Brisbane Roar's charge to the Premiers' Plate has been halted by a 1-1 draw with Sydney FC in round 23 of the A-League.
The majority of play centred in the middle of the pitch as both sides tried to settle into the clash during the early stages of the first half.
Besart Berisha created the first chance for the away side when he moved into the area and unleashed a shot, but his effort bobbled across goal and out of play.
The forward went on the attack again and managed to find the back of the net with a header following a pass from Thomas Broich down the right.
Sydney responded to going a goal down by grabbing an equaliser through Sebastian Ryall, who latched on to a delivery into the box to head the ball into the net.
After an explosive few minutes, Brisbane's goalscorer Berisha was sent off by the referee for a rash challenge, much to the surprise of the forward.
Sydney started the second half on the front foot, and Ali Abbas tried to grab the lead with a long-range shot but his effort flew over the crossbar.
Liam Miller had three chances to put Brisbane on top, but his finishing let him down as his final opportunity flew wide of the post following a shot in the area.
Neither side could grab maximum points in Friday's clash as both ended the game with one point apiece.
Danielle Joynson
