AAP
Shinji Ono broke his scoring duck while much-maligned striker Dino Kresinger turned boos into cheers as Western Sydney secured a dramatic 1-0 win over reigning champions Brisbane on Sunday.
In a repeat scoreline of their breakthrough win over the Roar in October, the Wanderers secured another valuable victory thanks to Ono's 87th-minute penalty.
The win in front of 6755 fans at Parramatta Stadium lifted the rookie club to fourth and left the Roar equal on points with Sydney FC at the foot of the ladder in their quest for a third straight title.
And it may also have changed a few opinions on Croatian striker Kresinger, who has been panned by many fans and pundits after a string of lacklustre performances in attack this season.
Boos rang out as Tony Popovic brought Kresinger off the bench in the 76th minute.
But he showed great strength in muscling his way into the box before being brought down by Matthew Jurman to earn the crucial penalty - and fans were soon chanting his name.
"Fans have their views. I didn't even notice, whether it was a clap or a boo," Popovic said.
"But he came on and he did a good job, we're very happy for him.
"... It's taken a bit of time (to adapt) and if we didn't have belief in him we wouldn't have put him on."
Popovic was also delighted for Ono, with the Japanese playmaker ending a frustrating wait for his first goal in his 11th match.
The marquee star missed a wonderful chance to score only two minutes before stepping up to convert the penalty and Popovic said he was reaching peak fitness.
"He's had a lot of shots on goal today, which is encouraging for us," Popovic said.
"He's getting into that area where he can actually score now and he's been able to reproduce that more often, so his fitness has obviously improved.
"Hopefully that's another tick in the box for him and he can build on that."
The goal came somewhat against the run of play as the Roar had gained control in the second half with a strong wind at their backs.
Their response at going behind was spectacular and they almost equalised several times, with Mitch Nichols and Shane Stefanutto both hitting the post and Erik Paartalu forcing a great save out of Ante Covic.
While Brisbane are already 13 points behind leaders Central Coast after 10 rounds, coach Rado Vidosic believed they were still on the right track.
"All we need to do is believe in ourselves and our system and keep working hard and sooner or later our luck will turn," he said.
The Wanderers had enjoyed the better of the first half and were unlucky not to have been at least a goal up at halftime.
Youssouf Hersi hit the post in the eighth minute with a ferocious drive from 20m out while Mateo Poljak struck a first-time shot similarly well five minutes later only for it to be deflected just wide.
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