Ben Warland – N/A: Came on for Elrich in the final stages of the game.
Brisbane Roar
Michael Theo – 5.5: At fault for the second goal, however quickly atoned for his error with an instinctive save to thwart North from scoring an own goal.
Jack Hingert – 5.5: Barely got forward and
Daniel Bowles – 6: Slightly better than his partner but was rather wasteful in possession.
Jade North – 5.5: Suspect at times defensively, nearly scoring an own goal and could not deal with Djite’s strength.
Shane Stefanutto – 6: The veteran contained Kamau quite well but could not live with his pace when the forward had time to run at him.
Corona – 5: Struggled to keep up with the pace of the game and was often caught in possession during the early stages of proceedings.
Matt McKay – 6: Arguably the pick of the Roar midfielders, nevertheless could not stamp his authority on the game.
Steven Lustica – 5: The former Red was indecisive in possession and was also awarded a yellow card for a cynical foul on Elrich.
Brandon Borrello – 5.5: Toiled hard but did not see a lot of the ball, though did illustrate his blistering pace on the break.
Jamie Maclaren – 5.5: Received scarce service for the majority of the clash and was restricted by Adelaide’s two central defenders.
Henrique – 5.5: Found himself in a number of promising positions, but lacked poise in the final third with some of his crosses being blocked.
Substitutes
Thomas Broich – 6: Came on for Henrique in a double substitution but was rather subdued.
Dimitri Petratos – 6: Replaced Steven Lustica on 57 minutes and gave his side more attacking purpose.
Javier Hervas – 4.5: Brought on for the ineffective Corona and gifted the Reds a third when his poor back led to Sanchez’s goal.
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