Brisbane Roar produced an excellent display to beat Melbourne Heart 4-0 at Suncorp Stadium today and move into 2nd place on the A-League ladder.
Roar coach Ange Postecoglu has assembled a fine team this season and they are playing attractive and effective football.
The home side took a 23rd-minute lead through Kosta Barbarouses. Thomas Broich released Shane Stefanutto down the left and he picked out Barbarouses on the right of the box. Barbarouses rounded Dean Heffernan and scored with a shot that deflected off Simon Colosimo and beat Clint Bolton.
Bolton had a magnificent game for Melbourne Heart and the score might have been doubled but for the visiting keeper’s heroics.
In the 32nd minute, Reinaldo squared the ball across the box for Barbarouses, but Bolton blocked his strike.
A minute later, Luke DeVere found Matt McKay, who turned sharply and sent in a shot from the corner of the box, but Bolton again came to the rescue by diverting the ball for a corner.
It was all Brisbane and, in the 34th minute, a short corner enabled Broich to float the ball over from the left, where Barbarouses’s header was cleared off the line by Matt Thompson.
Brisbane were attacking relentlessly and, in the 35th minute, Erik Paartalu fired just wide after collecting a pass from the right.
It was 2-0 two minutes later. A cross from the right was headed clear, but only as far as Matt Smith, whose goal-bound shot was deflected in by team-mate Paartalu.
Reinaldo added the third 3 minutes after the resumption from a penalty, which he earned after being brought down from behind by Dean Heffernan.
Heffernan collected a second yellow card 6 minutes later and was sent off.
With Heart down to 10 men, it meant even more action for Bolton and the keeper rose to the occasion, denying Reinaldo in the 62nd minute by racing off his line and clearing at the striker’s feet after a splendid pass by Barbarouses had put the Brazilian in with a chance.
Three minutes later Bolton produced a wonderful save from Mitch Nichols, diving to his left and turning the ball wide.
Bolton was at it again in the 74th minute when he somehow got to Rocco Visconte’s shot and turned the ball to safety.
A beautifully worked goal in the 76th minute completed Brisbane’s victory. Nichols played a one-two on the edge of the box with Nichols and got inside the area before beating Bolton with a low drive inside the far left-hand post.
Heart not only lost the match, but their key defender Simon Colosimo had to leave the field with a neck injury that looked quite serious.
The attendance of 6,000 was a little disappointing, given the fine football that Brisbane are playing.
Melbourne Heart dropped to 8th on the ladder. Their next game is the first Melbourne derby against Melbourne Victory, but this may be postponed because of the replay next Saturday night of the AFL grand final.
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