Brisbane Roar bounced back to winning ways with a vengeance in the Hyundai A-League on 29 November, climbing off the bottom of the table with an emphatic 4-1 victory over ten-man Wellington Phoenix, whose hopes of victory were dealt a telling blow when fullback Manny Muscat was sent off for violent conduct just shy of the hour mark. The home team began brightly, cheering the 6,307 fans present at Suncorp Stadium by creating successive openings inside the first five minutes. Andrew Packer headed the first of these over the crossbar before Reinaldo failed to spot Charlie Miller's surging run through the inside-right channel seconds later. Tommy Oar was then unleashed on the Wellington rearguard, and with his first foray, in the fifth minute, scythed through three challenges en route to the by-line, from where he clipped a cross into the goalmouth. Rising unchallenged was Sergio Van Dijk, only for the striker's header to crash to safety off Reece Crowther's right-hand post. Wellington responded through a Paul Ifill-led raid, which featured Muscat's overlapping run down the right and subsequent cross from the by-line. Leo Bertos was unable to direct his header on target, unlike Reinaldo in the seventeenth minute. Miller released Oar down the left, and his cross beyond the far post found Van Dijk lurking with intent. Crowther parried the striker's header, only to look on in horror as Reinaldo, hovering on the edge of the six-yard box, stooped to head the rebound into an empty net. Brisbane's advantage lasted all of ten minutes. After Chris Greenacre had gone close with a cheeky back-heeled effort from a Daniel free-kick, the striker rose unchallenged to head home a Bertos cross to the near post, after he had worked a short corner routine with Daniel. 1-1, and a game nicely poised, despite the humidity in which it was being played. Brisbane's response to being pegged back was a neat move featuring Craig Moore and Miller, whose slick one-two with Van Dijk saw the Scot surge towards the edge of the penalty area, where his shot cannoned to safety off Andrew Durante. After Crowther had greedily grabbed an Oar free-kick, Van Dijk gifted possession to Ben Sigmund, who ignited a Wellington raid which featured Muscat, Daniel and Greenacre. The last-mentioned's drive was parried by Brisbane 'keeper Griffin McMaster, with Josh McCloughan first to react to the loose ball. Six minutes before the interval, McMaster's fine fingertip save denied Ifill, after Vince Lia and Daniel had combined to prise open Brisbane's defence. It was Lia whose vital interception thwarted a Brisbane raid moments later, soon after Oar, Reinaldo and Van Dijk had created an opening on Wellington's right which came to nought. In the final minute of the first half, Oar, who was proving himself a right menace to the visitors' rearguard, beat Muscat all ends up before whipping in a cross which was too good for the flailing figure of Crowther. Packer was the beneficiary of the delivery, only for Durante to deny the fullback at the death. A timely McCloughan tackle prevented Ifill from capitalising on a Tony Lochhead cross in first half stoppage time, while the striker came close to breaking the deadlock eight minutes into the second

spell, after Muscat and Bertos had combined on the right. Ifill's deflected shot brought a fine reflex save from McMaster, who would otherwise have been beaten at his near post. Brisbane's first attack of note in the second half saw them regain the lead. Luke Devere got the better of Daniel near his own corner flag and surged upfield before feeding Miller, who had drifted out to the touchline on half-way. The playmaker's superbly weighted first time pass sent Reinaldo racing through the inside right channel, and his first time shot on the run arrowed past the advancing figure of Crowther and inside the far post - 2-1 to the home team. Within a minute, any hopes Wellington harboured of redressing the balance were dealt a body blow, similar in strength to the stiff forearm Muscat used to floor Oar in an off-the-ball incident. Much to the fullback's disbelief, debutant referee Alan Milliner had seen it take place, and didn't think twice before wielding the red card - a fine piece of officiating. The ten men battled bravely on for the next twenty minutes, and after Reinaldo squandered a glorious chance to complete his hat-trick with just Crowther to beat from six yards, could well have drawn level nineteen minutes from time. Van Dijk, under pressure from three opponents, gifted possession to Bertos on Brisbane's left. His cross picked out Sigmund, whose shot was grabbed at the second attempt by McMaster, who was soon in action again, this time to deny substitute Troy Hearfield. Ifill, uncharacteristically, headed the rebound over an open goal. In between times, Crowther had parried a piledriver from Reinaldo to safety. But come the 79th minute, the 'keeper was beaten all ends up by a cracking twenty yard free-kick from Van Dijk, which arced round the wall and into the top left-hand corner of the net - a splendidly executed set-piece which made it 3-1 in Brisbane's favour. Despite their numerical and scoreboard inferiority, Wellington continued to chase the game, with substitutes Adrian Caceres and Costa Barbarouses both going close soon after the third goal. But Moore, in particular, stood firm, and after Sigmund had snuffed out another long-range run from Devere, Brisbane wrapped up the scoring in stoppage time. Oar, who had been somewhat subdued after the crude tactics Muscat employed to knock him off his stride - Hearfield's role in containing the winger following his introduction shouldn't go unacknowledged, played the ball inside to substitute Mitch Nichols, whose through ball sent another replacement, David Dodd, dashing into the penalty area. Crowther came off his line to close down the angle, but didn't close the gap between his legs, an option Dodd deftly exploited to wrap up a 4-1 win for Brisbane, which lifted them off the bottom of the table and to within a point of sixth-placed Wellington, who have yet to beat their Queensland conquerors in eight attempts. Brisbane:     McMaster; Devere, Moore, McCullough (booked, 69); Packer, Sarota, Miller (Nichols, 78), McKay (Tiatto, 64), Oar; Reinaldo (Dodd, 86), Van Dijk Wellington:     Crowther; Muscat (sent off, 57), Sigmund (booked, 77), Durante, Lochhead; Bertos (booked, 72) (Caceres, 78), Lia, Brown, Daniel (Hearfield, 62); Ifill, Greenacre (Barbarouses, 69) Referee:     Alan Milliner