A-League wrap: Mariners close in on Reds, Roar held

Adelaide slumped to their third straight defeat as the Brisbane Roar extended their lead at the top of the A-League on Sunday.

The Central Coast Mariners moved to within one point of second-placed Adelaide after beating the Reds 2-0 at Bluetongue Stadium, while the Roar twice came from behind against the Gold Coast before holding on for a 2-2 draw.

In Gosford, Mariners striker Matt Simon broke the deadlock in the 51st minute with a stylish solo effort before a Sergio van Dijk own goal in the 78th minute sealed the win for Central Coast.

The win lifts the Mariners onto 36 points, just one behind the Reds on 37, although Central Coast have two games in hand over their South Australian rivals.

Both sides started the crucial clash cautiously and for the most part it was a fairly uneventful first half.

The home side eventually grabbed the opener six minutes after half-time when Simon got the better of Iain Fyfe on the left touchline, before sneaking a low shot inside the near post from 18 yards out.

Just two minutes later the Mariners put the game beyond doubt when van Dijk was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when a Michael McGlinchey corner cleared a throng of players in the penalty area only to slide off van Dijk’s shin and into his own net.

In Brisbane, the Roar extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches after twice coming from behind at a rain-soaked Suncorp Stadium.

The torrential downpour did nothing to dampen an entertaining match, and it was the Gold Coast who struck first after Dino Djulbic headed home on 14 minutes.

Costa Barbarouses equalised on the half hour mark after chipping Gold Coast goalkeeper Glen Moss, but the visitors reclaimed the lead 10 minutes after the interval when Robson broke through the defence and placed a low shot through the legs on goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos.

But Gold Coast veteran John Curtis gave Brisbane and avenue back into the match when he brought down Barbarouses in the area in the 66th minute, and Jean Carlos Solorzano slotted the resultant penalty to give the Roar a share of the points.