Brisbane Roar 1-1 Newcastle Jets: Roar Save Face

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Labinot Haliti, Brisbane Roar v Newcastle Jets (Getty Images)

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It was a game that lacked cohesion and conviction at most times, but a quick-fired reply from Brisbane after a first-half Haliti header was enough to steer them clear of a record making fifth-straight defeat, whilst Newcastle once again failed to win away from home.

The draw tonight keeps both sides on the wrong end of the ladder, with the Roar in eighth spot, and the Jets in ninth, giving the North Queensland Fury a chance to leap-frog them should they win their clash against Gold Coast United on Saturday night.

Coming into this match, all eyes were on new coach Ange Postecoglou, who was attempting to breathe some fresh life back into Brisbane, who were staring down the barrel of their worst losing streak in history. Calls to revive some energy back into the club came from all levels in the lead up to this game, with captain Craig Moore issuing a rallying cry for fans to show up in numbers to help the team turn things around. 

While the Roar are known to have the edge over Newcastle, they were still missing most of their danger men for this clash, with Henrique, Reinaldo and Charlie Miller all out due to injury. On the other hand, the Jets were welcoming back striker Sasho Petrovski to the bench, after his recovery from a knee injury.

Newcastle were creating chances early on in the match, with Michael Bridges trying a half volley from outside the box, but goalkeeper Griffin McMaster got to it with ease.

But while their attack was on, the discipline of the Jets in defence was surely lacking, with two free kicks given against them in the space of eight minutes. Newcastle were saved both times thanks to solid defence in their backline, and poor kick-taking from Isaka Cernak.

From there, the quality in passing from both sides seemed to go out the window. Cernak added onto his poor shot-taking by causing several turnovers, while Danny Tiatto was also missing the target quite often for the Roar.

But it was the Jets who regained their composure first, with captain Matt Thompson playing the ball onto Bridges in the 32nd minute, who sent a beautifully weighted cross onto the head of Labinot Haliti, who smashed it into the back of the net to put Newcastle up 1-nil.

Conceding a goal seemed to be the spark Brisbane were waiting for, with increased intensity in attack from Tiatto and striker Sergio van Dijk, bringing up several corners which brought the Roar back into the contest.

It took less than five minutes for Brisbane to equalise, thanks to an Adam D’Apuzzo handball in the penalty area in the 36th minute, which brought up an instant penalty. Van Dijk made no mistake, placing it low and left to beat goalkeeper Ben Kennedy, making it a 1-all affair.

Van Dijk had a chance to put the Roar ahead just before half-time, but his header was blocked by a lovely palm from Kennedy, with both teams going into the sheds on even terms.

The second half started much the same as the first, with the Jets having the early opportunity to go ahead through Bridges, who weaved through the defence brilliantly, but was halted from scoring at the last moment by a well-timed lunge from Tiatto. 

Tiatto was again in the thick of the action a few minutes later, calling for the ball from Cernack, who this time hit his target, before taking a powerful shot which Kennedy was again equal to.

South-Korean international Jin Hyung Song also had opportunities to put Newcastle ahead, with one shot going narrowly wide, and the other neglecting Haliti, who was waiting for the through ball.

It was all Brisbane attack by the end of proceedings, with Van Djik in the midst of it all, but the Roar simply could not get the winner they were desperately searching for, as both teams had to settle for sharing the points.

Omar Dabbagh, Goal.com

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