Adelaide claim feisty encounter with Roar to take second on ladder

Adelaide came through a feisty encounter with Brisbane to claim second spot on the A-League ladder.

Brisbane Roar’s Stefan Mauk lies unconscious after colliding with Craig Goodwin of Adelaide late on in the game at Coopers Stadium. Picture: Getty Images

Two goals from Ben Halloran brace delivered Adelaide United a 2-1 victory against an injury-hit Brisbane Roar and second spot on the A-League ladder.

Brisbane’s loss at Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium in a feisty fixture was compounded by injuries to striker Adam Taggart, Frenchman Eric Bautheac and Stefan Mauk.

Mauk and Adelaide’s Taylor Regan were sent off for separate incidents in the second half and coaches Marco Kurz and John Aloisi had a heated sideline spat.

“The emotions from both sides were very high because both teams wanted to win,” Adelaide’s Kurz said. “Also a lot of trouble ... with the hard-tackling but that’s man sport. That is normal.”

Taggart, who had scored five goals in his last five games, limped from the field with a groin injury after 35 minutes. Bautheac hobbled off 20 minutes later after copping a knock to his right knee in a collision with Reds defender Regan, who was later sent off for a face- grapple on Mauk.

And Mauk was given a straight red card for a studs-up tackle on Adelaide’s Craig Goodwin in injury time, sparking dispute between Reds boss Kurz and his Roar counterpart Aloisi. Mauk was knocked out in the incident and Aloisi was angry that Adelaide players tried to lift the Roar recruit while he lay prone.

“There were certain challenges that you don’t like to see in a football game,” Aloisi said.

“But the red card that Stefan Mauk received, I thought both players went for the ball with their studs up – I don’t know why Stefan Mauk got the red card and nothing happened to Craig Goodwin.”

Halloran scored his first with a crisp first-time clip with his left foot two minutes before halftime and added a second with a tap-in four minutes after the break.

But Adelaide had to endure a nervy final 25 minutes after Henrique, who replaced Taggart, replied for Brisbane when sliding onto a low cross from fellow sub Dylan Wenzel Halls.

Adelaide played the final 20 minutes with 10-men after Regan was sent off after an unseemly melee involving a mass of players.

Regan, who had earlier been yellow-carded, placed his fingers on the face of Mauk and was shown another yellow after the incident was reviewed by the video assistant referee.

In injury time, Mauk was sent off after the clash with Goodwin.

AAP