Brisbane Roar 1–2 Canberra United (30/03/24)
By Ben Carey
Above: Vesna Milivojević dribbles with the ball. Photo:Canberra United.
Canberra United pulled off a late comeback win against Brisbane Roar on Saturday in what could be Canberra’s last evergame in the competition. There was an incredible crowd of almost 3,000 that came out to watch the game, which is a Perry Park record for an A-League Women’s match.
It was a slow and cagey start to the match, but both sides grew into the match. Brisbane Roar dominated the first half in terms of possession and chances. Brisbane’s high press put a lot of pressure on Canberra’s backline. Around the 30-minute mark the Roar missed a couple of big chances, but the momentum was definitely in their favour. The building pressure from the home side finally paid off a minute before half time when a well placed corner kick from Deborah-Anne De La Harpe found the head of Roar centre back Jenna McCormick who slipped it past the keeper to put Brisbane ahead before the break.
Canberra came out with purpose in the second half and Brisbane seemed to be a little bit complacent. A couple of minutes into the second half, a bad turnover from the Roar keeper to a United midfielder put the home side under immediate pressure. A shot from outside the 18-yard box hit the crossbar and dropped to Michelle Heyman, who brought it down on her chest but scuffed the attempt harmlessly into the keeper’s gloves. The home crowd breathed a sigh of relief.
It was an even contest after that with both sides having half chances up each end, but in the last 10 minutes of the match disaster struck for the home side. Some great build up play from Canberra down the right flank tore through Brisbane’s defence and Heyman picked up the ball in the six-yard box and tucked it behind the keeper to level the game.
Two minutes later, a superb midfield link-up between Vesna Milivojević and Heyman caught the Brisbane Roar defence sleeping. Milivojević found herself in acres of space to run at the keeper and slot it past her for the late winner.
After conceding the second goal, the home side seemed pretty defeated, and Canberra were able to close out the game without much resistance from Brisbane. That said, an amazing goal-line clearance from Leah Scarpelli, prevented the Roar from going down another goal at the death.
For Brisbane, it was a disappointing end to a disappointing season. To be fair, they were missing a hugely influential player in Tameka Yallop, who had a hand in most of Brisbane’s successes throughout the season. But ultimately it was the Roar’s poor late game management and inability to convert on chances that dug their own grave. Brisbane had glimpses of brilliance throughout the campaign, but they could never seem to hold onto it for several games in a row. Alex Smith’s leadership has proven to be a positive change, however, and being able to work with the team during the preseason and a full campaign will be massive for the side.
For Canberra, it was a surprisingly good end to perhaps their last ever season in the A-League Women’s competition. They were outplayed in the first half, but they didn’t hang their head in defeat, they persisted and showed a lot of desire and fight in the second half. In the end the combination of Heyman and Milivojević proved to be Brisbane Roar’s kryptonite. Hopefully there is some good news for Canberra in the coming weeks. But if not, it’s been a pleasure watching you play.
Teams: BRISBANE ROAR (3-4-3): Richards, Scarpelli, McCormick, De La Harpe, McQueen, Freier, Norrie, Palmer, Stephenson, Woods, Corbin. Substitutes: Shuttleworth, Davies,Levin, Hecher, Kirkup.
Scorers: McCormick 43’.
CANBERRA UNITED (4-1-4-1): Lincoln, Grove, Clark, Clough, Ilijoski, Milivojević, Whittall, Christopherson, Murray, Flannery, Heyman. Substitutes: Majstorovic, Bertolissio, McKenzie, Nathan, Jackson.
Scorers: Heyman 84’, Milivojević 86’.
Referee: Kate Jacewicz
Attendance: 2,842
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