Our Roar Women have stood proud in a seven-goal thriller against top-of-the-table Melbourne Victory.
In what was a nail-biting match, the Roar edged the contest with three second-half goals earning a third win of the Westfield W-League season.
Mel Andreatta said today was a line in the sand moment for the Roar Women and she couldn’t be prouder of her side.
“We said today enough is enough we’ve got to deliver and they did,” Andreatta said post-match.
“We got off to a really good start – positive and aggressive – it’s the way we prepared all week and we said we weren’t going to take a backwards step.
“When you’re performing against a team that’s on top of the league at the moment, that’s the mentality you have to bring to the game and the girls did that.
“We’re always talking about that positivity and taking that first chance. We did that today and we got the three points.”
Both sides were hungry for goals and pressed hard from kick-off with the home side opening the scoring just 10 minutes into the match as Allira Toby finished magnificently past Casey Dumont.
The Victory proved they wouldn’t go down easily and quickly retaliated with Christine Nairn curling a well-struck free-kick around the Roar wall.
The two sides headed to the break locked up at 1-1, and in a positive response to a disappointing second half in Sydney last week, Andreatta’s side made the most of their chances after the break.
Goals to Chioma Ubogagu and a venomous header from Clare Polkinghorne earned the Roar a two-goal lead before that was sliced in half by Natasha Dowie with less than 10 minutes to play.
Japanese World Cup winner Yuki Nagasato then restored the home side’s two-goal lead, which was also then again cut to one by former Roar attacker Emily Gielnik.
An action-packed stoppage time period saw Roar defender Carson Pickett forced off with an injury, and a red card shown to Katrina Gorry for a second bookable offence.
The Victory walked away with their first loss of the 2018/19 season while the Brisbane Roar side take their first win on home turf – a result that remarkably elevates the Roar from eighth spot to third on the Westfield W-League ladder.
STORY OF THE GAME
- Allira Toby opened the scoring for the home side just 10 minutes into the game with a beautiful long range effort. Goals then followed from Chioma Ubogagu, captain Clare Polkinghorne and Yuki Nagasato.
- A seven-goal thriller was never split by more than two goals as the Victory stayed in touch until the final whistle.
- Katrina Gorry was shown a second yellow card in the game’s final stages.
- An important win for the Roar Women takes them from eighth to third on the ladder. It is also their fourth win over the Victory in their last six meetings in Queensland.
GOALS
Brisbane Roar – Toby 10’ – 0-1
Allira Toby steals the ball in a dangerous position and breaks away with lightning speed. She sees Casey Dumont off her line & Toby hits the ball to perfection as it soared to the bottom right corner.
Melbourne Victory – Nairn 23’ – 1-1
A breakdown in play just outside the 18-yard box sees Christine Nairn find the back of the net with a well-struck free-kick.
Brisbane Roar – Ubogagu 47’ – 2-1
Chioma Ubogagu claims her second goal in the Westfield W-League with a strike hard and low from close range.
Brisbane Roar – Polkinghorne 62 ’ – 3-1
The always reliable Polkinghorne proves her value in attack, scoring a header with her back to goal after being picked out from Katrina Gorry’s corner.
Melbourne Victory – Dowie 82’ – 3-2
Victory striker Natasha Dowie finds the back of the net off a volley inside the six-yard box after the ball spills loose in wet conditions.
Brisbane Roar – Nagasato 90’ – 4-2
Boureille with a penetrating ball through the Victory’s defence as Yuki Nagasato rounds the keeper and scores for a second game running.
Melbourne Victory – Gielnik 90+2’ – 4-3
A cut-back cross from the by-line finds the feet of a composed Emily Gielnik in front of goal, who strikes the ball first time and brings her side back into the game.
MATCH DETAILS
Westfield W-League 2018/19 – Round 7: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory
Lions Stadium, Richlands
Sunday, 16 December
Brisbane Roar 4 (Toby 10’, Ubogagu 47’, Polkinghorne 62’, Nagasato 90’)
Melbourne Victory 3 (Nairn 23’, Dowie 82’, Gielnik 90+2’)
Half-time: 1-1
Crowd: 1,169
