Defending champions Brisbane Roar will face off against favourites Western Sydney after overcoming Adelaide United 2-1 at Hindmarsh Stadium on Sunday.
But it was a costly win for the Roar with captain Thomas Broich, defender Jack Hingert and midfielder Luke Bratten all forced from the field with leg injuries.
The in-form Bratten opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a stunning volley from outside the box off a Broich corner.
Bratten hit the corner on the full, driving the ball from 20 metres towards the left-hand side of the goal where it took a deflection off the shin of Reds defender Cassio.
The Roar’s lead was doubled on the stroke of half-time when Ivan Franjic scored his second goal in seven days and his second at Hindmarsh this season.
Franjic met a Mitch Nichols cross with his right foot to slot the ball home and leave Adelaide with all the work to do in the second period.
Broich did not emerge for the Roar after half-time, with Brisbane’s coaching staff playing it safe after he went down in an innocuous clash with Jeronimo just before the break.
Hingert was also felled inauspiciously – going down after rolling his ankle – but the same could not be said for Bratten, who was forced off the field after a terrible challenge from Tomi Juric.
Juric was lucky to avoid a red card after lunging at Bratten’s knee with his right foot in the closing minutes.
Vidosic pulled one back for the Reds in the 89th minute to set up a grandstand finish, but the home side could not find an equaliser in the five minutes of extra time.
The Roar will wait nervously to see how Broich recovers over the next couple of days, while Hingert’s season could be over with suspected ligament damage to his right ankle.
With only five days till the next match against the Wanderers, there won’t be much time to recover.
Source: ABC.
