Match Report: Brisbane Roar 1 – 1 Auckland FC

Sakai’s early strike earns a point as late Aldred leveller stings at Suncorp Stadium.

This was a night of real resilience on the road for this young club. Hiroki Sakai put us in front early, and from there the visitors dug in and defended with discipline through long spells of Brisbane pressure, with Michael Woud and the back line standing tall. We were within touching distance of all three points until Brisbane finally broke through in the 95th minute, so a good away point feels a little like two dropped at the death.

FIRST HALF

Auckland FC lined up in a 4-4-2 at Suncorp Stadium, with Michael Woud in goal, a back four of Francis de Vries, Nando Pijnaker, Ronan Wynne and Hiroki Sakai, and Lachlan Bayliss and Jonty Bidois up front. The hosts had the early say, with Woud down to save Tate Russell’s left-footed effort in the 7th minute before Sabit Ngor headed high and wide from a corner.

Then came the opener. In the 11th minute Sakai took aim from outside the box and sent a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner for his first goal of the A-League Men season. Auckland FC led 1-0, and what a moment for the defender.

We settled into a compact shape after the goal and nearly doubled the lead in the 17th minute, when Logan Rogerson hit the bar with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box after a de Vries ball in. The visitors were bright in that spell and a second looked on.

Brisbane Roar built the pressure from there. Justin Vidić was shown a yellow card for simulation in the 21st minute, and the hosts then peppered our box through Virgiliu Postolachi, Nam Tae-Hee and Tyrese Francois, with Pijnaker, Sakai and de Vries all throwing themselves in the way of shots.

Our best chance of a second came in the 35th minute, when Lachlan Brook’s right-footed effort from the right side of the box drifted just left after Bayliss teed him up. Ngor then hit the left post just before the break, and Postolachi headed wide from the follow-up cross. Auckland FC held firm through added time and went in 1-0 up.

SECOND HALF

Brisbane came out on the front foot and nearly levelled within four minutes of the restart, Justin Vidić hitting the bar from the right side of the box after a fast break. Auckland FC answered with a burst of their own, Lachlan Brook twice seeing shots blocked and Logan Rogerson dragging a left-footed effort just wide of the right post. Sabit Ngor was booked for a bad foul in the 53rd minute.

The hosts kept turning the screw, bringing on Marko Ilic in the 58th minute. Jonty Bidois headed just wide from a Francis de Vries cross after a corner in the 62nd, Michael Woud was then down to his left to save Ngor’s effort in the 64th, and Tom Aldred and Milorad Stajić both went close from range and from a corner.

Pedro Miguel de Barros Moreira turned to fresh legs in the 72nd minute, with Callan Elliot and Isa Prins replacing Brook and Bidois. Brisbane responded with Emin Durakovic and Nathan Amanatidis, and later Jordan Lauton, while de Vries was shown a yellow card for a foul in the 78th minute. The visitors held firm as the corners piled up, and Jake Brimmer’s direct free kick drifted just wide of the right post.

Daniel Normann replaced Brimmer in the 89th minute, and four minutes were added. Woud tipped away an Amanatidis header, Lachlan Bayliss was close at the other end, and Van Fitzharris came on for the final moments. We were so close to seeing it out.

It was not to be. Aldred headed just over, then saw another header blocked by Nando Pijnaker from a corner, and the loose ball fell for him to strike right-footed from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner. It was a cruel late blow after a disciplined effort, and the game finished all square at 1-1.

FULL TIME

A point at Suncorp Stadium is a good one on paper, and for 94 minutes it looked like it would be three. The numbers tell an honest story: Auckland FC finished with 31.2% of possession, 12 shots to Brisbane’s 19 and just the one on target, which was Hiroki Sakai’s opener, while the hosts won 12 corners to our three. That is a lot of defending to do away from home, and the visitors did it with real discipline and organisation. We tip our hat to the hosts for their persistence, because Tom Aldred’s stoppage-time leveller was the reward for it.

The result keeps our record against Brisbane intact, with three wins and two draws across five meetings, but it also means we have now let slip five points from winning positions this season, more than any other side in the A-League Men. It will sting that the equaliser arrived so late, and seeing out games like this is the next lesson for a young club still writing its story. There is plenty to be proud of in the resilience on show, and it gives the travelling support good reason to look ahead with belief.

MATCH DETAILS

Next match

Next up, Auckland FC are back at Go Media Stadium to host Wellington Phoenix FC on Saturday 7 November, with kick-off at 5:00pm local time. It’s a chance to test ourselves at home against the early leaders in the A-League Men.