Brisbane Roar captain Tom Aldred scored with the last kick of the game to rescue a 1-1 draw against Auckland FC in the A-League Men at Suncorp Stadium on Friday, October 30, denying the visitors a win after they had led for 84 minutes. Aldred struck in the 95th minute, turning a night of mounting frustration into a point that, in his own words, “almost feels like a win,” according to the A-League’s AAP report. Brisbane had opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Perth Glory, according to the same report, but Auckland struck first against the run of play.
Sakai stuns Roar early
Auckland captain Hiroki Sakai put the visitors in front in the 11th minute, according to Brisbane Roar’s match report, with a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. It was, for a long time, Auckland’s only shot on target, according to the AAP report.
A night of near misses
What followed was 80 minutes of mounting frustration for the hosts, in the AAP report’s phrase. Brisbane finished with 68.8 per cent possession and 12 corners to Auckland’s three, according to the club report, and outshot the visitors 19 to 12, yet repeatedly found the woodwork or a scrambling Auckland defence in their way. Sabit Ngor hit the post in the 38th minute, according to the AAP report, and Justin Vidic rattled the crossbar in the 49th minute after the break.
Aldred delivers at the death
The reward finally came in stoppage time. Aldred’s initial headed attempt from Nam Tae-Hee’s corner was blocked, according to the AAP report, but the Roar skipper pounced on the loose ball and weaved a second attempt through a mass of bodies into the bottom left corner, sending the supporters behind the goal, known as The Den, into raptures. “I felt we had a positive performance — it would have been a bit of a sucker blow to come out with nothing,” Aldred told Paramount+, according to the AAP report. “It feels good — took one on the chin, count to 10, and we get back up.” Auckland winger Lachlan Brook, by contrast, said the draw felt like a loss, telling Paramount+ that his side had been 1-0 up pretty much the whole game, according to the same report. Before Friday, Auckland had won three of the four previous meetings between the sides, with one draw, according to the club report, so Brisbane are still chasing a first win over them — but a point earned with the last kick is a foundation to build on.
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