Idle goals on either side of the break secured a two-nil win and a first cleansheet of the season in a crucial Brisbane Classico clash away from home.
In our first Brisbane Classico of the 2022 NPL season, our Lions travelled to a recently reopened CTM Stadium for the first game of the season at Brisbane City’s home venue after the pitch was devastated by mass flooding back in February.
In the third round of the season our Lions overcame their city rivals in an enjoyably tense encounter after winning each half by a lone goal.
Extremely physical from the first screech of the referee’s whistle, it took our Lions a while to assert their themselves against an aggressive and high-pressing City side that had clearly taken to the field with intention.
With few clear opportunities on the brink of half-time, Alex Fiechtner scored his seventh goal of the campaign after running onto a kindly-placed Andy Pengelly through-ball before drilling a powerful left-footed shot under the diving arm of a helpless Duro Dragicevic.
Entering the second stanza with purpose, our Lions doubled their lead following a decisive Joe Duckworth freekick that was carefully curled into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.
We showed character in the second half and fought hard to prevent our Classico rivals from pulling back a goal and threatening a comeback.
Striking the woodwork after an Alex Fiechtner volley and testing their keeper with a multitude of chances, we kept our feet on the pedal until the final whistle blew and walked off the field proudly with our first cleansheet of the campaign and a temporary foothold in first place, depending on how our top four rivals fare over the weekend.
MATCH DETAILS
Men’s NPL Queensland 2022 Round #3
Brisbane City FC vs Lions FC
Saturday, 16th April
KO: 3:00pm
CTM Stadium, Newmarket
BRISBANE CITY FC 0
LIONS FC 2
HT: 1-0