Brisbane Roar FC
0
Match Complete
Western United FC
1
| 68' |  | A. Durante | ||
| S. McDonald | | 64' | ||
| 46' | | T. Imai | ||
| T. Aldred | | 39' | ||
| 21' |  | A. Diamanti | ||
| 4' | | T. Uskok |
| 16 | Shots | 12 | ||
| 3 | On Target | 5 | ||
| 21 | Fouls | 15 | ||
| 5 | Corners | 0 | ||
| 0 | Offsides | 4 | ||
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 | ||
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
Brisbane Roar and Western United will meet in the second elimination final of the A-League campaign as both teams search for a spot in the semi-final at Bankwest Stadium without a crowd. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary for the match, with the clash kicking off at 6pm (AEST).
The Brisbane Roar have picked up where they left off since the restart from the break, even with a new head coach.
Meanwhile they battle off controversial off-field issues, with Robbie Fowler claiming he was illegally sacked after not returning to Australia.
However, on the field, they have been in form under new coach Warren Moon.
Facing a tricky restart, they managed five points out of a possible 12 and had impressive draws against both Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
As outlined in my article earlier this week on the A-League finals series, Warren Moon has made an interesting tactical change upfront.
Scott McDonald is appearing in more of a central role up front, while Dylan Wenzel-Halls is playing more of an inside left position, getting in behind from deep.
This strategy is giving Brisbane another element to their game.
McDonald has a fantastic touch under pressure, meaning Brisbane can fizz low balls into central positions to help relieve pressure.
This has been a frequent feature of Brisbane’s game, giving them a more vertical approach in their very horizontal style of attacking.
McDonald has grown into this role, scoring two goals in four games since the restart.
Meanwhile Western United have been the form team since the A-League restart despite having an extremely clogged schedule.
While they lost to Melbourne City, it is hard to take that game into account considering the rotation Mark Rudan employed heading into the finals series.
Before that, they took 12 out of 15 points, with wins against Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory and Sydney FC.
They have improved defensively from their midseason crisis, and the signing of Tomoki Imai has been crucial, partnering well with Andrew Durante and Aaron Calver in the heart of the defence.
And of course, with Alessandro Diamanti in your team, anything is possible.
Prediction
The attacking firepower for Western United may be enough to get Mark Rudan’s side over the line. They have an extremely experienced team who knows how to play for the win.
Western United aren’t a side that needs to get in behind, especially with Besart Berisha up front, which won’t be good for Brisbane’s deep defence, and they will struggle to contain Max Burgess and Diamanti.
Join The Roar tonight at 6pm AEST for live scores and a blog of the match.
Game information
Kick-off: 6pm (AEST)
Venue: Bankwest Stadium
TV: Fox Sports
Live stream: Kayo Sports, Foxtel, MyFootball Live app
Stevo
Roar Rookie
No fear, the City boyz will get the job done :thumbup:
Jack George
Roar Guru
Thank you for joining me in tonights A-League coverage of the A-League's second elimination final. There's a brilliant morning of football coming up, with Bayern Munich taking on Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League final in Lisbon, while Ligue 1 will resume as Nice plays Lens. Have a good week, everyone!
Jack George
Roar Guru
Match report: Western United are just one win away from a grand final in their first season in the A-League. An audacious free-kick effort from Alessandro Diamanti was enough to seal the three points for the side in green and black. Brisbane Roar had the edge from the start, with Brisbane Roar doing well to keep Alessandro Diamanti quiet in the first 10-15 minutes. Brisbane found good width in their shape with both wingbacks getting into dangerous positions. They also utilised Scott McDonald’s touch under pressure to help get them out of sticky situations at the back, often driving balls into the centre of the park in an attempt to relieve pressure. In the 19th minute, Besart Berisha won a foul five metres outside the box towards the left of the D, a set piece I called ‘a good crossing opportunity’. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Diamanti lined up the ball and rifled it with a spin into the top left corner. Jamie Young got a hand to it but it wasn’t enough, as Western United took a 1-0 lead at Bankwest stadium. Western United controlled the next fifteen minutes of the game, creating some decent chances and pressing in an aggressive 2-3 formation upfront with the two centre-midfielders playing high, looking to shut down any passes into Brisbane’s midfield. This left Andrew Durante to man-mark Scott McDonald, who was consistently dropping off the frontline and intercept any penetrative passes into Brisbane’s midfield, a job he excelled at. Brisbane was the better side come the second half as Western United looked to protect their 1-0 lead. They had multiple chances. In the 61st minute, Scott McDonald drove into the penalty area before playing a smart pass inside to Jay O’Shea, who kicked a weak shot straight towards Kurto. In the 67th minute, a counterattack from Brisbane Roar leads to Brad Inman driving into the box and releasing a powerful shot towards the front post which had Filip Kurto beaten. However, his effort struck the post and bounced back into play. Brisbane struggled to create many chances from that moment and Western United cruised to their first-ever semi-final. On Wednesday, Western United face Melbourne City, kick-off 5 pm to decide who will be the first team into the A-league grand final. Final score: Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
pete4
Guest
Much the same as last night's match better football side on the day loses
Jack George
Roar Guru
FULLTIME! In their first season, Western United are into the semi-finals! The match report will be out in 5-10 minutes, but in the meantime, discuss your thoughts on the match! Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 8' Foul on Gillesphey as Brisbane look to go forward. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 7' Could we reach 100 minutes? Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 6' Stamatelopolous is fouled by Jay O'Shea which leads to a fight in the middle of the field. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 6' Jamie Young on the ball as Brisbane look to find one more chance. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 5' We're at the referees disgression now... Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 5' Pasquali has moved into Burgess' midfield role while Dylan Perias is now playing right wing-back in place of Josh Risdon. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 4' Substitution for Western United as Sebastian Pasquali replaces Josh Risdon. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 3' Risdon will not be able to continue as the physio signals for a change. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 2' Josh Risdon remains down and there will be more time added on here as Risdon remains down. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 2' Substitution for Western United as Besart Berisha is replaced by Apostolos Stamatelopolous. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90 + 1' With Amadi-Holloway on the field Brisbane will be going route one until the end of the game. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90' Western United giving up on their mid-block and playing with a very low line now. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
90' There will be five minutes of added time here at Bankwest stadium. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
89' Goalkick for Western United as they look to relieve pressure. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1
Jack George
Roar Guru
89' Brisbane keeping the ball but struggling to create any opportunities. Brisbane Roar 0 Western United 1