In a highly entertaining game in front of a crowd over 18,000, Brisbane Roar would hold off  Melbourne Victory, winning 3-2 at Suncorp Stadium. Besart Berisha’s double and Henrique’s penalty would put Roar well ahead in the first half. Harry Kewell netted a double for Victory on either side of the break to give his side hope, but Victory would fall short.

Melbourne Victory

1. Defence costs a point
I think it would be fair to say that all three of Roar’s goals came from Victory defensive mistakes. How four Victory defenders (Leijer, Luzardo, Franjic and Fabio) weren’t able to stop Berisha’s 43rd second beats me. Thomas Broich and Henrique helped to provide Berisha’s second, but the Victory defence again looked lost. The penalty call was clear, with Luzardo the culprit.

The problem I find is the lack of the organiser in the heart of defence. Leijer has had a shocking season and Luzardo is still finding his feet in the A-League, until that organiser is found (or made), the Victory defence will keep conceding soft goals.

2. Effort was there but not for 90
Victory again looked to try and play football, similar to last week’s win. The problem was it didn’t last. At times, particularly in the first half, Victory let momentum slip and hoofed the ball long with no real intent or purpose. Victory played better with the ball on the ground and through midfield and it could’ve gotten them a point. Toward the end they looked an exhausted team that couldn’t give anything more, which I’m confused by given the long pre-season.

3. Why was Kewell taken off?
The marquee player was Victory’s most potent in attack, showed his pace and scored two very well-taken goals to keep his team in the game (his third goal in two games). All this made it even more baffling to see him taken off in the 75th minute for Danny Allsopp. Victory would report during the game on social media that he “ran out of petrol”, you couldn’t tell by his reaction.

4. Carlos Hernandez and Marco Rojas
This game showed how much and little Carlos Hernandez can give Victory. In one second of the game, he could’ve gotten Victory a point with a thunderous volley that could have broken the bar. However, his lack of pressure continues to grate. Particularly in a game like this, you need to be up for working both ways and he didn’t. On a brighter note, Marco Rojas continues to provide glimpses of his talent. His speed and dribbling on the wing were a threat, and led to Victory’s first goal. Full credit must go to Jim Magilton for backing him in the starting side.

5. Stretch to play finals
This loss hurts Victory, now in eighth spot with five games left. Five wins will be required, as well as some results going their way, the upcoming games against Jets, Sydney and Wellington will be huge. However, if Victory are relying on fortune to get into the finals, do they deserve to be there? I’d have to say no.

Brisbane Roar

1. Full strength side
For a variety of reasons, I don’t think Brisbane have had the best XI on the park over the past month. Of course, this is the case with many teams in the league as they have grappled with losing players to injury and international duties. For Brisbane I thought this was their first full strength XI for a while. The past few weeks have seen them start picking up their top game in the run to finals, and they look set to be a big chance at going back-to-back championships.

2. Sloppy at times
They had some sparkling moments in play and are continually looking back to their best, but they let-up at times against Victory. I thought they gave away too much space for the midfield and the wings, and that led to them conceding two goals. It didn’t cost them in the end, and I think they can only get stronger building in to the finals.

3. Classy edge
They controlled the game at what turned out to be the most crucial times. The last 10 minutes saw Roar give Victory nothing at all, as they controlled the ball and handled it well. The players in midfield were able to hold the ball and snuffed out whatever chances tried to be built up. Those sorts of moments are going to happen in finals, and I think their classy edge will be the key to them. It proved to be a key difference in this game.

4. Thomas Broich subbed off
In the first half, the German superstar landed awkwardly on his shoulder from a tackle. He played for the rest of the half and poked holes through Victory’s leaky boat defence, but was removed very early in the second half. It looked to be a precautionary move and one they could afford with their 3-2 lead, it didn’t turn out to be a blow either. He has been a key to Roar returning to their best, and I hope the shoulder knock is nothing serious.

5. Very open
Too many times Victory were able to attack freely, with Rojas and Kewell causing havoc down the right and left. I couldn’t believe how open the contest was, it was great viewing and these two clubs are beginning to start a great rivalry. I expected Roar to place tons of pressure on the midfield pairing of Jeggo and Milligan, but it didn’t quite happen as I thought. There were a few lapses on the night from Roar, but ultimately they paid no price for it.