Roar undone in A-League tussle

Jan 13, 2017 - 6:00 PM Forget the oft-heard game of two halves.

Melbourne Victory against Brisbane Roar was an A-League clash of three very distinct thirds.

The opening half-hour saw a rampant Victory put on three goals in quick time.

Brisbane fought back in the middle stanza, scoring twice before half-time and maintaining control after the break.

And the final drama-laden third saw Besart Berisha's controversial send-off, followed by the Victory rearguard.

Ultimately, Victory's early dominance told as Kevin Muscat's side held on for a 3-2 success.

There was plenty to discuss after the match -Berisha's contentious dismissal, stunning free-kicks from Dimitri Petratos and James Troisi, and three other goals - but Muscat wanted the focus on the opening half-hour.

"Let's call a spade a spade," he said.

"That first 27 minutes we played some great football.

"They were on the back foot. We were dominating with presence with a clear intent to attack."

Perhaps surprisingly, visiting coach John Aloisi wasn't too upset with his team's start.

"I don't think we were asleep. I thought we started the game quite well and then they just scored three goals quite quickly," he said.

But such was the spirit shown by his side in the middle half hour, Aloisi couldn't be too hard on his beaten players.

"The fightback was good. You could the sense the Victory crowd were getting worried," he said.

"When it was 11 v 11 I was really pleased with the way we played and the chances we created.

"When it went down to 10 men, the Victory crowd shifted and started to cheer their team on ... the sending off played a little bit in their favour because they defended well after that.

"To come to AAMI Park and play against Victory in red hot form and put in a performance like we did, it means we're heading in the right direction. We'll get stronger."

The result puts Victory - temporarily at least - back to within four points of leaders Sydney FC.

But perhaps more importantly, it almost shuts the door on Brisbane or Melbourne City's efforts to dislodge them from the top two.

Third-placed City are nine points behind Victory, who also have a game in hand, with Brisbane a further two points back.

"It's very difficult to get a top two position with the situation we're in at the moment," Aloisi said.

"But we're not afraid to go away from home.

"If we're able to make the finals, with the players that we've got and the way we're playing we can give anyone a game. We're confident about that."

Source: AAP