Three first half goals were enough for the Brisbane Roar to secure the points in John Aloisi’s first A League game in charge of the Queensland side.
Former Perth Glory striker Jamie Maclaren opened his Roar account after only nine minutes to give the away side the lead as he was gifted the ball after a horrendous mistake at the back from Hamill.
However, the Roar’s lead lasted only four minutes as the continued high-field pressure from the Wanderers created the chance for Mitch Nichols who slotted the ball past Michael Theo with great aplomb.
Unfortunately for the home fans, that was the highlight of the night as the Roar pounced on two very sloppy mistakes at the back from corners. Daniel Bowles scored in the 23rd minute after being gifted a free header from six yards out and Maclaran was on the end of some very sloppy defending to tap home his second of the game only 10 minutes later.
Western Sydney were able to create a handful of chances throughout the match, most of which fell to the feet of new signing Federico Piovaccari, but he was unable to find the back of the net in what was a frustrating night for Popovic’s men.
Formations
After a disappointing campaign last season, the Wanderers made numerous changes to their squad in order to challenge for the title. Nikolai Topor-Stanley is the only player in the starting 11 who started in their last A League match.
Western Sydney Wanderers XI (4-2-3-1): Redmayne (GK); Neville, Topor-Stanley, Hamill, Jamieson; Pepper, Dimas; Nichols, Castelen, Sotirio; Piovaccari.
Theo was back between the sticks for his first A-League game since 28 February and new signings Corona and Maclaren made their first A League appearances for the Roar.
Brisbane Roar XI (4-2-3-1): Theo (GK); Hingert, North, Bowles, Brown; Lustica, Corona; Petratos, Broich, Borello; Maclaren.
Defensive frailties cost the Wanderers
All three of the Brisbane Roar goals came from defensive blunders and all could and should have been prevented. That is to take nothing away from the finishing of Brisbane, who were clinical on the night.
Brendan Hamill’s mistake which lead to the first goal was a simple back pass to Redmayne which he made a meal of, gifting the chance to Maclaren. The following two Roar goals came from failing to pick up men and being unable to clear the lines effectively from a corner.
The Wanderers had a clear game plan to go out and play a high line against the Roar to stop them from playing their game, but this in turn backfired as they left too much space between the pressing midfielders and the back four. This created space that allowed Maclaren to get on the ball and run at the defenders which caused them trouble numerous times throughout the night.
Corona controlling the midfield
Corona, who came in as the replacement for Brattan in the offseason, looked impressive on his A-League debut as the Roar looked to go through him in almost every attack. On a number of occasions he would drop deep to receive the ball and spray it wide to Thomas Broich or Brandon Borello who were able to switch from defense to attack quickly.
As the match went on, Corona continued to settle and was able to determine the pace of the game. He did a superb job in marshalling the midfield and was even able to drop back and help out the back four when necessary.
Wanderers going forward
The link-up play down the left-hand side was the highlight of the Wanderers’ first half and the combination of Soctt Jamieson, Jaushua Sotirio and Nichols caused Jack Hingert and Bowles all sorts of headaches in the first 45 minutes.
At every chance, Sotirio and Jamieson were running at Hingert and isolating the right-back and getting plenty of crosses into the box which caused problems at the back for the makeshift Roar defensive four.
With the Wanderers playing a high line, this allowed Nichols the freedom to express himself in the final third. It looks as though he will be crucial to the Wanderers if they are to have a good season.
Vidosic Debut off the bench
As expected, Dario Vidosic started from the bench in the opening game and looked to make an immediate impact as he cut inside from the left and unleashed a shot that flashed just wide of the post.
Though with him coming on to replace Sotirio who was hugging the touchline, the midfield three of Vidosic, Nichols and Castelen were all very narrow, limiting the attacking options which saw the Roar sit back and absorb the pressure for the final 30 minutes.
Being round one, there is no need to panic for the Wanderers as they managed to create a number of chances and could have gone in at half time with two or three more goals.
If they can continue to get Nichols on the ball with enough space, he should be able to link up well with fellow new signings Vidosic and Piovaccari and give the RBB something to cheer about this season. Popovic will also be drilling into his players their roles and responsibilities from dead balls as this, in the end, cost them the points.
Brisbane Roar Conclusion
A happy opening to the season for the Roar which gives their fans something to be hopeful about after a very troubled offseason. The Roar sat back and defended well in the second half and with the pace of Maclaren up front were able to strike on the counter to great effect. Aloisi will be delighted with his side’s away performance and will now look ahead to their first home game next week.
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