Gold Coast United goalkeeper Glen Moss was being hailed a hero after an enthralling 2-2 draw with A-League pacesetters Brisbane in a rain-drenched encounter at Skilled Park on Boxing Day.
The United goal keeper made half a dozen crucial saves, several when one out with Roar forwards, to give the Gold Coast a credible draw in the most difficult conditions.
The 2-2 result in front of 13,065 brave fans kept a couple records intact.
United have still never lost to the Roar in their five encounters and Brisbane extended their record A-League unbeaten streak to 18 games.
However, Moss was the difference in the result and prevented an embarrassing scoreline for United, who looked sluggish in the wet conditions.
He stopped crucial shots from Kosta Barbarouses, Thomas Broich, Matt McKay and two from Jean Solorzano, including one in the 89th minute that would have earned the Roar all three points.
Without Moss’ brilliance, the Roar could have won 6-2 – at least.
Although the Roar dominated play and created quality opportunities, it was United who scored the opening goal in the 14th minute when Adama Traore pumped a loose ball from a corner kick back into the penalty box.
Teammate Dino Djulbic accepted the well-placed kick to head the ball into the net from point blank range.
The Roar replied in the 30th minute through Barbarouses, who again broke free against a stagnant and reactive United defence to score from five metres.
Like the first goal, Gold Coast United second success was also against the run of play.
Robson cut through the Roar’s defence to be one-out with goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos and slotted the ball through his legs in the 55th minute for only his second goal for the club.
The Roar equalised from a spot kick after United veteran John Curtis was penalised for bringing down Barbarouses after the pair became tangled in the top corner of the penalty box.
Moss almost saved Solorzano’s equaliser which passed under his right arm.
The Roar dominated the final 10 minutes of the game but could not find the net.
Torrential driving rain for the entire 90 minutes not only made it tough for the players but also for stadium’s ground staff.
The game was stopped in the 82nd minute to allow staff to re-mark the penalty box after the lines washed out for the second time in the match.
Roar coach Ange Postecoglou was pleased with the amount and the quality of scoring opportunities his side created while also praising the work of Moss.
“He (Moss) was great and their back four was very desperate and they defended very well and they had to because we were on song tonight,” Postecoglou told reporters.
“I know we didn’t get the points but we played some really good football and created some fantastic opportunities.
“Football sometimes does not reflect what is happening out on the park.
“Under extreme conditions, they were all quality opportunities and it wasn’t by chance.”
United coach Miron Bleiberg claimed the penalty against Curtis that allowed the Roar to draw level at 2-2 was soft.
However, he said it would have been an injustice if either side had won.
“The penalty was soft,” Bleiberg said.
“We have a bit of a bitter taste. The mighty Roar need a soft penalty to equalise with us.
“To say we were better, no. But we know we can compete with the Roar … no team deserved to win today.
“The only consolation is the Roar haven’t beaten us yet.”
Realfootball
Guest
Agree on Djulbic, AF. He is an outstanding central defender. Not only does he have height, but his tackles are beautifully timed and he has genuine pace. However, on the penalty I could not agree less. I had an excellent view of the incident and it was a clear pen. In any case, GCU were second best by some distance all night, and instead of complaining about the penalty, you should be grateful that you weren't beaten by 3 goals. You can thank Moss for that. Brisbane are clearly a much better side, and the conditions worked much more for the less technically adept GCU team. Bleiberg really isn't much of a coach. This GCU side is so much less than it could be under a better man manager.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Yes it was a marvelous match and Glen Moss was outstanding in goal. However, Osinek should have a real good look at Dino Djulbic he certainly is a marvelous player. Not only can he defend with absolute quality but in set pieces and his late runs into the box can be ruthless; his diving header was a marvel. But the villain on the night was once again the Ref and his ridiculous penalty decision that cost GCU 3 pts. The United player was fouled but somehow the ref saw something in it that Curtis should be punished for. Again the Referee's have let Australian Football down yet again, but despite of him it was an enthralling football match.. And if it wasn't for the atrocious Boxing Day weather we could have had more then the 13k brave supporters that turn up to see Australian Football at its best.. A special mention to the groundsman who did a marvellous job on the surface. I wish he was the Robina Stadium groundsman.
gawa
Guest
What an excellent game to be at, no doubt all present will talk about this game for years to come. Once again Brisbane almost solely ran the tempo and controlled the play but when Gold Coast hit on the break they attacked with pace and were direct in so far that they had us Roar fans on edge all night. The rain, the pitch, the high quality of the play, drama and such genuine rivalry between the fans. There were four seperate groups around the ground on their feet and singing all night. Top drawer stuff even Broncos fans in attendance couldn't believe the atmosphere that was created.
Peter Mahon
Guest
Given the conditions both sides were part of a great game of football, well to the supporters too for it was pouring down then and for the previous week. We want more games like this-high skill-on the ground quality football :-)