That was terrible.
In what can only be described as a catastrophic outing, Perth Glory suffered their most humiliating defeat in their history, encompassing both the A-League and NSL eras. Melbourne City ruthlessly secured an 8-0 win, a score line that could easily have been more damaging for the Glory.
Right from the kick off, City asserted their dominance, swiftly securing a five-goal lead within the opening half hour. Perth’s defensive woes, prevalent all season, reached an alarming crescendo as City exploited almost every opportunity with clinical precision.
Leo Natel’s early strike set the tone, capitalising on a defensive slip to put City in the lead. A mere minute later, a sloppy pass from Darryl Lachman gifted City their second goal via Tolgay Arslan, leaving Perth reeling from their own mistakes.
Kaelan Majekodunmi’s own goal further widened the chasm, extending City’s lead with a shot that left goalkeeper Oli Sail grasping at thin air. Now you could argue Sail could’ve done better, but ultimately, it was some really poor and laxxed defending from the Glory players to allow Matthew Leckie to make the run in behind, unchecked and unchallenged.
Defensive disarray allowed City to exploit Perth’s vulnerabilities repeatedly, with Tolgay Arslan adding to the onslaught to make it 4-0.
Natel’s second goal, confirmed by VAR, served as a gut punch to Perth, encapsulating their afternoon of misery. Despite a marginally improved second half, City continued their relentless attacks, with Jamie Maclaren and Steven Ugarkovic piling on the misery to make it 6 and 7-0 respectively.
It was a really embarrassing performance from the Glory, especially considering both the club’s Tour of Duty was in action, where most of the noise throughout the game was coming from the Glory supporters, and new chairman and owner Ross Pelligra were in attendance. Pelligra looked far from impressed when the camera cut to him.
Ultimately, this season was a write-off given the turmoil leading into it and this result is a really sour way to end the last few games of the campaign. It was a pathetic performance and no one deserved that. The defending has been diabolical and when you do the maths, the Glory have conceded on average 2.3 goals per game.
That is just not acceptable at this level and there must be repercussions ahead of next season. The loyal and long-suffering fans of this football club deserve better.
About the Author
