Roar equal unbeaten streak record

The Roar finally cracked the Phoenix as supersub James Meyer struck twice and Brisbane equaled a national league record – 22-matches unbeaten – in a game short on chances at Skilled Park tonight.

It wasn’t a classic Roar performance, and they got off to a slow start – finding Macallister a handful as the Phoenix hit the big striker early.

The Phoenix target man had the best chance of the first half when he cut inside two Brisbane defenders to find himself clear just inside the area in the 14th minute, but he couldn’t place his right footed curler wide enough and Theoklitos parried reasonably comfortably.

The dreadful pitch was hardly conducive to the Roar’s passing game but they began to get going towards the end of the half, and finally mustered a shot on goal with five minutes left in the half when Barbarouses skipped in behind. His low ball to the near post popped out into space, but it bounced awkwardly for Murdocca and he could only chest on target from six yards out. Vukovic tipped round the post.

Broich then blasted high and wide when the ball fell to him in the box at the end of first half stoppage time.

Postecoglou’s men looked frustrated going into the half time break, but they’d warmed into the half and you felt their patience would yet pay off. They’d enjoyed a huge 70% of possession, but had generally played in front of the Phoenix until the last ten minutes, and the visitors appeared happy to sit back.

The Roar opened the Phoenix up twice almost immediately in the second half, but both times Barbarouses couldn’t quite find Solorzano.

The Phoenix were hanging on slightly and Herbert brought Pavlovic on for Macallister just before the hour mark, then Ward for Daniel just after.

Pavlovic was full of running, and the Phoenix regained their feet midway through the second period and began to live more comfortably after their shaky start to the half. Theoklitos almost handed the Phoenix the lead in the 70th minute when he came a long way for a Durante free kick, but Greenacre’s header floated just a yard wide with the Brisbane keeper in no-man’s land.

It stayed scoreless and Herbert had a last throw of the dice and brought on Marco Rojas with fifteen left.

In the 84th minute the game finally got a goal. Meyer – who’d came on late for the Roar – battled past Ward and had a speculative effort from range with his left foot. Durante stuck out a foot and Vukovic was left stranded as the ball deflected cruelly past him.

Brisbane made the points safe five minutes later. Broich scampered down the line and stabbed a shot against the underside of the bar from a nearly impossible angle. Meyer reacted first and side footed home from the rebound for his second.

A challenge for the Roar, then, as the pitch and a compact Phoenix side combined to make them persevere to the end to get their three points, but a typically patient performance by the Brisbane club as they continue their apparent march to the minor premiership.