Brisbane
cult figure Henrique has made a fairytale return from injury, sending his side
back to the A-League summit with the winning goal in Sunday's A-League clash
with Perth at Suncorp Stadium.
In
his first match since undergoing a knee reconstruction in March, Henrique broke
the deadlock in the 74th minute to help the Roar secure a hard-fought 1-0
victory in front of 11,748 fans.
The
result continues coach John Aloisi's stellar start at the Roar, lifting them
two points clear on top of the ladder, just ahead of Sydney FC, while the Glory
remain second last.
The
Roar's three second-half substitutes all combined for the goal. It started with
boom midfielder Devante Clut's pass to Spanish import Javier Hervas, who had
been brought on just seconds earlier for his A-League debut.
With
his very first touch, Hervas deftly flicked the ball into the path of Henrique,
who held off a strong challenge from a Glory defender and poked the ball past
onrushing goalkeeper Ante Covic.
Overcome
with emotion, Henrique - who recently became a naturalised Australian - burst
into tears during his celebration as he was mobbed by adoring teammates.
It
was a tough break for Perth after they grafted their way back into the contest
with two clever halftime tweaks from coach Kenny Lowe.
Lowe
sent livewire Sidnei Sciola on after the interval and also pushed former
Socceroo Michael Thwaite into the centre of midfield, and both moves seemed to
work for the Glory, who were restricted to attacking on the counter in the
first half.
But
Brisbane were largely the better side, having dominated possession and created
more than twice as many chances as Perth.
Dimitri
Petratos was desperately unlucky not to have scored after hitting the woodwork
twice - first midway through the opening stanza, then again shortly after
Henrique's goal, both times from a fair distance out.
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