Two goals from Oriol Riera has helped Western Sydney Wanderers to an excellent 4-1 win over the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
Despite falling behind to an early goal from wonder-kid Dylan Wenzel-Halls, the Wanderers scored three times before the break to seal a superb victory.
Mitch Duke levelled the scores for the visitors before Riera made it a third double in four games against the Roar with a quickfire brace, including a spectacular volley.
Roly Bonavacia, who played the final pass for the first three Wanderers goals, then capped a superb display with the final goal in stoppage-time to complete the rout.
The result now extends the Wanderers’ unbeaten run to four games.
It was Roar that were quickest out of the blocks, taking the lead inside seven minutes through in-form Wenzel-Halls.
The 21-year-old did it all himself, driving at make-shift right-back Bruce Kamau, cutting inside onto his right foot and curling a strike into the far top corner.
It was Wenzel-Halls fourth goal in his last five games but was cancelled out just eight minutes later.
After being denied twice already by Jamie Young, Duke tried his luck from distance with his low striker squeezing through the hands of the Roar keeper and going in.
After a lull in the action, the game sprung back to life 10 minutes before the break thanks to Riera’s howitzer.
Bonevacia’s cross was a little behind the Spaniard but he produced an incredible hooked volley from the top of the box.
Riera had the ball in the net again just five minutes later only for the goal to initially be ruled out for offside.
But replays showed Bonevacia’s cross skimmed off the head of Roar defender Jacob Pepper before the Wanderers no.9 tucked it home.
Abraham Majok wasted the chance to extend the Wanderers’ lead early in the second half when he blazed his shot over the bar from close range.
Wanderers keeper Vedran Janjetovic had his skipper to thank for sparing his blushes soon after, with Brendan Hamill clearing Henrique’s shot off the line after the gloveman fumbled a high ball into the area.
Despite Roar’s best efforts to get back into the match they were unable to create any serious goal threats, with the Wanderers finishing things off through Bonevacia at the death.
