Brisbane Roar has made a statement with its first win of the A-League 2020/21 season at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Goals from Scott McDonald, Macaulay Gillesphey and Dylan Wenzel-Halls earned the Roar a well-deserved 3-1 win – a second straight against the Victory.
Warren Moon’s side got off to the perfect start when a VAR review found Scott McDonald to be well onside after he found the back of the net on 16 minutes.
The Roar then emerged the better of the two sides from a tight tussle in the opening stages of the second half when Gillesphey rose highest from the corner, nodding home his second goal in Brisbane orange on the hour mark.
Brisbane then took complete control of the contest as Wenzel-Halls sealed the deal with a touch of class, latching on to a clearance from Tom Aldred before getting the better of two defenders and neatly finishing past Max Crocombe.
A change of shape early in the second half noticeably turned the tide in the Roar’s favour and Head Coach Warren Moon was pleased with how his side took control of the contest.
“Tactically we changed a couple of things at half-time. A couple of changes made an impact,” Moon said.
“We didn’t set out to play the way we did in the first half. Sometimes it requires someone different to come on and change things up – [Substitute] Jesse [Daley] was definitely a big contributor in shifting the balance of the game.”
The Head Coach also heaped praise on young striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls, who was simply thrilled to find the back of the net.
“Last week we had our chances and I’m just happy to have scored tonight for the team,” Wenzel-Halls said.
“[After half-time] We were just trying to get in their faces a bit more and win the ball back in better areas. We knew it was there to be won and it was well-deserved I thought.”
Gillesphey mirrored his teammate’s sentiments, saying the win was due reward for the performance.
“We deserved more last week. The result today was just brilliant and we deserved it,” Gillesphey added.
The Roar face the Victory again next up, this time on home turf at Dolphin Stadium next Sunday, 10 January.
GOALS
Brisbane Roar – McDonald 16′ – 0-1
Scott McDonald pokes home from close range and is originally flagged as offside, but the goal will stand following a VAR check.
Melbourne Victory – McManaman 24′ – 1-1
Callum McManaman finds the top left corner with a terrific curling finish.
Brisbane Roar – Gillesphey 60′ – 1-2
Macaulay Gillesphey heads home just his second A-League goal, rising highest from the set piece and finding the bottom corner.
Brisbane Roar – Wenzel-Halls 79 – 1-3
Dylan Wenzel-Halls gets the better of two defenders, before finishing a rapid counter attacking move neatly into the bottom corner.
MATCH DETAILS
Hyundai A-League 2020/21 Matchweek 2: Melbourne Victory vs Brisbane Roar
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Saturday, 2 January
Melbourne Victory 1 (McManaman 24′)
Brisbane Roar 3 (McDonald 16′, Gillesphey 60′, Wenzel-Halls 79′)
Half-time: 1-1
