The Western Sydney Wanderers were just five minutes from championship glory this afternoon but it all came crashing down in a heartbreaking conclusion at Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane scored a goal in the 18th minute of Extra Time through Henrique to break a 1-1 deadlock and deliver the Roar victory in the Grand Final; in the process devastating the thousands of Wanderers fans who’d travelled to Suncorp Stadium for the season decider.
The Wanderers were clearly the better side in the first half and carried their dominance into the second, finally breaking the 0-0 deadlock when Matthew Spiranovic finished off a corner with a superb header into the back of the net.
Leading 1-0, the Wanderers were just five minutes from lifting the trophy when the Roar levelled the game through Besart Berisha, all but confirming the game would go into Extra Time.
After on-field instructions from both managers, a tense and dramatic 30 minutes ensued – and it was Brisbane who appeared to have the edge.
Henrique’s goal – which came from an awful Wanderers defensive error – sent the bulk of the 51,000 people at Suncorp Stadium into raptures and gave the Roar the 2-1 lead they needed to secure the ultimate prize in Australian football.
In some bright news for the Wanderers, Iacopo La Rocca was named joint winner of the Joe Marston medal for best on ground alongside Brisbane’s Thomas Broich.
The Wanderers travel back to Sydney tonight and will fly to Japan tomorrow for their ACL Round of 16 Match against Hiroshima on Wednesday.
