Brisbane Roar won a pulsating top of the table clash 3-1 against Melbourne City on a rainy Sunday night.
Goals to Brandon Borrello and Henrique combined with a calamitous own goal to Patrick Kisnorbo left City with too much to do.
An early second half goal to Bruno Fornaroli gave the away team hope, but Roar were too strong and now push clear into second position on the A-League table just two points behind Western Sydney Wanderers.
Brisbane Roar
Jamie Young – 7.5: Outstanding first half from the goalkeeper as three point-blank saves kept City at bay. Will be a tough decision for John Aloisi when Michael Theo returns from injury.
Jack Hingert – 7.5: Had to deal with Harry Novillo all afternoon and did well. The battle ebbed and flowed between the two but Hingert was still able to get forward.
Jade North – 7: Continues to be the veteran at the back and a leader on the field, such a key player for Brisbane.
Daniel Bowles – 6: Did well to contain Fornalroli in the first half but lost his way throughout the latter stages of the game.
Shane Stefanutto – 6.5: Great cross resulted in Brisbane’s first goal, solid game at left back.
Corona – 8: Same old, same old, from the Spainard, as reliable as ever and kept Mooy quiet. Oozes class and was Man of the Match.
Matt McKay – 7: Really is the energiser bunny, as he covered every blade of grass and continues to be the heartbeat of the team.
Dimitri Petratos – 7: The goal last week against the Mariners looks to have given him the world of confidence, who got an assist and pushed the Roar forward at will.
Thomas Broich – 7.5: Deserved a goal, played a magisterial first half and looked back to his best. Has an almost intrinsic relationship with Stefanutto and works well with Maclaren.
Brandon Borrello – 6.5: Tired throughout the second half but earned his goal, kept Ben Garuccio busy all day.
Jamie Maclaren – 6: Tried hard all day but could not find the finishing touch, looked very fatigued when he was substituted.
Substitutions
Javier Hervas – 5: Needs match fitness but looks to have a great connection with Corona.
Jean Carlos Solorzano – 5: Should have had a goal at the end, and offer very little in attack.
Henrique – 6.5: Injected pace and scored a wonderful goal from halfway at the death.
Melbourne City
Thomas Sorensen – 7: Should have done better with the second goal, made some great saves but was not helped by his defence.
Ivan Franjic – 6: Improved throughout the second half, as did most of City, but struggled against the skill and guile of Broich
Patrick Kisnorbo – 5.5: Wrong body shape meant the own goal was always going to happen, lacked the pace to deal with Maclaren.
Jack Clisby – 6: Was at the centre of a few defensive mix ups throughout the game, still finding his feet next to Kisnorbo
Ben Garuccio – 5: Was outplayed by Borrello all game, could not find his measure.
Eric Paartalu – 7: Forced to cover for Retre, pushed forward more than usual but couldn’t help find the second decisive goal.
Paulo Retre – 6: After being beaten in the first half, Retre did well to compose himself and assert his influence throughout the second half.
Aaron Mooy – 7: Second half saw a huge improvement as he took the game to Brisbane and was key to City’s resurgence.
Harry Novillo – 7: Great battle against Hingert, was the main outlet for City up front.
Bruno Fornaroli – 7: After a quieter first half he exploded in the second. Wonderful first goal, 10th of the season, and could have had a well-deserved second.
Stefan Mauk – 5: Did not have a huge influence upon the game.
Substitutions
Stefan Zinni – 4: Non-existent when he came on.
Robert Koren – 6: Hit the crossbar and almost found the equaliser in an improved cameo.
David Williams – 5: Could not have a huge impact on the game, still looks off the pace.
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