Brisbane Roar fought back from a disastrous opening to earn a 2-2 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers in their Saturday afternoon Remembrance Round clash in Mudgee.
The visitors were 2-0 down and chasing shadows early on as Oriol Riera clinched a brace inside seventeen first half minutes.
But Alex Lopez’s sweet hit from long range and Adam Taggart’s second half penalty saw Roar stake an impressive recovery and claim their third point of the season.
Markus Babbel’s Wanderers side were sharp and purposeful from the opening whistle and deservedly broke the deadlock when Riera hammered home from close range after Bruce Kamau hit the crossbar.
Kamau then played a starring role in doubling the advantage, drawing a foul from Jacob Pepper in the penalty area following a mesmeric surge into the box.
Riera saw his spot-kick tipped onto the post by Jamie Young, but reacted first to toe in the rebound.
Young had repelled the dominant Wanderers time and time again in the opening half an hour, but the momentum took a dramatic reverse when Lopez fired in a powerful swerving effort from distance on the cusp of the interval.
John Aloisi’s men swiftly drew level after the half time break. Eric Bautheac was felled by Alexander Baumjohann in the area, leaving Taggart to rifle Roar level from the spot.
Both sides traded blows in search of a late winner, with Jaushua Sotirio going the closest. The Red & Black forward curled a lovely strike onto the post to underline a frustrating occasion for Western Sydney.
