Brisbane Roar have provided a fitting end to Melbourne Victory’s season-to-forget after handing the fallen Isuzu UTE A-League giants a 1-0 defeat at AAMI Park.
Played into Victory’s penalty area by a clever backheel from roommate Henry Hore in the 54th minute, Jordan Courtney-Perkins rocketed a maiden ALM goal past Paul Izzo to secure interim coach Nick Green a win in what is expected to be his final game in charge.
Both side’s finals hopes already extinguished, another incentive to perform was lost before kickoff when Macarthur went down to Wellington, guaranteeing neither could finish with an unwanted wooden spoon.
Instead, the lone prize on offer was avoiding a playoff for a spot in the Australia Cup’s national stages.
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The three points ensure Roar avoided that fate but, crashing to 11th, Victory will now have to compete in one of those fixtures in July.
It’s the second time in the past four seasons that the Victorians have finished second-bottom of the table, with a wooden spoon also secured in 2020–21.
Despite finishing 2021-22 in second and winning an Australia Cup, a horror start to the season, a low point of which came when a violent pitch invasion forced the postponement of a derby with Melbourne City, meant an improved second half of the campaign counted for little.
After the Roar threatened early via headed efforts from Thomas Aldred and Stefan Scepovic, Victory’s clearest chance of the game came in the 23rd but Nishan Velupillay wasn’t able to beat Macklin Freke after being sprung forward by a neat bit of combination play.
Subsequently unable to find a response after Roar started the second half brightly and led through Courtney-Perkins, Victory crashed to defeat in their member-appreciation fixture.
Bruno Fornaroli, Bruce Kamau, and Roderick Miranda came close to an equaliser but couldn’t net.
