Striker Daniel McBreen helped Central Coast Mariners extend its lead at the top of the A-League table on Sunday, his brace ensuring a 2-0 win over 10-man Western Sydney at Parramatta Stadium.
McBreen reclaimed top spot on the goal scorers’ list, netting in each half to make it a dozen for the season so far, two ahead of Melbourne Victory’s Marco Rojas and Wellington’s Jeremy Brockie.
Wanderers played the majority of the second half with 10 men after midfielder Jason Trifiro was sent off after a second yellow card.
Intent on closing the gap, the host came out firing with Trifiro forcing the first save of the match just six minutes in.
McBreen fired back with a shot moments later with Zac Anderson, Mile Sterjovski and Pedj Bojic also testing the Wanderers defence.
Wanderers striker Mark Bridge and young gun Joe Gibbs created a handful of chances in the opening half.
Japanese star Shinji Ono showed his superior passing ability to set up Gibbs with a superb ball into box with 10 minutes to go in the half but Gibbs couldn’t find the pace to get there.
It was McBreen who finally broke the deadlock when he got onto a ball from Adam Kwasnik and got through the Wanderers’ backline, missing suspended skipper Michael Beauchamp, to put the visitors 1-0 up in the 41st minute.
Wanderers had a chance to level early in the second stanza when Jerome Polenz’s cross was parried by gloveman Matt Ryan into the path of Ono, but his shot from 10 yards out was cleared off the line by Bojic.
Just when it looked like Wanderers had the momentum Trifiro, who earned his first yellow card in the opening half, was sent off in the 54th minute for his second after a tackle on Kwasnik.
The Mariners looked like widening the gap when Joshua Rose played a ball to substitute Bernie Ibini who sent it over the crossbar with 10 minutes to go.
Sterjovski then forced a save from keeper Ante Covic with a long range effort.
Late substitute Labinot Haliti had a chance to level when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper in the dying minutes but misfired.
McBreen struck again four minutes into stoppage time, curling the ball into the back of the net to seal the win in front of a boisterous crowd of more than 16,000.
Standing well offside, McBreen was gifted his opening after Reece Caira’s unfortunate miscontrol and attempt to regain possession from goalkeeper Ante Covic’s pass landed at his feet with time and space to pick his spot.
The Western Sydney Wanderers remain in fourth spot with 23 points.
