Central Coast Mariners defeated Brisbane Roar 2-0 in on Tuesday night, moving them just one point off fourth-placed Adelaide United with one game left to play before the finals kick-off.
In a game with few chances, both sides looked to get in behind the other with adventurous long balls.
Brisbane looked to exploit the pace of their forwards through the opening half.
Cyrus Dehmie and Henry Hore were regular recipients of long passes looking to get them past the Mariners’ high defensive line.
One such ball found Dehmie seemingly away down the right-hand touchline.
His shot from well outside the box was thwarted by a timely block from Kye Rowles and sent out for a corner.
Scott Neville rose highest from the ensuing corner but could only glance his header wide for the game’s first real goalscoring chance.
The Mariners seemed content with Mark Birighitti smacking balls straight into the waiting Brisbane defence during much of a dull first half.
Alexander Parsons recorded the first shot on target for the Roar after his curling strike from outside the box was smartly palmed away by the Mariners keeper.
This seemed to spur the Roar on as a neat move saw Rahmat Akbari crossing from the touchline with numbers in the box.
He chose his closest option, chipping the ball to the ever-present Parsons, who lofted his volley over the bar.
The Mariners came close with a dangerous free-kick whipped into the Brisbane box but Jordan Holmes was alert to the danger and the keeper pounced on the ball before anything could come of it.
Lewis Miller broke the deadlock at the 40-minute mark as he held his run on a curling cross into the back post and headed the ball down into the ground away from Holmes in the Brisbane goal.
The teams went into the break at 1-0 to Central Coast after a bland first 45 minutes.
Brisbane’s half-time substitutes Nikola Mileusnic and Luke Ivanovic rejuvenated their attack coming out of the break.
Parsons was again the beneficiary after some neat work from Ivanovic to get into the Mariners box.
His shot was unfortunately deflected outside the box for Mileusnic to smack goalward only for Birghitti to save well down low.
Just as Brisbane seemed to have found some footing in the game the Mariners pounced.
Storm Roux combined well with Garang Kuol to get into the box before returning the ball to Kuol to finish tidily past Holmes.
Spurred on by a less than impressed home crowd, Brisbane looked for a way back into the game.
Miluesnic again came close to pegging one back for the Roar, he struck a lovely dipping volley that went centimetres wide of the right hand upright.
Jay O’Shea called Birghitti into action again only minutes later with a venomous drive that the keeper palmed away for a corner.
The Mariners were forced to play the final quarter of the match with 10 men after Daniel Hall was forced off through injury with no substitutes remaining.
Mileusnic again forced Birghitti into a save from a curling free-kick, however, the keeper calmly caught the ball this time.
There was late drama as Scott Neville was sent from the field after VAR review for a heavy challenge on Joshua Nisbet reducing Brisbane to 10 for the final 10.
The game fizzled in the final minutes as Brisbane pressed bodies forward and the Mariners congested the box with all 10 of their available players.
The win sees Central Coast go just one point shy of fourth-placed Adelaide United.
They face Newcastle Jets team in their final game of the season and no doubt they will be hoping Adelaide slips up against Western United to gift them fourth spot.
Brisbane Roar 0
Central Coast Mariners 2 (Miller 40’, Kuol 63’)
Stadium: Moreton Daily Stadium
Referee: Tim Danaskos
Assistant Referees: Mi Suk Park, Andrew Lindsay
Fourth Official: Adam Kersey
VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Brisbane Roar: Jordan HOLMES (GK), Scott NEVILLE, Thomas ALDRED (C), Connor CHAPMAN (Jesse DALEY 54’), Rahmat AKBARI, Henry HORE (Luke IVANOVIC 45’), Jack HINGERT (Louis ZABALA 72’), Alexander PARSONS (Jez LOFTHOUSE 72’), James O’SHEA, Kai TREWIN, Cyrus DEHMIE (Nikola MILEUSNIC 45’)
Unused Subs: Joshua BRINDELL-SOUTH, Macklin FREKE (GK)
Central Coast Mariners: Mark BIRIGHITTI (C), Lewis MILLER (Storm ROUX 59’), Joshua NISBET, Cy GODDARD (Garang KUOL 59’), Jason CUMMINGS, Matheus RODRIGUES (Nicolai MULLER 59’), Beni NKOLOLO, Kye ROWLES, Maximilien BALARD, Jacob FARREL (Mathew HATCH 71’), Daniel HALL
Unused Subs: Harrison STEELE, Atem DOR JOK, Yaren SOZER (GK)
Feature image credit: Robbie Szafranek
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