BRISBANE Roar's unbeaten streak is now at 33 games, but Melbourne Victory may well feel aggrieved it has not been ended.

After playing the majority of the game with 10 men and the entire second half with just nine players, Victory fought for a courageous and worthy 2-2 draw against the all-conquering A-League champion at Etihad Stadium.

With goalkeeper Ante Covic sent off in the second minute and fullback Matthew Foschini dismissed in the 37th, Victory actually led 2-1 through Archie Thompson's first-half brace that set alight the 24,820 fans.

After doing so well with a reshaped 4-4-2 in the win away to Wellington Phoenix, coach Mehmet Durakovic stuck with the formation, using Harry Kewell as the second striker alongside Archie Thompson with Carlos Hernandez in midfield.

There was no place for striker Jean Carlos Solorzano, who was given his first start against the Phoenix, but was dropped from the squad altogether and replaced by Diogo Ferreira, who slipped into left midfield.

But all those plans were thrown into chaos when Covic was shown a straight red card for upending Besart Berisha after the Roar striker had dispossessed Victory captain Adrian Leijer and honed in on goal.

Young Victory back-up goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas's first A-League experience was to face Henrique's belated penalty - finally converted four minutes after Covic was sent off - and stand behind his nine then eight outfield teammates (Tom Pondeljak was sacrificed for Thomas) for a testing debut.

Rather than retreat the troops to regroup after the shock opening, Durakovic went 4-3-2 with Kewell and Thompson staying up front and he was rewarded with a 2-1 lead inside 21 minutes as Thompson struck twice with class finishes.

Fed by Ferreira on the edge of the box, Thompson controlled the ball while reverse pivoting and then lobbed goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos for the 10th-minute equaliser that signalled to Roar that is was game on.

The buzz around Etihad Stadium became a full-throated roar 11 minutes later when Thompson gave Victory the lead as he latched onto Kewell's long through ball and twice side-stepped defender Matthew Jurman before finishing with his left foot.

The next two game-turning moments both involved Brisbane's outstanding midfelder Thomas Broich, who made it 2-2 when the Victory wall jumped over his grass-burning free-kick and was the man on the wrong of the tackle that brought Foschini's red card on 37 minutes.

The decision to march Foschini was hasty and harsh by referee Ben Williams, forcing Victory to fight a brave rearguard action with nine men as Ferreira moved to rightback, Kewell dropped into midfield and Thompson was left on his own hoping to catch Roar on the break.

Predictably, Roar monopolised possession in the second half, patiently pushing the ball around the edge of the penalty as it looked and waited for Victory to crack and collapse under the weight of numbers and fatigue.

As Victory introduced Billy Celeski and Danny Allsopp from the bench for Kewell and Hernandez inside the last half-hour to provide fresh legs, Roar countered by introducing Issey Nakajima-Farran and Luke Brattan in a bid for the breakthrough.

Not that Roar battered Victory as it held on resolutely, but young goalkeeper Thomas was strong and brave when he needed to be, making one fine save from Shane Stefanutto and another from Jurman at the death.

That performance from the rookie, signed only on the eve of the season, typified Victory on a night it challenged Roar's supremecy and achieved a well-deserved draw against all odds.

Originally published as Victory sees red in Roar draw