Brisbane Roar staged a late comeback to secure a 2-2 draw against Central Coast in Andrew Redmayne’s landmark 300th A-League appearance.
The Mariners drew first blood when Sam Klein executed a superb header, establishing an early lead and controlling the first half. However, dreams of victory were reignited for the home side when Jesse Mantell scored a fairytale goal, followed by a strike from Nathaniel Blair, creating a tantalising situation for the Mariners. Yet, in a twist of fate, a late-header from Jordan Lauton thwarted Central Coast’s celebrations, leaving both teams struggling to break into the playoff positions.
The Central Coast Mariners would have taken a significant step towards playoff qualifications had they managed to hold on for the win, but now they will need a combination of victories and fortune to secure a place in the top six. For Brisbane Roar, securing a win was vital if they were to have any hope of a late-season resurgence.
Redmayne’s milestone game didn’t unfold as he had envisioned. Just three minutes in, former Mariners player James McGarry executed a short corner, playing a quick one-two before delivering a pinpoint cross, which was met majestically by an airborne Sam Klein. The 37-year-old goalkeeper had no chance as Klein’s header struck the crossbar before hitting the net.
Redmayne sought to redeem himself with an outstanding save to deny Klein a second goal, diving sharply to his left and deflecting the shot behind with both hands.
Redmayne could justifiably feel let down by his teammates when they congregated in the dressing room at halftime. His defenders had allowed Brisbane, the competition’s least effective attacking side, eight attempts on goal during the first half. Moreover, the Mariners struggled to create meaningful chances, with their first shot coming a hefty 38 minutes into the match.
Whatever transpired in the home dressing room at halftime clearly had an impact. Just six minutes into the second half, in only his first A-League start, Jesse Mantell made a clever run behind Brisbane’s defence, received the ball on the turn, and unleashed a powerful shot from within the box that sailed past Dean Bouzanis. The ensuing drama was prolonged due to a VAR check that teetered back and forth before ultimately confirming the goal. The ecstatic 18-year-old sprinted away in celebration, leaping into the arms of his jubilant schoolmates who had rushed down from the Northern stand.
Before the hosts could completely revel in their joy, Lucas Mauragis issued a swift response, pushing high down the left flank to deliver a sublime cross that perfectly found Nathaniel Blair. He thumped his header past Bouzanis, handing the Mariners the lead with his third goal since arriving in January.
Brisbane could have been forgiven for crumbling under the growing momentum of the home side, but they nearly equalised when Youstin Salas curled an inviting cross to the back post, but Henry Hore’s header struck the upright.
Yet in the third minute of stoppage time, Brisbane managed to spoil the celebrations. A deflected ball flew high above the penalty area, and although Redmayne attempted to claim it, he was beaten to it by Jordan Lauton, whose header found the empty net.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT THEY SAID
Jesse Mantell
Michael Valkanis
Compiled by SportArena.au
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