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Brisbane Roar’s AFC Champions League campaign is off to a disastrous start after an injury-time stunner consigned them to a 1-0 loss to Beijing Guoan on Wednesday night.
The Roar were left shellshocked when a long-range free-kick from Beijing player Shao Jiayi deflected off the head of new striker Andrija Kaluderovic and flew into the back of the net, two minutes into added time.
It was a cruel ending to a night that should have ended in glory for the Roar, but their failure to take advantage of a 10-man Beijing Guoan came back to bite them.
The visitors were a man short for most of the match following the dismissal of former Swedish international Erton Fejzullahu in the first half for stamping on the chest of Brisbane’s Adam Sarota.
But despite vast periods of dominance, the Roar – on their third foray into Asia – couldn’t convert their chances and paid the ultimate price.
The defeat means Brisbane face an uphill battle to qualify from a strong Group G, which also features Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds and Korea’s Suwon Bluewings.
The match was played on the tourist strip because of a pre-booked Foo Fighters concert at Suncorp Stadium, with no other venues in Brisbane compliant with AFC standards.
The Roar’s remaining home games, against Suwon on March 17 and Urawa on May 5, will also be played at Robina, with the club claiming AFC regulations forced them to schedule all three matches at the same venue.
The official crowd figure was 6851 – an impressive figure, given the rainy conditions and the fierce fan backlash to the Roar’s Gold Coast move.
Roar coach Frans Thijssen opted for experience in handing starts to veteran defender Shane Stefanutto and new recruit Luke DeVere, who made his first appearance for Brisbane since re-joining the club last month.
With the Chinese season yet to begin, the Roar looked sharper than Beijing from the start and largely dominated the first half.
Their stranglehold on the contest firmed when Fejzullahu was given his marching orders in the 28th minute.
Fejzullahu was shown a straight red card after bringing down Sarota with a tackle from behind, and then needlessly sinking his boot into the midfielder on the follow-through.
Brisbane’s leading A-League goalscorer Henrique made his return from a hamstring injury off the bench in the second half, but not even he could spark the Roar into life.
Thijssen said the loss was hard to take given an otherwise impressive performance from the Roar.
“We were so much on top, one-way traffic it was,” he said.
“We got a lot of half-chances with crosses, not 100 per cent chances maybe, but we were waiting for our goal – and that happens at the end.
“It’s real disappointment for the group.”
Ecstatic Beijing Guoan coach Gregorio Manzano praised his side for grinding out the victory.
“Our whole team showed their quality, their professionalism – they played flawless defence,” said Manzano, who was greeted by a round of applause by the visiting Chinese media when he entered the room for his post-match press conference.
“It was a very tough game, especially when our player was sent off by the referee.
“(But) all our players fought to the end, they showed spirit to win.”
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