Oriol Riera brace eases Wanderers past Brisbane Roar

Spanish star Oriol Riera fired Western Sydney to a 4-1 win over Brisbane.

Wanderers striker Oriol Riera runs at Roar’s Jacob Pepper at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: AAP

In a tale of two imports, Spanish star Oriol Riera fired Western Sydney to a 4-1 win over Brisbane while German midfielder Alexander Baumjohann didn’t even lace up his boots.

Riera’s first-half double ensured the Wanderers fought back from an early Dylan Wenzel-Halls super strike to take the three points at Suncorp Stadium.

Baumjohann however didn’t even make the bench for the visitors after coach Markus Babbel omitted him following a week of poor effort in training.

The win continued the Wanderers’ fine recent form, with three wins and a draw in their past four matches lifting them to 20 points, eight behind sixth-placed Wellington with six games remaining in the season.

The Roar have now conceded 50 goals this season, the most of any team in the league.

The match actually started well for the home team with Wenzel-Hall’s second cracker in as many home matches putting them ahead in the seventh minute.

The 21-year-old, unlucky to miss Olyroos selection earlier in the week, stepped inside Bruce Kamau and unleashed a curling right-foot effort from outside the area that gave Wanderers’ goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic no chance.

Mitchell Duke, making his first start for the Wanderers, was then twice denied by Roar goalkeeper Jamie Young but had the last laugh when his 15th minute long-range strike squirmed under Young and into the net.

Riera then put the Wanderers ahead in the 35th minute with a sweet right-foot volley from a Roly Bonevacia cross that gave Young no chance.

And three minutes later the Spaniard prodded home and was eventually rewarded with his eighth goal of the season when a VAR review overruled an initial offside call.

The Roar battled hard in an improved second-half display but it was the Wanderers who found the back of the net when Bonevacia scored in second-half stoppage time for his seventh goal of the season.

Baumjohann’s omission continues an underwhelming marquee campaign by the 32-year-old with Babbel challenging his compatriot to earn back his spot.

“He wasn’t training to what I was expecting, which had a consequence,” Babbel told Fox Sports.

“I feel sad for him, but now there’s a chance to show me next week he wants to come back.” The Wanderers travel to New Zealand next weekend to play the Phoenix while the Roar are on the road against Melbourne Victory.

AAP