Roar end home losing streak in A-League

Thursday, 18 January 2018:

Brisbane have snapped a four-match A-League losing streak at home with a stirring 3-2 victory over fellow strugglers Perth.

Playing his first match since November, former Socceroo Brett Holman came off the bench on Thursday night to score the winner in the 73rd minute after the Roar twice surrendered the lead in an action-packed clash at Suncorp Stadium.

It will come as sweet relief for coach John Aloisi after the shock resignation of football director Craig Moore had marked another tense week for Brisbane, but they move to only three points outside the top six.

"It feels good to win ... there's been so many games we should have either won or at least got something out of it, and we didn't," Aloisi said.

"To stay in the race, we needed to win tonight and that was the most important thing."

The pressure continues to mount on Perth coach Kenny Lowe, who has overseen five consecutive defeats as he combats a huge injury crisis.

The Glory were missing striker Adam Taggart, defender Alex Grant and midfielders Mitch Nichols, Brandon Wilson and Andreu - but they did have star marquee man Diego Castro, who threatened to break open the game for them on numerous occasions.

The Spaniard hit the post in the 81st minute from close range, spurning a golden chance to steal a share of the spoils in front of a meagre crowd of 6258.

Brisbane enjoyed a dream start, opening the scoring in just the fourth minute when Avraam Papadopoulos slammed home a deflected free kick from Fahid Ben Khalfallah at the back post.

Their lead lasted just eight minutes, with the Glory squaring the ledger at 1-1 through Chris Harold, who was set up by a tantalising Diego Castro through ball.

The hosts went back in front on the hour mark, Ben Khalfallah again providing the set-up with a dead ball, this time for Ivan Franjic to head home from point-blank range.

But another eight minutes later and it was 2-2, as Harold latched onto Andy Keogh's pass and caught Brisbane's defence napping.

The Roar, however, were not to be denied and snatched the lead for the third time when Holman blasted a Massimo Maccarone cutback into the net.

Lowe bemoaned his side's sloppy defending after conceding their first two goals from free kicks.

"You've got to defend them - that's bread and butter," he said.

"The third one, it's a lump from the halfway line. You've got to have more game sense and nous and deal with those things.






AAP






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