Brisbane Roar emerged from a tough week with a hard-fought 1-1 A-League Men draw against Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Roar scored their first goal in almost four hours and Wanderers conceded their first in a similar amount of time when Brisbane equalised.
Sulejman Krpic netted his second goal in as many home games when a Marcelo long ball over the top caught out three defenders.
The Bosnian striker raced on to the ball and calmly drove it past Jordan Holmes in the fifth minute.
Brisbane levelled through Englishman Charlie Austin’s first-time right-foot finish in the 50th, after a surging run down the right and good cutback from Joseph Knowles.
It was the Roar’s second draw of the season and the Wanderers first dropped points following successive wins.
The well-deserved point came after a week in which the club attracted negative attention over their academy program and a halftime spat between Austin and Connor Chapman.
Brisbane were also hit by news their former player and Japan international striker Masato Kudo passed away on Friday.
Brisbane had the ball in the net twice in the second half but neither effort counted.
Scott Neville tapped in from close range after a Knowles shot rebounded to him off the underside of the bar, but the line-ball decision went against the visitors after a torturous three and a half minute VAR process.
James O’Shea’s free-kick deflected into the net off the Wanderers’ Calem Nieuwenhof, but was apparently disallowed because Chapman was less than a metre away from the defending team’s wall.
Brisbane wasted a couple of glorious chances before Western Sydney’s goal.
Austin had a shot saved in the third minute and Knowles broke clear of the defence but his strike brushed against the outside of the post.
After the early drama, another half hour elapsed before either side created a decent opportunity.
Marcelo had a firm header saved by Holmes and Lawrence Thomas did well to push away a strong Riku Danzaki shot.
The Wanderers showed more enterprise in the final quarter with substitute Ramy Najjarine’s shot saved by Holmes and the custodian blocked a Krpic effort and a follow up attempt from the same player.
