In yet another enthralling and unpredictable finals clash at Lang
Park on Friday night, the Roar looked gone for all money when former fan
favourite Besart Berisha scored from an 86th-minute corner to give the
reigning champions the lead.
But as they have done so many times before, the Roar produced a comeback for the ages in front of 20,157 fans.
A
minute after Berisha's goal, Brisbane captain Matt McKay levelled the
scores, managing to get a toe on a cross from Dimitri Petratos and
guiding the ball past Victory gloveman Lawrence Thomas.
Then, veteran Thomas Broich rose highest to head home a corner kick from Corona with just one minute of added time remaining.
The Roar will now face second-placed
Western Sydney Wanderers next weekend at Parramatta Stadium, and the
winner will move through to the A-League grand final.
For Victory, their season is over.
A
week on from frustrating the Roar out of Premiers' Plate contention in a
scoreless stalemate at AAMI Park, they received a taste of their own
medicine.
Melbourne completely bossed the first half, taking 10
shots to Brisbane's zero, but went into the break with nothing to show
for it.
It seemed as if the occasion might have gotten to the
Roar's usually slick midfield unit, which struggled to string together
passes and repeatedly coughed up possession, with veteran Corona
surprisingly the biggest culprit.
Victory's dominance continued
into the second half, but a second yellow card to Jason Geria in the
83rd minute reduced them to 10 men and swung the momentum Brisbane's
way.
Brisbane Roar's knack for dramatic comebacks is not luck or
happenstance - it's the product of an attitude that is now ingrained
into the A-League club's psyche, according to Thomas Broich.
Two-time
Johnny Warren medallist Broich headed home a 93rd-minute corner kick on
Friday night to seal an incredible come-from-behind 2-1 elimination
final win over Melbourne Victory.
The Roar were on course for a
gut-wrenching defeat when Besart Berisha scored with four minutes of
regulation time left to give a dominant Victory the lead, but an instant
reply from captain Matt McKay levelled the scores a minute later, and
then Broich's late heroics prompted scenes of absolute bedlam in the
Suncorp Stadium stands.
Sound familiar? It should do.
Like
in their three A-League grand final wins and on countless other
occasions over the past six seasons, Brisbane has made a habit of
somehow winning games from impossible situations.
And while other
fledgling A-League clubs might still be trying to figure out who they
are and what they stand for, Broich says Brisbane Roar's identity is
clear.
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AUSTRALIA A LEAGUE
» Brisbane Roar books semi ticket with stunning fightback Melbourne Victory
Brisbane Roar books semi ticket with stunning fightback Melbourne Victory
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AUSTRALIA A LEAGUE