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Brisbane cult figure Henrique has made a fairytale return from injury, sending his side back to the A-League summit with the winning goal in Sunday’s A-League clash with Perth at Suncorp Stadium.
In his first match since undergoing a knee reconstruction in March, Henrique broke the deadlock in the 74th minute to help the Roar secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory in front of 11,748 fans.
The result continues coach John Aloisi’s stellar start at the Roar, lifting them two points clear on top of the ladder, just ahead of Sydney FC, while the Glory remain second last.
The Roar’s three second-half substitutes all combined for the goal. It started with boom midfielder Devante Clut’s pass to Spanish import Javier Hervas, who had been brought on just seconds earlier for his A-League debut.
With his very first touch, Hervas deftly flicked the ball into the path of Henrique, who held off a strong challenge from a Glory defender and poked the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Ante Covic.
Overcome with emotion, Henrique – who recently became a naturalised Australian – burst into tears during his celebration as he was mobbed by adoring teammates.
It was a tough break for Perth after they grafted their way back into the contest with two clever halftime tweaks from coach Kenny Lowe.
Lowe sent livewire Sidnei Sciola on after the interval and also pushed former Socceroo Michael Thwaite into the centre of midfield, and both moves seemed to work for the Glory, who were restricted to attacking on the counter in the first half.
But Brisbane were largely the better side, having dominated possession and created more than twice as many chances as Perth.
Dimitri Petratos was desperately unlucky not to have scored after hitting the woodwork twice – first midway through the opening stanza, then again shortly after Henrique’s goal, both times from a fair distance out.
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