Thomas Broich has a simple message for any questioning the merit of Brisbane's grand final win over Perth after the match was decided with a controversial late penalty: 'We would have won anyway'.
any questioning the merit of Brisbane's grand final win over Perth after the match was decided with a controversial late penalty: 'We would have won anyway'.
Perth went the entire contest without registering a shot on goal and benefitted from two brilliant diving saves from Danny Vukovic, but the underdogs looked set to secure the upset win on the back of a 51st-minute Ivan Franjic own goal.
Goal-shark Besart Berisha equalised with a clinical header in the 84th, before slotting home the winner from the penalty spot in the final seconds of injury time after a contentious ruling from A-League Referee of the Year Jarred Gillett.
Strong arguments have been made both for and against the ruling, but Roar midfielder Broich said the decision meant nothing, adamant his side had played the better football and were certain to clinch the result in extra time against a 10-man Glory.
"We were the better team for 90 minutes and they were a man down," he said.
"There was half-an-hour of overtime to come, we were pushing ... one way or another, we would have won this game.
Maybe it was a penalty, maybe not, but in the end, I guess the result reflects the game."
Having managed to overcome a deficit late in the grand final for the second year running, from an outsider's perspective the Roar could be seen to be having a charmed existence.
But Broich was quick to shoot down any talk of fortune playing a part in Brisbane becoming the first club to win back-to-back A-League championships.
"We're just better," said Broich.
"You've watched the game, you watched the game last year, you've watched us play over the last two years, it's not being lucky it's just being persistent and eventually it pays off."
Understandably on a high, the German midfield sensation didn't have any qualms about having to hand back the Joe Marston Medal, after an FFA communication error saw him presented with the award in place of Glory skipper Jacob Burns.
"At first I thought they were joking, but they told me there was a mistake there and Jacob Burns was meant to get the medal - fair enough," Broich said.
"I don't need that medal; it's cool if it happens, but it's not a problem if it doesn't happen.
"He was working bloody hard too and I was happy for him to get it."