The highest scoring league in the world, and the team whose games have featured more goals than any other team. Of course a high scoring thriller was to ensue.
The Glory don’t do boring, and last Friday’s showdown with Adelaide had all the action a neutral could have hoped for.
A comeback from two goals down, a penalty miss and a 98th minute equaliser with a sprinkle of goal line drama to boot.
Of all the technology introduced to football, goal line technology is one of the few which is universally liked and implemented well in the leagues that use it.
The A-League doesn’t have it, and for the second time this month a game has been decided by the smallest margin without being completely conclusive.
If the APL allocated funds toward introducing it I would support it, but then again if it’s not done properly then it would be wiser to leave things the way they are.
If the Glory defended the corner better or the referee did not allow the corner to be taken in the 8th minute of 6 minutes added on then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
The deflection off Kikianis was fortunate for the Reds, but Giuseppe Bovalina getting a free header from a looped cross from Isaias is inexcusable under the circumstances.
It’s the third time this season a team has equalised in second half stoppage time. It’s a common trait of Perth sides, and one which Alen Stajcic will be intent on working on.
Another common trait of this side is fighting back and scoring. The effort and resilience of the team is immense, and we saw it in spades at Coopers Stadium.
Injuries to Mustafa Amini and Stef Colakovski caused a couple of tweaks in the lineup, as Jarrod Carluccio and Josh Rawlins came in for the pair.
Daniel Bennie started alongside Adam Taggart up front, with Carluccio starting on the right. Johnny Koutroumbis moved into the midfield alongside Gio Colli, with Rawlins starting in his natural position at right back.
The Glory started slowly, falling 2-0 down thanks to Hiroshi Ibusuki’s header and Zach Clough’s penalty, won by Ibusuki after some holding by Aleksandar Susnjar from a corner.
The lead was halved through a corner of our own when a flick on to the back stick was pounced on by Adam Taggart to take his tally for the season into double figures.
Interesting fact: Taggart is yet to score multiple goals in a game this season, and no player has scored in more matches than the 30-year-old in the current campaign.
The Reds were denied a third late in the half by Oli Sail, keeping out Ibusuki’s header from close range and his back heel flick a few minutes later.
The second half showing was an improvement on the first, another common theme for the Glory.
Adelaide didn’t get much of a look in until the later stages, after they had surrendered the lead.
Another set piece delivery resulted in the equaliser. Colli’s cross was punched away by James Delianov in a crowd of bodies.
Super sub David Williams ran onto the clearance, smashing it back towards goal and into the net two minutes after being introduced.
A similar strike saw the lead switch hands in the 82nd minute. Colli won a 50/50 challenge to set up a quick break. Bennie and Trent Ostler combined, the latter cutting the ball back to a vacant middle of the box.
Rawlins this time was the beneficiary, running onto the strike and smashing it straight at Delianov, but too powerfully for the keeper to keep it out.
The home side were presented a golden opportunity to level it back when Luke Bodnar handled the ball in the penalty area.
Stefan Mauk took the penalty this time, but with a different result. His tame effort to find the corner was saved by Sail, who has regained confidence and is playing more like the keeper we saw at Wellington.
Aside from the keeper, Colli stood out for me as one of Glory’s best. Two of the goals came from his corners and his defensive numbers were impressive. He won 9/13 duels, won 4/4 tackles and made 8 recoveries, the most of any outfield player. Unfortunately his clearance on the line was just a little bit too late.
Dalton delivers spectacularly
The Glory women sit perilously on the edge of the finals places, but it would’ve been worse if not for a brilliant equaliser from Isobel Dalton.
Bottom of the table Canberra United came close to taking all three points from Macedonia Park thanks to a double from Matildas callup Michelle Heyman.
The veteran added to her golden boot leading tally with an easy tap in and a well taken finish into the roof of the net from Nickoletta Flannery’s cutback.
Susan Phonsongkam found the equaliser before Heyman restored Canberra’s lead shortly before the break.
Dalton’s wonder strike saved the Glory’s night from total disaster after Morgan Aquino had to be substituted and taken to hospital following a collision with Heyman in the second half.
The Wrap Up
It has been officially confirmed that the Pelligra Group are the new owners, finally bringing an end to the ownership drama of many months. More information regarding the ownership structure and personnel involved I anticipate will be announced soon.
The new chairman Ross Pelligra will be in attendance for the next home match, tomorrow night’s blockbuster against the Brisbane Roar.
Ruben Zadkovich returns to face the club he was managing last season, along with one of his stalwarts from last year, Keegan Jelacic.
His new troops are coming off the back of a comprehensive 5-1 win over Melbourne City, less than two months after being dismantled 8-1 by the same side in the reverse fixture.
The women are also at home this weekend, taking on the Mariners on Sunday night in the final match of the round.
It’s a must win clash for Alex Epakis, with the two sides above us playing against each other and with the Mariners breathing down our necks, just a point behind.
The future of the club is really positive, with some great people steering the ship in the right direction. Success is the ultimate goal for the Pelligra Group, and a double dose of victory this weekend would be the perfect way to get their ownership run started.
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