If there were one word to describe the Perth Glory’s 1-1 draw with Sydney FC, it would be frustrating.
Leading into the game, there was a slight mathematical possibility of the Glory making the finals, if they could get onto a winning run, starting with a win over the Sky Blues.
There’s no doubt many were going into this game with not a lot of confidence, due to the short turnaround for the players along with Sydney’s new gameplan under Ufuk Talay being quite effective.
Initially, the contest was quite even. Sydney sought to assert dominance, while Glory aimed to capitalise on counterattacks, utilising the speed and direct running of players like Adam Taggart and Joel Anasmo.
Glory could have taken the lead just after nine minutes when Darryl Lachman’s through ball found Bruce Kamau, who then squared it to Adam Taggart, only for the captain to uncharacteristically miss his shot over the bar.
Sydney continued to create chances, with Robert Mak missing a golden opportunity minutes later.
The breakthrough came for Sydney after some clever combination down their left-hand side resulted in Bruce Kamau giving a sloppy penalty away by fouling Jordan Courtney-Perkins in the box. Joe Lolley converted the penalty to give Sydney the lead.
Glory’s fortunes changed when VAR recommended a red card for Sydney defender Jake Girdwood-Reich, for dragging down Adam Taggart as the last man.
The second half came, and it was all Glory. Exemplified by the possession stats of 79% to 21% in favour of the home side, as well as 20 shots to 2 from that half alone, it was one-way traffic.
However, the Glory struggled to break down Sydney’s deep defensive block, as they parked the bus, given they had a one goal lead and were down to 10 men.
Despite several attempts from players like Jarrod Carluccio and Adam Taggart, it was defender Kaelan Majekodunmi who rose to head home Riley Warland’s set-piece delivery, equalising for Glory.
Majekodunmi, in my view, was Man of the Match and his goal was a sign of his maturity, which has been quite a surprise to see for a defender that young and with not much experience at the top level.
In retrospect, Alen Stajcic might have been frustrated by the team’s lack of assertiveness and purpose, particularly in critical moments where they lost possession carelessly and struggled with transitions.
Furthermore, the ball circulation seemed sluggish at times, hindering momentum.
Ultimately, this was a game where maybe with more quality the Glory probably could’ve and should’ve won, but to get something from the game against a side many expected to beat them, it’s not a terrible result.
The focus now shifts to Sunday afternoon, where the Glory will take on Adelaide United. Playing for pride will be the main motivation at this point, where hopefully the players can put in a much more clinical performance and get a win for the first time in six games.
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