A double to Eric Beautheac has steered the Brisbane Roar to a shock 2-1 A-League win over Wellington at Suncorp Stadium and completed a miserable week for the visitors. The youthful home side ended a four-match losing streak with a bright counter-attacking display on Friday, with French winger Beautheac bagging his brace late in the first half. Steven Taylor (right) of the Phoenix heads the ball past Jacob Pepper (left) of the Roar to score a goal during the Round 25 A-League match at Suncorp Stadium on Friday. Credit:AAP The surprise result means the ninth-placed Roar will avoid the wooden spoon, which is guaranteed to go to Central Coast for a second straight season. Successive losses leaves the Phoenix vulnerable to losing their fourth place later in round 25 and they're still not assured of a first finals berth since 2015<doc-sep>The big news story of Round 25 should be the Perth Glory’s Premier’s Plate-securing win over the Jets in the west. Prior to that there is the small matter of a Sydney derby to play out and a vitally important clash between City and Adelaide, where the winner could move into fourth position on the ladder. In the tipping stakes, the voice of the crowd has spoken loudly in recent weeks and holds a one point lead over the late finishing Paul Nicholls with Mike Tuckerman and myself looking like making up the numbers in 2019. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share Be sure to place your tips into the sheet below and have a say as the voice of the crowd. This is no time for a slip up; with just three rounds remaining before we head into the finals. Here is the way the panel sees things panning out in Round 25. Mike Tuckerman Wellington, City, Sydney, Central Coast, Perth I’m not quite sure why I’m still being asked to tip given my form this season, but I’ve certainly been the kiss of death for a number of teams. I actually think Brisbane Roar are capable of pulling off an upset, but cold-blooded reality suggests the Phoenix will return home with all three points. This is the game of the round, in my opinion, and it’s not the easiest of tasks to pick a winner. On paper City boast a more than decent side, but they rarely back it up with results. This a real litmus test for Warren Joyce’s side. They should beat a depleted Adelaide outfit but you never know with the Reds. At some point the Wanderers will have to win another derby. They’ve got a golden opportunity here, not least with Sydney FC backing up from midweek continental action, but they won’t be helped by a sterile atmosphere in the ANZ Stadium stands. Expect the Sky Blues to nick a close one. Advertisement Advertisement A bad week for Kevin Muscat is about to get worse with the Central Coast Mariners poised for an upset win in Melbourne. Victory returned from a midweek AFC Champions League thumping in China with their tail between their legs and Alen Stajcic will mastermind a defensively-minded win here. Hard to see Glory slipping up at home, even if the Jets remain the most enigmatic of A-League sides. The hosts can all but seal the Premiers’ Plate with another win here, and they should get it in front of their home fans. The question is whether Glory can carry their regular season form into the finals. Stuart Thomas Wellington, City, Sydney, Victory, Perth Both Brisbane and Wellington let me down last week. I felt the Roar could pinch a draw against City and that Wellington were certainties in Adelaide. How wrong I was. Thus, I’m not convinced my take on their clash at Suncorp Stadium will be anywhere near on the mark. For what it is worth, I don’t believe Mark Rudan’s team can again play as poorly as they did in the first half against the Reds. Fourth place is well and truly on the line with three teams in the hunt. It is time for a Wellington win, despite being on the road for the second week running. City versus Adelaide looks like the match with the most significant ramifications for the top six. Despite all the controversy and drama that has surrounded City’s season, Jamie Maclaren has made the difference of late. I still think they are capable of a big result on any given night. At home against the Reds, I feel they will make a statement with Maclaren on the score sheet more than once. The Sydney derby was once an epic event. Sadly for A-League crowd figures, this staging of it will be nothing more than a processional three points for the Sky Blues as they march towards second place on the ladder. Advertisement Advertisement The Wanderers always lift for the derby yet their inability to close out matches and maintain concentration is exposed against the better teams and Sydney are a very good football team. After a painful late winner from Sydney in the big blue, Victory will be stinging. Kevin Muscat continues to build a season with an eerie familiarity to last; knowing that the talent in his squad can do the business on that one day when