Adelaide United have failed to capitalise on their opportunity to jump back into the top six, dropping points to 12th-placed Brisbane Roar in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night.
Dylan Pierias put Adelaide in front in the 11th minute at Suncorp Stadium, but Brisbane responded well to falling behind; the hosts had the ball in the back of the net twice in the first half but on both occasions, the offside flag denied Jacob Brazete and Asumah Abubakar potential equalisers.
Brisbane began the second half on top and just before the hour mark, got back on level terms through Abubakar, who fired a long-range strike past Reds keeper Max Vartuli.
Abubakar, who joined Brisbane from Swiss side Grasshopper Club Zurich in mid-February, continued his purple patch of form on Tuesday night with an eyecatching attacking performance at Suncorp Stadium. The Ghanaian-born former Portugal Under-19 international bagged his fourth goal for Brisbane in just his ninth game since joining the club to help Ruben Zadkovich’s side move one point clear of bottom-placed Perth Glory.
For Adelaide, Tuesday’s 1-1 draw was a missed opportunity to jump back into the top six. Trailing Sydney FC by one point before kick-off, Adelaide drew level on points with the Sky Blues but now just have one game to play compared to Sydney’s two.
Adelaide head coach Carl Veart dropped equal Golden Boot leader Archie Goodwin to his bench for Tuesday’s trip to Brisbane, as well as his prime attacking creator Zach Clough but despite the personnel change, the Reds managed to carve out an early lead as Dylan Pierias finished off Yaya Dukuly’s dangerous ball across the six-yard box.
Pierias had all the goal to aim at but sent the ball back toward Roar keeper Matt Acton on the goal line; Acton got a strong block on the ball but failed to keep the shot out as the visitors went ahead.
Brisbane should have been level just two minutes later when Florin Berenguer spurned a glorious chance to respond to Pierias’ opener.
A series of smart passes drove Brisbane to the edge of the box where Jay O’Shea unleashed a shot on target, which was blocked into Berenguer’s path. Having taken one touch to control, Berenguer then attempted to chip the ball over the outrushing Max Vartuli but put too much on the effort, floating the ball over the crossbar.
Brisbane were on the front foot after conceding and thought they’d equalised through young winger Jacob Brazete’s classy, curled finish from the edge of the box – but after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out for an offside call on Brazete who was adjudged to have strayed behind Adelaide’s last defender before collecting possession from Keegan Jelacic.
Brisbane had the ball in the back of the net for a second time in the half when Asumah Abubakar fired past Vartuli at the Reds keeper’s near post but once again, the offside flag was raised as Adelaide kept their 1-0 lead to half-time.
An ambitious Jay O’Shea volley just after half-time almost brought the hosts back on level terms but the Roar captain’s shot was marginally off target; O’Shea’s effort sparked a bright start to the second half by the hosts and, on the cusp of the hour mark, Abubakar gave Brisbane a well-deserved foothold in the contest with a driven strike from well outside the box.
Reds keeper Vartuli should have done better to keep out the long-range attempt, but his failure to do so helped Abubakar to a fourth Isuzu UTE A-League goal in just his ninth game for Brisbane since signing for the club in February.
“Nobody took him seriously from there,” said Network 10 commentator Erik Paartalu in review of the long-range goal. “They thought he was going to pass, they thought he was not going to score from that sort of distance.
Neither side managed to add to the scoresheet following Abubakar’s equaliser as the points were shared at Suncorp Stadium.
The 1-1 draw not only kept Sydney FC in sixth, but ensured eighth-placed Macarthur Bulls remained within touching distance of the top six; Mile Sterjovski’s Bulls are four points behind Sydney FC and Adelaide with two games to play.
