Scott McDonald breaks duck as Brisbane Roar outplay Wanderers

BScott McDonald and Jay O’Shea both opened their accounts for Brisbane in an impressive win over Western Sydney Wanderers.

Brisbane’s Scott McDonald scores his second goal of the night against Western Sydney at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Getty Images

Brisbane duo Scott McDonald and Jay O’Shea have both opened their accounts for the A-League club in an impressive 3-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers.

McDonald notched a first-half double while Irish midfielder O’Shea’s second-half penalty secured a crucial three points for the Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

The win lifts Brisbane above Adelaide into fifth on the ladder ahead of the Reds’ clash with Western United on Saturday.

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More importantly it means Robbie Fowler’s team are now five points clear of United and the Wanderers in the race for the finals.

Western Sydney, who came into the game looking to leapfrog the Roar into the top six, were surprisingly under-par following their derby win last weekend over Sydney FC.

Apart from captain Mitch Duke’s individual effort in the second half that briefly sparked hopes of a revival, the visitors were distinctly second best on a humid night in the Queensland capital.

Brisbane got off to the perfect start, with McDonald opening his account for the club in the third minute.

The ex-Socceroo bundled home an effort from close range after the Wanderers failed to clear a free-kick.

A sluggish Wanderers were lucky not concede more before McDonald’s second came in the 38th minute.

Macaulay Gillesphey’s cross took a touch off Tate Russell and McDonald tapped home from close range with the goal eventually awarded after a VAR check overturned an offside call against the Roar forward.

The first 45 was perhaps the Roar’s best first half of the season, with Duke’s tame shot in the 36th minute the only shot on target the visitors could muster.

Brisbane were unlucky not to go in three goals to the good, but O’Shea’s free-kick on the cusp of halftime smacked into the post with Daniel Lopar stranded in the Wanderers goal.

Out of nothing, the Wanderers cut the margin back to one goal when Duke continued his fine run of goalscoring form, running clear down the left before cutting past Roar captain Tom Aldred and firing a near-post finish past Jamie Young in the 54th minute.

But Roar’s two-goal cushion was restored when Brad Inman pounced on a Dylan McGowan error in the 70th minute, before being cut down by Matthew Jurman inside the box.

AAP