most needed. The Mariners will feel their wrath on Sunday and while easy and almost cliché to suggest a cricket score resulting, it might just happen. Perth will finally kill off the Jets’ mad capped chase for the finals and secure some silverware in the process when they defeat Newcastle by three clear goals in Perth. There is no chance of Tony Popovic having his charges anything less than primed for a big performance in front of the home fans. It is only the first step however, and what the club has achieved this season has been astonishing considering the low base from which it began. Paul Nicholls Wellington, City, draw, Victory, Perth We’re up to Round 25 and my tipping is getting worse. In a last-ditch effort to bridge the gap, I’ll tip this round in verse. Advertisement Advertisement Brisbane play Wellington at home this Friday night. One hopes that the Roar will stiffen up and show a bit more fight. The Phoenix are smarting after losing to the Reds last week, but I think this time they’ll lift their game and renew their winning streak. Melbourne City was on fire with a cheeky chip by Riley McGree. Adelaide impressed against the Nix, winning and scoring three. But I’m awake to this particular kind of A-League lark, that it doesn’t pay to pick against the home team at AAMI Park. Last week Sydney FC won on a skating rink, and Steve Corica proved he’s a better coach than many think. The Wanderers are once again learning how to score, and for the final ANZ derby I’m tipping an entertaining draw. Melbourne Victory travel to China and we all hope they’ll do well. Oh! And should we tell Kochie that football’s been there before AFL? Central Coast will try and sweat and grunt like they always do, but Matty Simon’s men will come away with a loss by two. The men from the west play Newcastle for a chance at the Premier’s Plate, and let’s hope 17,000 more fans come rolling through the gate. The Port Macquarie Pele may have an impact on this story, but sorry for the spoiler – it’s all about Perth Glory. Round 25 Mike Stuart Paul The Crowd BRI vs WEL WEL WEL WEL WEL MCY vs ADL MCY MCY MCY MCY WSW vs SYD SYD SYD DRAW SYD MVC vs CCM CCM MVC MVC MVC PER vs NEW PER PER PER PER Last week 3 1 3 2 Previous Total 43 52 52 54 New Total 46 53 55 56 Loading… Advertisement<doc-sep>
A double to Eric Beautheac has steered the Brisbane Roar to a shock 2-1 A-League win over Wellington at Suncorp Stadium and completed a miserable week for the visitors. MATCH CENTRE: BRI v WEL The youthful home side ended a four-match losing streak with a bright counter- attacking display on Friday, with French winger Beautheac bagging his brace late in the first half. The surprise result means the ninth-placed Roar will avoid the wooden spoon, which is guaranteed to go to Central Coast for a second straight season. Live stream the 2019 Hyundai A-League on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial > Successive losses leaves the Phoenix vulnerable to losing their fourth place later in round 25 and they’re still not assured of a first finals berth since 2015 Their lacklustre performance came just hours after reports surfaced that coach Mark Rudan will be leaving at the end of the season. Inspirational in his rookie campaign in charge, Rudan is yet to confirm his departure but he has immediate issues to contend with as the Phoenix wheels begin to wobble. Bautheac’s double was enough to get Brisbane across the line. Source: Getty Images Their first-half display was as meek as in last week’s 3-1 loss in Adelaide. They allowed ample room for young Brisbane forwards Dylan Wenzel-Halls and Nick D’agostino to run at the back three and the 2-0 halftime score could easily have been greater. Beautheac’s 37th-minute opener was a solo effort, jinking past lunging defenders before beating goalkeeper Filip Kurto from a tight angle. Five minutes later he tapped in a low cross from Wenzel-Halls which was poorly handled by the static Phoenix defence. The Roar are still second from bottom. Source: AAP It lifted Beautheac’s career tally in Brisbane to eight goals from 44 games, giving some hints of the quality promised when signed last season. The 31-year-old blotted his copybook when sent off following a second yellow card deep in injury time. Former Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor pulled a goal back with a rifling header from a corner in the 53rd minute for the Phoenix but it failed to inspire his teammates until two blatant late chances were created. Reserve forward Cillian Sheridan’s close-range strike found the inside of the post while David Williams had the goal at his mercy after rounding Jamie Young but somehow shot wide. Brisbane tired noticeably but their injury-ravaged team warranted a fourth win of the season. Midfielder Zach Duncan made his maiden start while 17-year-old schoolboy Izaack Powell was employed at left back. If you can’t see the blog, CLICK HERE.