Roars Stay Alive With 1-0 Win Over Beijing

Brisbane Roar's AFC Champions League campaign is still alive after a brave 1-0 victory over Beijing Guoan in China on Wednesday night.

Needing a win to stay in the hunt for a round of 16 berth, former Beijing Guoan striker Andrija Kaluderovic marked his return to a packed Workers Stadium with the decisive goal for the Roar late in the first half.

The Serbian, who was contracted to the Chinese Super League outfit for two years from 2012 but spent most of that time on loan to other clubs, tucked away a neat ball from rising talent Devante Clut to continue his rich vein of goalscoring form.

But the odds are still stacked against Brisbane following Suwon Samsung Bluewings' dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Urawa Red Diamonds in the other Group G match played on Wednesday.

It means Beijing and Suwon are both tied on 10 points, with the Roar back in third place on seven points and Urawa out of contention.

Brisbane must beat Urawa in their final home game on the Gold Coast on May 5 and make up a goal difference deficit of four to have any hope of advancing.

But Beijing and Suwon will meet in the other group match, which will be held simultaneously, and a draw there will eliminate the Roar and ensure safe passage to the round of 16 for both teams.

Roar interim coach Frans Thijssen named his best possible side in China, choosing to start marquee man Thomas Broich and his understudy Clut together for the first time.

Matt McKay, Luke Brattan, Brandon Borrello and Kaluderovic also played after they were among a host of players rested from Brisbane's A-League clash with Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.

Despite their fresh legs, Brisbane were on the back foot for almost the entire first half, holding on through wave after wave of Beijing attacks.

But they delivered the ultimate sucker-punch five minutes from the break.

The move was swift - McKay found Clut in an advanced position, and the youngster used the outside of his foot to loft the ball over the home side's defensive line.

It fell perfectly for Kaluderovic, who was calm with the finish and also his celebration, out of respect for his former club.

That gave the Roar a 1-0 lead but they quite easily could have been several goals down had Beijing Guoan made the most of a litany of chances - they had a whopping 12 shots to three before halftime.

Brisbane were much better in the second stanza, enjoying several good passages of play and standing firm whenever their opponents went forward.

Goalkeeper Jamie Young was kept busy throughout the night, making several important saves - including a diving effort to keep out a free kick from Pablo Batalla on the hour mark.