A-League: Brisbane Roar beat Central Coast Mariners 5-3
Brisbane Roar have won an away game for the first time this season, beating Central Coast Mariners 5-3 on crazy night of goals and drama in Gosford.
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Update: Not even five Brisbane goals, a rare Roar win and his own spectacular overhead kick was enough to satisfy Eric Bautheac on a crazy night in Gosford.
In the battle of the A-League cellar-dwellers, the Roar moved eight points clear of the last-placed Central Mariners with a 5-3 victory.
The Mariners didn’t just lose the match but also the plot as they finished the game with just nine players following the dismissals of Aiden O’Neill and fiery skipper Matt Simon.
The quality of Brisbane’s finishing could not be questioned, with marquee man Bautheac and Alex Lopez both netting contenders for goals of the season.
However, the defending of both teams – apart from Roar centre-back Ruon Tongyik who was strong in his battle with battle with Simon - often left a lot to be desired.
It was why Bautheac was not jumping for joy after the Roar’s first away win of what has been a mainly forgettable season.
“We needed to win the game because this season has been hard for us,” the French winger told Fox Sports.
“I’m happy because we scored five times but I’m a little bit disappointed because they scored three times.
“It’s not good for us. We have to learn from this game.”
Bautheac started the scoring frenzy in the 31st minute with a perfect overhead strike after controlling a chipped Dylan Wenzel-Hall pass on his chest.
“It was a great goal. Dylan gave me a perfect assist …. I’m happy,” he said.
Four minutes later Brisbane doubled their lead with another spectacular effort, this time from Spanish midfielder Lopez, who left fly with a smashing volley from just inside the penalty area.
The goals didn’t stop, with the Mariners getting themselves back into the game two minutes later when an unmarked Connor Pain headed home a Matthew Millar cross.
Brisbane then restored their two-goal advantage in the 44th minute through Danish winger Tobias Mikkelsen, who scored his third goal in his past four appearances with a looping header from a Bautheac cross.
But the Mariners were quick to reply , with Brisbane-born midfielder O’Neill finding the corner of the net in first-half stoppage time.
The goals continued after the break, with Lopez scoring his second of the night in the 54th minute to make it 4-2 to the Roar.
Worse was to follow for the Mariners eight minutes later when O’Neill was sent off after a receiving a second yellow card for dissent.
The Roar increased their lead to 5-2 in the 74th minute through Wenzel-Halls, who found the back of the net for the third time in Brisbane’s past four games.
But in keeping with the nature of the contest, the Mariners weren’t yet done, with a 82nd-minute Jordan Murray header helping the hosts again cut into Brisbane’s lead.
However, it ended up being merely a consolation as Brisbane secured just their third win of the season.
To rub further salt into the Mariners’ wounds, captain Simon was sent off in injury time after receiving his second yellow card of the game for a cynical foul on Roar defender Daniel Bowles.
BRISBANE ROAR 5 (Eric Bautheac 31m, Alex Lopez 36m, 54m, Tobias Mikkelsen 45m, Dylan Wenzel-Halls74m) CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 3 (Connor Pain 38m, Aiden O’Neill 45+1m, Jordan Murray 82m) at Central Coast Stadium. Referee: Stephen Lucas
Originally published as A-League: Brisbane Roar beat Central Coast Mariners 5-3
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