A-League wrap: Roar clear on top, Mariners deny Glory win

Brisbane extended their unbeaten run to 16 matches and retained their comfortable lead at the top of the A-League with a 1-0 win over Sydney.

A well-taken goal from Kosta Barbarouses just before half-time separated the sides and heralded the Roar’s first win in Sydney.

Coming off a 4-0 hiding at the hands of Central Coast last start, Sydney were just as bad in the first half but improved in the second term without finding the goal that would have got them back into the contest.

Ange Postecoglou’s side ended their poor record at the Sydney Football Stadium which stretched back nine winless games since the start of the league.

Mitchell Nicholls and then Jean Carlos Solorzano produced lovely first-time passes to open up the defence and allow Barbarouses to ghost into the box and go one-on-one with keeper Ivan Necevski.

Despite the acute angle, Barbarouses hit his shot across goal and into the left-hand corner of the net.

Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka brought on striker Alex Brosque for the second half and his arrival enlivened the hosts for a period.

But on the few occasions they threaded their way through the Roar defender, they found keeper Michael Theoklitos blocking their way.

At the other end Necevski was called on several times to keep Brisbane to the one goal.

He held up his end of the bargain but there was nothing to celebrate at the opposite end of the pitch, the loss leaving Sydney in the bottom three and with a massive task to get anywhere near the top six.

In the other game on Sunday, a controversial late goal from Patrick Zwaanswijk gave Central Coast a 1-1 draw with Perth Glory.

Perth took the lead in the fourth minute through a deflected Josh Mitchell strike and appeared set to hold on after weathering a second-half onslaught from the Mariners in warm conditions.

But Dutch defender Zwaanswijk was on hand in the 87th minute to bundle the ball across the line from close-range, although it looked like Joshua Risdon was fouled by Daniel McBreen as the Mariners’ striker nodded the ball across to Zwaanswijk.

Glory launched a late assault on the Central Coast goal as Robbie Fowler sent a free kick over the bar before the former Liverpool striker fired a powerful strike straight at Mariners stopper Matthew Ryan.

But the hosts could not force another goal and had to settle for a point that sees them remain in second-last on the table, while the Mariners stay in fourth.