A-League: Brisbane 2 Wellington 0

Mike Mulvey celebrated his re-appointment as Brisbane Roar coach with a convincing 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

Mike Mulvey celebrated his re-appointment as Brisbane Roar coach with a convincing 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

The bottom-of-the-table encounter was billed as a must-win for both sides, and it was the Roar who ensured they still have a realistic chance of making the finals by earning all three points.

Brisbane’s fabulous team goal, finished by Steven Lustica, lit up an otherwise hard-fought first half, while Besart Berisha’s 12th goal of the campaign early in the second period sealed the win for the home side.

The Roar had near total possession early, but it was Wellington new boy Corey Gameiro who put the ball in the back of the net after eight minutes, but he was deemed to have held back defender Jade North in the lead up and the goal was chalked off.

After seeming to lack conviction for the opening half hour, the Roar all of a sudden put together a dazzling move to open the scoring through Lustica.

In a series of rapid passes, Ben Halloran fed Broich on the left, and the German’s smart ball to an overlapping Shane Stefanutto allowed him to send in a pinpoint cross for Lustica to slot home.

Brisbane went into half-time with a 1-0 lead after edging the tactical midfield battle in the opening stanza.

Just after the break the Roar doubled their advantage when Luke Brattan intercepted a Daniel Sanchez pass and played through Berisha. The Albanian striker showed all his goalscoring nous to finish with power and accuracy past Glen Moss in the Phoenix goal.

Brisbane move to equal seventh in the table with Melbourne Heart after this win, two points behind Newcastle in sixth spot, while Wellington remain bottom of the ladder.