Brisbane Roar dented the title hopes of Adelaide United as they held on for a well-deserved victory at Coopers Stadium.
First half goals to Andrija Kaluderovic and an unfortunate Eugene Galekovic own goal were followed by a well-taken finish from Jack Hingert. Goals to Craig Goodwin and Pablo Sanchez proved to be too little, too late as Adelaide were unable to capitalise on Melbourne Victory’s loss from the previous night.
Brisbane Roar hitting form at the right time
The win sees Brisbane earn consecutive wins with nine goals in two games, pointing towards an upturn in form at the right time of the season. Players have returned from injury and international duty, strengthening the squad, while the long term injury to Henrique has not impacted the team due to the return of Thomas Broich.
This improvement from the Brisbane outfit comes at the perfect time, due to the Perth Glory saga opening up another place in this season’s finals competition. While it continues to cling to the hope of finishing sixth, Brisbane will be the grateful recipients of a place in the top six, should the FFA’s punishment to the Western Australian team be upheld.
Adelaide United need to improve before the finals
Adelaide was lucky last week against Sydney FC, with its goalkeeper unbeatable and it managed a smash and grab job to earn the three points, but this week they were made to pay. Another disjointed performance from the home side resulted in Brisbane, who had played midweek, looking more energetic and punishing Adelaide for simple defensive mistakes that, up until now, have been papered over by their attacking flair and the best goalkeeper in the league.
With the finals only three weeks away, Adelaide must come together and work its issues out. The defensive line was constantly caught square, leaving the Brisbane team to play balls in behind, while Josep Gombau must decide who to start as striker and allow a connection to grow between the players, as Sanchez, Djite and Palanca have all been given minutes as the attacking spearhead.
Return of Thomas Broich resurrecting Roar’s season
After four losses in a row, Brisbane’s season looked dead and buried. There was no attacking flair and it looked like its season was finished. But, re-enter Thomas Broich. He has copped his fair share of criticism this season, but his influence over his first two games back from his recent injury has been immense.
The 45 minutes he played against Central Coast resulted in a three-goal lead, while the 65 minutes against Adelaide had the same effect. Having been moved inside to play as an attacking midfielder, Broich’s influence has grown, as more touches of the ball and a licence to roam continues to have a positive effect upon the team as the finals appear on the horizon.
Adelaide cannot afford to be constantly reliant on Eugene Galekovic
It was one of the strangest goals of the season – Galekovic raced out of his box to clear a lobbed through ball, but mistimed his effort, and the rest is history. Yet it serves as an important lesson for Adelaide United, that their captain can make mistakes like everyone else.
https://youtu.be/MXqCi4QtSsk
Against Sydney, Galekovic was the man of the match, saving nine shots and managing to get the assist for Awer Mabil’s goal. He almost single-handedly thwarted the Sky Blues. Throughout this season Galekovic has proven time and time again to be one of the best goalkeepers in the league, but Adelaide cannot take this for granted. Its defence needs to improve, its midfield needs to provide support and the communication between the players must be perfected, as this game highlighted the flaws in Adelaide’s squad, which desperately need to be rectified come finals time.
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