- Thomas Kristensen - 33'
Thomas Kristensen strike enough for Roar to beat Mariners
A first half strike from Thomas Kristensen helped a wasteful Brisbane hold off Central Coast 1-0 and claim their first win of the A-League season.
The loss keeps Central Coast without a win this season and extends their winless run to 13, however rookie coach Paul Okon will be buoyed by his team's effort.
Playing in their first home game of the season, the Mariners treated the 7,073 crowd with an intent missing from their 4-0 humiliation against Sydney FC a week earlier.
The return of Fabio Ferreira injected a creative outlet early on the right flank, while goalkeeper Paul Izzo produced a number of strong saves in place of a sacked Ivan Necevski.
Brisbane had to survive a handball shout on Luke De Vere that could've been an issue, while Mariners talisman Roy O'Donovan's header had to be parried away by Michael Theo soon after.
However despite the home side's bright early display, Kristensen drew first blood for the visitors and rewarded right-back Jack Hingert in the 33rd minute. His cross was met with a quick-fire shot from Brett Holman, only for a deflection to draw Izzo out of the goal to be beaten by Kristensen's low hit.
The Mariners re-asserted their dominance after half-time but failed to muster a clear chance, eventually running out of puff and allowing the Roar back into the contest.
Twice Izzo denied point-blank opportunities to Jamie Maclaren, who was also denied by the crossbar in the 59th minute. The former Socceroo wasn't the only one to throw away chances, with substitute Brandon Borrello also failing to score a second goal for his side after an Izzo error late in the game.
Midweek signing Scott Galloway made his first appearance for the Mariners late in the second half after moving from Melbourne Victory.
Game Information
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