Brisbane Roar 1 Western Sydney Wanderers 4: Champions´ title defence in tatters

Brisbane Roar’s attempts to defend their A-League crown took another dent on Wednesday after a 4-1 defeat at home to Western Sydney Wanderers.

Three defeats on the spin leaves Brisbane five points off sixth-placed Melbourne City in the race to make the post-season.

November’s AFC Champions League success remains the highlight in an otherwise dismal campaign for Wanderers, but a first away win of the season will lift spirits, having moved them off the foot of the table.

Nikita Rukavytsya gave Western Sydney a 20th-minute lead at Suncorp Stadium, but an own goal from Jonathan Aspropotamitis levelled the scores.

However, Kerem Bulut put the visitors back in front before the break and he sealed the success after Romeo Castelen had bulleted home a third to put Wanderers in control.