BRISBANE, Australia (Interstat) — Substitute Sam Klein delivered a goal and an assist off the bench to propel Brisbane Roar to a 2-1 comeback victory over Perth Glory in an A-League match Friday night at HBF Park.

The visitors erased an early deficit to secure three points on the road, opening their league campaign with a win while handing the hosts a defeat to start the season.

Perth Glory struck first in the 19th minute through veteran forward Adam Taggart. The finish was set up by midfielder Giovanni De Abreu, who threaded a pass to unlock the Brisbane defense and give the home side an early advantage. The match’s opening moments were marked by physicality, with De Abreu and Brisbane’s Sam Klein both receiving yellow cards in a contentious ninth minute.

Brisbane Roar, projected by Interstat’s ELO system with a 54 percent probability to win, struggled to break down Perth’s structure for much of the first half. The game’s momentum, however, shifted decisively just before halftime. In the 44th minute, Brisbane midfielder Nicholas Pennington was shown a yellow card, but the ensuing sequence led to the equalizer. In the 50th minute, Klein, who had entered the match as a substitute, found the net to level the score at 1-1. The goal was assisted by midfielder Tom Lawrence.

Klein then turned provider for the winner. In the 71st minute, he set up fellow substitute Chris Long, who scored to put Brisbane Roar ahead 2-1. The assist was one of several key contributions from Brisbane’s bench, with substitutes directly involved in both goals.

Perth Glory pushed for an equalizer in the final twenty minutes, but the match grew increasingly fractious. Brisbane’ Tom Lawrence received a yellow card in the 80th minute, and a flurry of cautions followed in the closing stages. Perth’s substitute Georgios Vrakas was booked in the 84th minute, and Glory substitute James McGarry saw yellow in the 88th. Brisbane defender Luke Amos was cautioned in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as his team closed out the match.

The final score defied the pregame simulation from Interstat, which had projected a 1-1 draw. Instead, Brisbane’s effective use of substitutes and second-half resilience proved the difference. Klein’s dynamic performance off the bench, featuring a goal and an assist, was the central catalyst for the comeback victory.

With the result, Brisbane Roar begins its A-League season with one win and no losses. Perth Glory starts its campaign with one loss and no wins. Both teams carry identical records into their next matches across all competitions.