The ‘desperation derby’ as it was dubbed pre-game ended with one side in considerably more relieved than the other as a fast-starting Melbourne City ran away 3-1 victors over Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
The real damage was done in the opening ten minutes as David Williams and Mate Dugandzic struck to sucker punch an out of sorts Brisbane Roar but they got reward for effort through substitute Brandon Borello who pulled one back.
Substitute Marc Marino continued on with his form in the NYL with his first senior goal to seal the game with City’s third late in the contest.
Both sides made their intentions clear right from the get go as they pushed forward with little regard for their defensive stability, with Luke Brattan landing the first jab with a fantastic drive into the arms of Redmayne.
City however responded with the one-two combo through Williams and Dugandzic, as the pair blasted their side into a 2-0 lead, much to the dismay of the champions.
Williams was the first to strike in the ninth minute as he profited from a tidy lay-off from the aforementioned Dugandzic to strike low past Jamie Young.
The Brisbane custodian was left to pick the ball out the back of the net a minute later as this time Dugandzic went himself, running the left flank before powering another low shot past the keeper who probably could’ve gotten a toe on the effort.
The fast start didn’t stop there as Redmayne was called into action on a number of occasions at the other end.
He first had the nous to palm away a powerful long range drive from Steve Lustica at the near post, before making another stunning save again off the defender, this time a reflex stop from 10-yards.
A couple of breaks in play did slow down the contest, but the action of the first 25 minutes more than made up for the lacklustre second stanza of the half bar some late referee drama.
No big decisions made by Kris Griffiths-Jones, but the match official impeded the run of Thomas Broich as the German was prepared to unleash on the stroke of half-time.
Professional foul there from the referee! #BRIvMCY
— Ned Zelic (@NedZelic) November 8, 2014
Redmayne was in inspired form up north as he reacted quickest to scupper a point-blank Matt McKay volley seven minutes from the restart.
Coach John van ‘t Schip was another in good touch, as his first substitute of the game nearly paid dividends a la Connor Pain against Wellington.
Jacob Melling was brought into the fray and almost made an immediate impact, playing a one-two before forcing Jamie Young into a rare save at his near post.
Brisbane finally made the breakthrough they so desperately craved as Borello deflected home McKay’s well hit strike to give the hosts a sniff at 2-1.
But both sides still continued to fashion chances and it was City on the break that sealed the contest through substitute Marc Marino who netted his first A-League goal to give his side a crucial three points.
After a raking ball from Aaron Mooy found James Brown – also off the bench – on the left wing, the signing from Newcastle squared up his teammate for a simple tap in, but an important one nonetheless.
Mooy – whose energetic display more than justified his recent Socceroos call-up – came an inch away from his side’s fourth, as he struck the crossbar with a wonder strike on the edge of the area.
But it didn’t matter for a City side who saw David Villa depart during the week, as they finished strong to claim an important three points.
***
Brisbane Roar 1 (Borello 67’) defeated by Melbourne City 3 (Williams 9’, Dugandzic 10’, Marino 80′)
Crowd: 17,131
Brisbane Roar: 21. Jamie YOUNG (GK), 2. Matt SMITH, 3. Shane STEFANUTTO, 8. Steven LUSTICA (7. Mensur KURTISI 80′), 10. HENRIQUE, 13. Jade NORTH, 17. Matt MCKAY, 18. Luke BRATTAN, 19. Jack HINGERT (15. James DONACHIE 46’), 22. Thomas BROICH, 23. Dimi PETRATOS (28. Brandon BORELLO 46’)
Unused Substitutes: 30. Matthew ACTON (GK), 12. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Melbourne City: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 3. Rob WIELAERT, 5. Erik PAARTALU, 6. Aaron MOOY, 7. Iain RAMSAY, 11. Damien DUFF, 15. David WILLIAMS (26. Marc MARINO 75’), 17. Jason HOFFMAN, 18. Paulo RETRE (25. Jacob MELLING 59’), 23. Mate DUGANDZIC (14. James BROWN 69’), 24. Paddy KISNORBO (c)
Unused Substitutes: 20. Tando VELAPHI (GK), 27. Ross ARCHIBALD
Yellow Cards: Retre 20’, Melling 66’, Dugandzic 77′
Red Cards: Nil