Champions Brisbane Roar managed to put a tumultuous week that started with the sacking of coach Mike Mulvey behind them in a 1-1 draw with table-topping Perth Glory in round eight of the A-League at the weekend.
It took an 86th minute equaliser from Brazilian Henrique Andrade Silva at Lang Park on Saturday to give the Roar their fourth point of the season, a result that left Perth top by a point from Melbourne Victory.
"We've had a tough week at the club, it's taken an awful toll on the players," Roar captain Matt Smith said.
"To perform like we did today, I don't think I can ask too much more from my team."
Brisbane had lost five of their first six games when the club's owners made the decision last weekend to replace Mulvey with former Dutch international Frans Thijssen.
The last straw for Mulvey was last week's 1-0 loss to Victory, who beat Adelaide United 3-2 on Friday to leapfrog the South Australians into second place on the table.
The highly-charged A-League derby between Asian champions Western Sydney Wanderers and the unbeaten Sydney FC on Saturday also ended in a 1-1 draw.
Sydney FC, whose equaliser came from a superb individual effort from Bernie Ibini, suffered a huge blow when midfielder Ali Abbas sustained a bad knee injury.
The Iraqi international was clattered in a tackle from Iacopo La Rocca in the fifth minute and Sydney coach Graham Arnold suspected he had ruptured both his anterior cruciate and medial ligaments.
The injury has likely ended any hopes the 28-year-old Abbas, who was recently recalled to the Iraq side after a seven-year gap, had of playing in the Asian Cup in Australia in January.
Fifth placed Wellington Phoenix thrashed Melbourne City 5-1 on Sunday to open up a six point-gap on Central Coast Mariners, who moved up to sixth after another 1-1 draw at Newcastle Jets in the final match of the weekend.
