WESTERN United coach Mark Rudan has hailed his club\u2019s depth after the A-League club snapped a two-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday night at AAMI park.<\/p>\n
Alessandro Diamanti came off the bench to deliver a marvellous assist for Dylan Pierias’ 72nd-minute header but Besart Berisha only provided a substitute cameo.<\/p>\n
Rudan lauded the impressive work of teenage midfielder Luke Duzel and winger-turned-striker Lachie Wales in their respective rare starts.<\/p>\n
“People think we heavily rely on those two [Diamanti and Berisha] so it was up to the players that came in,” Rudan said.<\/p>\n
“We were a very different team, we can do things without them. They give obviously some certain skill sets and quality, as you saw with Dia’s assist.<\/p>\n
“But we were able to press with intent and intensity and I thought that was really good, that was probably the best part about it.<\/p>\n
“I thought it was a great team performance tonight\u00a0when we needed it most.”<\/p>\n
In the process, United extended the Roar’s winless run to six games with Warren Moon’s side last securing three points against Melbourne Victory on 6 February.<\/p>\n
Western United goalkeeper Ryan Scott put on a show between the sticks, denying\u00a0Riku Danzaki in the 10th minute, then again in the 23rd.<\/p>\n
Danzaki went on a dashing run through the centre of the park and unleashed a lethal strike, with Scott diving to make a fingertip save.<\/p>\n
Late in the first half, Dylan Wenzel-Halls shrugged off Victor Sanchez’s challenge and forced a sharp low save from Scott.<\/p>\n
Pierias spurned opportunities to open the scoring in the 55th and 59th minute, while Wales had the ball in the back of the net in the 63rd but was offside.<\/p>\n
Then, in the 67th, Jay O’Shea forced another diving save from Scott before Jamie Young denied Diamanti two minutes later.<\/p>\n
But in the 72nd,\u00a0Diamanti dinked an incredible left-footed ball over the Roar defence, where it bounced for a brave, diving Pierias to head home.<\/p>\n
Brisbane had a late corner and, in an attempt to pinch a point, goalkeeper Jamie Young ran up the field.<\/p>\n
But Scott punched it away and on the break, Pierias and Connor Pain combined, with the latter sliding the ball into the empty net.<\/p>\n
But a VAR review showed the ball had hit Pierias’ hand in the build-up, with the goal chalked off, leaving Rudan to lament missing out on a 2-0 win.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had about four or five VARs [decisions]. Not one has gone our way,” Rudan said.<\/p>\n
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