There was a touching moment as Charlie Austin celebrated his first goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League and Brisbane Roar’s equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers at CommBank Stadium.
A Masato Kudo jersey was front and centre on Saturday evening, with Austin dedicating his maiden Roar strike to the former Brisbane forward, who tragically died at the age of 32 following complications from brain surgery in Japan.
Kudo spent the 2020-21 season at the Roar.
“A few lads were affected before the game. It’s such sad news for him. Our thoughts go out to him and his family,” Austin told Paramount+ post-game following Saturday’s 1-1 draw.
“Sometimes it proves football doesn’t mean a lot.”
Former Japan international Kudo made 14 appearances for the Roar during his time in the A-League Men, scoring once under Warren Moon.
“Football is a game we all love but at the end of the day, it’s just a game,” Roar head coach Moon reflected in Western Sydney.
“There’s a lot of broken boys in our changing room in the last 24 hours. He was popular when he was here.
“He was a humble man. He was great around the team. He came with a smile everyday and we certainly miss him.”
The Roar had their chances away to high-flying Wanderers, but it was Western Sydney who took a 1-0 lead into half-time via Sulejman Krpic.
Krpic broke the deadlock after Austin and the Roar wasted some golden chances in the first half.
But Austin and Brisbane hit back in the second 45 minutes – the Englishman on target, while Scott Neville had a goal ruled out for offside.
“Personal note, yeah, great to score but I messed up in the first half,” Austin said, with the Roar taking two points from the opening three rounds. “I should’ve passed to Jordy. My fault.
“We should’ve been 1-0 up after two minutes and then they go up the other end and score.
“I guess we’re pleased with a point away from home. I think we could’ve taken all three but could’ve also came away from nothing.”
MATCH REPORT – Adrian Warren, AAP
Brisbane Roar emerged from a tough week with a hard-fought 1-1 A-League Men draw against Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Roar scored their first goal in almost four hours and Wanderers conceded their first in a similar amount of time when Brisbane equalised.
Sulejman Krpic netted his second goal in as many home games when a Marcelo long ball over the top caught out three defenders.
The Bosnian striker raced on to the ball and calmly drove it past Jordan Holmes in the fifth minute.
Brisbane levelled through Englishman Charlie Austin’s first-time right-foot finish in the 50th, after a surging run down the right and good cutback from Joseph Knowles.
It was the Roar’s second draw of the season and the Wanderers first dropped points following successive wins.
The well-deserved point came after a week in which the club attracted negative attention over their academy program and a halftime spat between Austin and Connor Chapman.
Brisbane were also hit by news their former player and Japan international striker Masato Kudo passed away on Friday.
Brisbane had the ball in the net twice in the second half but neither effort counted.
Scott Neville tapped in from close range after a Knowles shot rebounded to him off the underside of the bar, but the line-ball decision went against the visitors after a torturous three and a half minute VAR process.
James O’Shea’s free-kick deflected into the net off the Wanderers’ Calem Nieuwenhof, but was apparently disallowed because Chapman was less than a metre away from the defending team’s wall.
Brisbane wasted a couple of glorious chances before Western Sydney’s goal.
Austin had a shot saved in the third minute and Knowles broke clear of the defence but his strike brushed against the outside of the post.
After the early drama, another half hour elapsed before either side created a decent opportunity.
Marcelo had a firm header saved by Holmes and Lawrence Thomas did well to push away a strong Riku Danzaki shot.
The Wanderers showed more enterprise in the final quarter with substitute Ramy Najjarine’s shot saved by Holmes and the custodian blocked a Krpic effort and a follow up attempt from the same player.
