See the shocking moment a top women’s football star gets smacked in the FACE as match descends into a wild brawl that puts the NRL to shame
- Brisbane Roar was fighting for place in A-League Women finals
- Match sank into chaos with two players shown red cards
Frustrations have boiled over in the race to the A-League Women finals with a wild brawl erupting in Brisbane’s must-win clash against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
A Tameka Yallop hat-trick wasn’t enough to keep Brisbane’s A-League Women title hopes alive, with Canberra celebrating Michelle Heyman’s record 2O0th appearance by clinching the last finals spot.
A 25th-minute Madison Ayson goal from close range gave Canberra a 1-0 home win over Wellington, ending the Phoenix’s faint finals hopes.
In a stunning development, Roar midfielder Laini Freier and Wanderers goalkeeper Shamiran Khamis were shown red cards and will see Freier miss Roar’s final match of the season against Melbourne Victory next weekend.
The drama unfolded with Brisbane leading 2-1, Khamis deflected a strike that would have given the Roar a comfortable lead.
Confusion set in, with both sides debating whether it should have been a goal kick or corner.
The incident was sparked by Roar midfielder Laini Freier and Wanderers goalkeeper Shamiran Khamis arguing over possession
Players from both sides rushed in with the referee issuing both players red cards over the brawl
That led Freier to take the matter into her own hands, trying to take the ball off Khamis.
When Khamis refused to surrender the ball, the Roar star lashed out, striking her in the head.
That sparked a melee with players from both sides charging in. The referee showed an immediate red card to Freier.
Then, in more confusing scenes, the official also marched Khamis who appeared to have done nothing wrong.
‘Silly ref, only the player deserved a red, not the GK,’ one fan commented.
‘I’m so confused as to why Khamis got sent off? Insane decision from the ref,’ posted another.
‘How did Khamis get sent for this seriously,’ added another.
But some fans said that the goalkeeper had thrown a discrete elbow into the face of Freier, which was picked up by the referee.
Brisbane Roar and Matildas star Tameka Yallop scored three goals but it was not enough for the Roar to secure a finals berth
‘Few people seem to be missing that Khamis threw an elbow into Freier’s face after getting pushed and then Freier retaliated to that. Both were definitely reds,’ one pointed out.
Things went from bad to worse for the Roar from there, coughing up the lead and the chance to play finals.
Yallop, back from Matildas duty, boosted her ALW tally for the season to 12 with a hat-trick, and was denied two more goals by good saves.
She opened the scoring with a precise right-foot shot, then doubled the Roar’s advantage on the half-hour with a powerful left-foot drive.
The drama continued after the break, with Brisbane’s Leia Varley hitting the crossbar, before Momo Hayashi restored the Roar’s two-goal lead with a cracking right-foot volley.
The Wanderers fought back, with goals to Holly Caspers and Madison McComasky pulling them level.
Within a minute of McComasky’s equaliser, Yallop put Brisbane ahead with a firm header, but Harding stunned the home crowd with her late strike.
Brisbane have gone winless in their past eight games, picking up just two points in that period.
