It was an extraordinary game that had everything; goals, drama, the lights going out and Glory leaving it to the 12th minute of added time to rescue a point against Sydney FC.
Glory’s performance was akin to Jekyll and Hyde, as the first half was poor, but the second half was a better and improved showing.
Sydney FC started hot off the blocks, as Joe Lolley pinched the ball off Keegan Jelacic and launched an arrow into the bottom right corner from outside the box just five minutes in.
What was really clear to see, especially being at the game, the Sky Blues played at an excellent tempo as they moved the ball around the pitch with speed and precision.
The number of times they would bypass the Glory’s pressure was a concern, and there was a feeling that a second goal was imminent.
Twenty minutes later and Rhyan Grant poked the ball home following a cross deflecting off Darryl Lachman, making it 2-0.
It was a fair reward for their effort, as Sydney made the Glory chase shadows for long periods of the first half.
Sydney could’ve been 3-0 up just five minutes later, as an exhilarating counter-attack from a deep position saw Max Burgess spur an excellent opportunity in a one-on-one situation by smashing his shot off the bar.
The away side’s dominance however came to an end in the second half.
Ruben Zadkovich rang in the changes and within the first minute, substitute Zach Duncan powerfully headed home Jack Clisby’s corner putting the Glory back in the game.
Glory had no issues keeping the ball, as Sydney for large parts of the second half sat off and looked to hold onto their lead.
Then in the 65th minute, there was a sizeable delay during the game as the power went out. A situation that many would describe as a “Peak A-League Moment”.
The game then kicked off in a similar fashion to how it was before the delay, as the Glory kept probing away looking for an equaliser.
Clearly, the fourth official had been watching the World Cup in Qatar. I’m only joking, as the referee had indicated there would be a minimum of 14 minutes of added time.
In the 12th minute, Glory centre-back Darryl Lachman launched an excellent switch of play to Jacob Dowse who made an intelligent run in behind and then whipped in an excellent cross to which David Williams powered home.
Understandably there was elation at full-time and people outside the ground noted the roar of the crowd when Williams scored the equaliser.
Having said that, we were very fortunate to come away from that game with anything.
The character and resilience the players showed in the second half to come back from a two-goal deficit was impressive, and hopefully, that attitude continues in the coming games.
But, fact over sentiment for a moment, Sydney threw that game away.
They were in complete control of the game in the first half, as our structure as a whole looked ragged and disjointed.
Luke Brattan had far too much joy on the ball in my eyes, as he was pulling the strings from central positions.
Joe Lolley was a constant threat, as his directness and speed were a challenge for the Glory defenders.
A big problem for the Glory was, again, our lack of intuition and efficiency in the final third.
This was consistent throughout the game, as the Glory would more or less get into a cycle of endless circulation, losing territory or going from side to side without actually penetrating.
The moment a player received in between the lines, he would get swarmed by a few Sydney defenders.
There didn’t seem to be enough movement in and around the player receiving the ball to engage in quick combination play to get past the pressure.
Another issue was the players gifting possession to the Sydney players, who were just waiting for small moments to pounce and transition at speed.
Now, readers may be questioning my negativity thus far, as the players did well to fight back in the second half and draw the game.
But if we want to play finals football, we have to be a lot more structured and well-oiled in all the critical phases of the game.
There were moments where we looked impressive, particularly in the second half when we passed the ball quickly with fewer touches and more movement ahead of the ball.
However, we only saw those sequences sporadically.
At home, we should be looking to suffocate teams and make it impossible for them to compete against us.
Sydney FC had far too much freedom in the first half in particular to create, express themselves and ultimately punish our naivety in the backline.
I criticise the team because I feel we’re capable of much more than what we’re showing. The fans should expect more from this team, as it’s clear in my eyes at least, we’re not playing at our best.
When we moved the ball quickly, switched the play, had movement ahead of the ball and put in excellent deliveries into the box, we looked like a solid outfit.
Our crossing, which I have berated for most of the season, improved in this game as we had a 33% crossing accuracy.
The challenge for Ruben Zadkovich and the players heading into the next few games is can we see the Glory look to take the next step.
Can we see Perth Glory look to play with more flair and attacking impetus for longer than 10 or so-minute periods? Can we see the Glory look more ruthless and aggressive in defence without gifting teams cheap goals?
We’re capable of so much more. We need to play better. We need to make the most out of our home games.
We play Melbourne City and then the Central Coast Mariners in back-to-back games at home in mid-February.
Not every team will be as generous as Sydney FC, as they dropped off significantly in the second half and let us back in the game.
Tony Popovic will return to Perth when his Melbourne Victory visit Macedonia Park on Saturday next week, and this will be an excellent opportunity to put in a good performance and hopefully get the three points.
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