Glory were edged out 3-2 by Sydney FC in a dramatic, storm-interrupted Isuzu UTE A-League clash at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening.
View full match highlights HERE.
View Alen Stajcic’s full post-match media conference HERE.
After strikes from Joe Lolley and Robert Mak had sent the Sky Blues into the break 2-0 up, the start of the second half was delayed for over two hours by an electrical storm which swept across the ground.
When play did finally resume, Adam Taggart halved the arrears with a composed finish, only for an own-goal from the luckless Aleks Susnjar to restore Sydney’s two-goal advantage in the final minute of normal time.
Glory did manage to respond once again, this time via a fine free-kick from Oliver Bozanic, however it arrived too late to prevent Ufuk Talay’s side from claiming the spoils.
The visitors began the game brightly and came agonisingly close to taking an early lead when Taggart met Susnjar’s teasing ball into the box, eluded the onrushing Andrew Redmayne, but then found the outside of the post rather than the net from a tight angle.
Another good chance arrived moments later, this time Luke Ivanovic shooting over from a promising position after a well-worked attack had sliced open the home defence.
Although Glory continued to look threatening as the half wore on, Sydney also started to find their rhythm and they managed to break the deadlock just after the half-hour mark.
Having seen his initial effort well saved by Cameron Cook, Lolley reacted quickest after Mark Beevers blocked the follow-up from Patrick Wood, pouncing on the loose ball and slotting in his third goal of the season.
Stunned to find themselves behind, Glory were dealt another blow on the stroke of half-time when Mak wriggled his way into the box and after benefitting from a couple of fortuitous ricochets, managed to bend a shot past Cook.
Mother Nature then took centre stage as lightning bolts crackled across the Sydney skyline and torrential rain poured down, leaving the game in very real danger of being abandoned.
But the storm finally abated and once it did, Glory hauled themselves back into the contest as substitute Stefan Colakovski played in Taggart who timed his run to perfection and calmly slipped the ball past Redmayne.
As the game moved into its final quarter, Sydney responded strongly to seeing their lead halved and Cook was called upon to make excellent saves from Wood, Fabio, Luke Brattan and Mitch Glasson.
He was powerless, however, to prevent the latter from directing a close-range effort goalward right at the death which deflected off the lunging Susnjar on its way over the line.
Glory did at least manage to have the final word when, in the first minute of stoppage-time, Bozanic’s left-foot free-kick from wide out on the right arrowed its way past Redmayne into the top corner.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2023/24 Season Round 6
Sydney FC 3 (Lolley 33′, Mak 44′, Susnjar (o.g.) 89′)) Perth Glory 2 (Taggart 63′, Bozanic 90+1′)
Half-time: 2-0
Allianz Stadium
Saturday 2 December 2023
Referee: Alireza Faghani
Sydney FC: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 8. Jake GIRDWOOD-REICH, 9. Fabio GOMES, 10. Joe LOLLEY, 11. Robert MAK (4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS 72′), 12. Corey HOLLMAN (21. Zac DE JESUS 90+5′), 13. Pat WOOD (19. Mitch GLASSON 71′), 15. Gabriel LACERDA, 16. Joel KING, 23. Rhyan GRANT, 26. Luke BRATTAN (C)
Substitutes not used: 3. Aaron GURD, 18. Matthew SCARCELLA, 20. Adam PAVLESIC (GK), 29. Joe LACEY
Yellow Cards: Wood
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 13.Cameron COOK (GK), 2.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS (19.Trent OSTLER 82′), 5.Mark BEEVERS (co-captain), 10.Salim KHELIFI (7.Stefan COLAKOVSKI 46′), 12.Luke IVANOVIC (23.Daniel BENNIE 46′), 15.Aleksandar SUSNJAR, 17.Jarrod CARLUCCIO (77.Bruce KAMAU 67′), 20.Giordano COLLI (6.Aaron MCENEFF 46′), 22.Adam TAGGART (co-captain), 24.Oliver BOZANIC, 29.Darryl LACHMAN
Substitutes not used: 1.Oli SAIL (GK), 28.Kaelan MAJEKODUNMI
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
#ONEGlory
