Brisbane Roar managed to secure a 1-1 draw with Ulsan Hyundai in their Asian Champions League match in South Korea, despite the early dismissal of defender Matthew Jurman in the second half.
Jurman received a red card for a professional foul on midfielder Kim Seung-Yong after losing his footing on the slippery pitch. Although Roar goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos saved the following penalty, the team was unable to maintain their lead from halftime.
Young talent Nick Fitzgerald scored the first goal at the 36-minute mark following an excellent lay-off from Besart Berisha. However, the game was altered by Jurman’s expulsion, leading to Ulsan’s equalizer through Jae-Sung Lee.
Even with fewer players, Brisbane continued to remain positive, playing from the back and attacking vigorously in a match full of action.
Roar, who are set to face Central Coast in the second leg of their A-League major semi-final on Sunday in Gosford, actually created more chances in the second half, emerging as moral victors.
German star Thomas Broich again demonstrated his quality, being pivotal in transforming defense into a prime opportunity for Mitch Nichols, who faltered in the 68th minute while only having keeper Kim Seung-Gyu to beat.
With former teammates Matt McKay and Luke DeVere—now both based in South Korea—watching, Roar started brightly despite the chilly conditions.
In the opening eight minutes, midfield workhorse Massimo Murdocca was found unmarked in the box on two occasions, but he couldn’t capitalize on those opportunities.
While the visitors maintained their pressure, the Tigers posed some threats, notably a header from captain Kwak Tae-Hwi that struck the crossbar and Shane Stefanutto’s desperate header that saved a powerful shot from Julian Estiven Velez just off the line.
Stefanutto, who was among Brisbane’s top performers, nearly set up a potential match-winner for Besart Berisha with an instinctive interception, but the Albanian’s shot was blocked in the process.
With two points from three matches in the ACL, Roar remains in contention to advance to the knockout stages as they reach the midpoint of group play.
Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance but noted a need for better execution in front of goal.
“I felt we played really well throughout the match,” he remarked.
“We deserved to be ahead but going down a man for a significant portion of the second half made it challenging. Nonetheless, we created two or three fantastic chances for ourselves.
“Tonight, even with 10 players, we still attempted to play our style of football and sought that second goal; we weren’t content with just obtaining a point, and the players deserve full credit for that.
“The irritating part was we just couldn’t reap the rewards that I believed we were due.”
Another positive for the Roar, who will return to Australia on Friday morning, was that all players finished the match without injuries.
By Buford Balony
