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Besart Berisha helped Melbourne Victory to a scrappy 1-0 victory on Friday night and a temporary return to the top of the A-League ladder.
In a match which lacked fluency, a set-piece always looked likely to settle the contest, and so it proved with 13 minutes remaining.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah’s free kick found the Albanian, whose header deflected off the unfortunate Jade North into the net.
It was a messy own-goal and entirely representative of the contest, in which Brisbane barely threatened.
If the first half is to be remembered, it would be for the tough tackling that produced four yellow cards.
Both Carl Valeri and Mark Milligan were carded for vicious fouls on Matt McKay and Thomas Broich, while McKay returned the favour with a late challenge on Gui Finkler.
Victory’s best early chances came from the boot of Finkler.
Leigh Broxham went close with a free header from a corner, while Roar defender Daniel Bowles nearly headed in from another wicked Finkler cross.
While Victory began to slow towards the end of the half, the last action of the half was a tackle – with Milligan left worse for wear.
As the Socceroo lay strewn on the ground in pain, referee Chris Beath blew his whistle for the break.
The result was the bizarre sight of Victory’s captain surrounded by both physios and the half-time entertainment until he limped down the race for treatment.
Given the agony on Milligan’s face, the Socceroos looked like they would need to find a new midfielder for the Asian Cup.
But Milligan emerged for the second half, as the game continued its scrappy pattern.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah went close on 66 minutes when his deflected long-range drive sailed wide with Jamie Young stranded.
It seemed the match would end goalless when Broxham again headed off-target from another set play but finally Victory made one count on 77 minutes.
Young then pulled off a fine save to stop Broxham from close range – and denied a breakaway chance from Khalfallah in injury time.
Muscat said the game wasn’t much of a spectacle.
“It was a shame a goal didn’t come earlier in the game,” he said.
“It’s great to be sitting here with three points… (but) I didn’t think the performance was particularly great.”
Mulvey said there was no discredit losing 1-0 to Victory.
“When you get into the 77th minute, it was going to be something scrappy to win the game,” he said.
The win took Victory back to the league’s summit, awaiting the result of Friday night’s late match in Perth.
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