Brisbane Roar were defeated by Sydney FC in their last game of the regular A-League season on Saturday, putting the hosts’ chance of finishing in third-place in jeopardy.
The Roar, who had the opportunity to seal a third-place finish, could not find a way past the impressive Thomas Heward-Belle in the Sydney goal, despite enjoying more of the ball and carving out many chances.
With the win, the Sky Blues extended their winning run to five games and cemented their status as the second-best team behind Melbourne City.
The in-form visitors began the game the better of both teams, fashioning their first chance of the day in the ninth minute, but striker Bobo could only direct Luke Brattan’s corner onto the bar.
The chance showed Sydney’s intent in the game, and they kept creating chances early in the game.
Their breakthrough came in the 16th minute through Kosta Barbarouses, who scored against his former side from a difficult angle after being released by a Paulo Retre ball over the top.
Dylan Wenzel-Halls thought he had equalised for the hosts, but his swerving shot in the 33rd minute from the left was well saved by Heward-Belle in the Sydney goal.
Both teams continued to trade chances in the game, but neither side could find a breakthrough until the fifth minute of second-half added time when substitute Harry Van Der Saag somehow found the back of the net against the run of play to seal the win for Sydney with the last kick of the game.
The win means that Sky Blues play the highest-ranked winner while Brisbane Roar will play Adelaide United if Central Coast Mariners win their game against Western United later in the day.
