If you thought Brisbane Roar's Daniel Bowles felt bad after his red card sparked Perth Glory's comeback 4-2 A-League win, spare a thought for poor Aaron Reardon.
Bowles cut a disconsolate figure after receiving a straight red for bringing down a goal-bound Joel Chianese in the box in the 58th minute at Suncorp Stadium.
His mood no doubt didn't improve when Neil Kilkenny duly scored from the resulting penalty spot kick to cut Brisbane's lead to 2-1.
However, Roar interim coach Darren Davies said the team would instead be rallying around 19-year-old Reardon when the dust settled on their gut-wrenching loss.
No wonder.
Kilkenny equalised for the visitors in the 81st minute when Reardon was penalised for a handball on VAR review.
And the night only got worse for the teenager.
Perth took the lead in the 85th minute when Reardon netted an own goal trying to defuse a Chianese cross.
Andy Keogh added salt to the Roar's wounds when he scored two minutes later to ice the result.
It ensured Perth remained on top of the ladder - and Reardon down in the dumps.
"Aaron has a bright future ahead of him. He will certainly learn from that," Roar interim coach Darren Davies said.
"I certainly felt for him but the boys will rally around him."
Davies also empathised with striker Adam Taggart who missed a 91st-minute penalty spot kick, summing up the Roar's nightmare second half.
Taggart had given second last Brisbane a shock 2-0 halftime lead with a stunning brace against his former club.
"He was outstanding but I am really disappointed for him," Davies said.
"People miss penalties, that is no problem. But after his first-half goals and his output, he deserved a hat-trick."
It marked the second straight penalty spot kick Taggart missed but Davies said his star striker wouldn't shy away from the job in future.
"Knowing Tags he will put his hand up again," Davies said.
The video review of the match may be hard to watch for Brisbane this week but Davies said he would only be interested in the first-half footage.
Taggart scored in the 22nd and 40th minutes to give Brisbane a sniff of their second win of the season before fate struck.
"The game changed in the second half with the sendoff and we had to defend for 35 minutes with 10 men - that was the story of the game," Davies said.
"But let's bottle that first half - the way we moved the ball, the goals we scored - and let's move on."
Australian Associated Press
