Newcastle and Brisbane have played out a tightly-contested 1-all draw at Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar have played out an exciting and tightly-contested 1-1 draw at Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre in the Y-League.
In a chance-filled encounter with multiple momentum changes, the seventh placed Jets took the lead in the 16th minute, before the Roar converted their first-half possession into an equaliser in the 27th.
James Virgili started in a rush and was able to register a top-draw opener, breaking through the line and skipping past onrushing Andrew Redmayne and finding the net from a tight right-side angle.
Brisbane had their leveller in the 27th when midfield prospect George Lambadaridis threaded the needle, finding Tommy Cirjak, who made no mistake with the close-range chance.
While Brisbane had as many shots at goal as the visitors, Redmayne was the ‘keeper forced to excel, with a series of second-half saves against Jets A-League regular Labinot Haliti a highlight.
After a quiet, 10-minute feeling-out period, Brisbane had the first clear opportunity of the contest, with one of the Roar’s full-time contracted youth players, Lambadaridis, playing Matthew Thurtell in for a cramped one-on-one chance with overage Jets gloveman Matthew Nash.
Haliti had a chance to double the visitor’s lead in the 18th minute after taking a superb through-ball from Scott Petit, but his curling right footer smacked squarely off the post.
Kofi Danning was able to use his explosive pace to create a chance for the hosts right at the stroke of halftime, but Nash closed down the angle and the sides remained locked up at the interval.
Corey Brown was introduced for the Roar at halftime, making an immediate impact with his willingness to dribble at space, and feeding his attackers smartly, including a cross-field effort that put James Meyer in position to rattle the Jets’ goal frame.
Brisbane continued to build control, and in the first 15 minutes of the second frame the hosts twice looked certain to score with numbers and possession in the box, only to be denied by Newcastle’s scramble, desperation and good fortune.
Newcastle bit back with a pair of chances between the 60th and 70th, with Redmayne twice required to save the day, including a gutsy one-on-one shutdown of Haliti.
Haliti was denied again in the 75th, spurning unmarked players on either side to take a ill-guided and under-pressure crack from the top of the area.
Both sides continued to find chances all the way until the whistle, but the immaculate keeping at both ends held firm to the final whistle.
A sliding tackle from substitute defender Alistair Quinn in injury time was the last in a series of tense final moments.
Newcastle Jets: 1 (Virgili 16′)
Brisbane Roar: 1 (Cirjak 27′)
