Glory moved firmly into the Finals frame after second-half goals from Adam Taggart and Mark Beevers secured a thrilling, 2-1 comeback win over Macarthur FC in what the club’s final ISUZU UTE A-League game at Macedonia Park.
View full match highlights HERE.
The men in purple have made a habit of securing dramatic victories at their temporary home and did so after dominating the first-half only to find themselves trailing at the break courtesy of a well-taken goal from Lachlan Rose.
But two headed goals from Taggart and Beevers in the space of five minutes midway through the second period turned the game on its head and ensured that Ruben Zadkovich’s side would claim all three points at home for the sixth time this season.
The result moves Glory up to seventh place in the table, within one point of the top six and Zadkovich was understandably delighted with the way his charges battled back to secure a vital victory.
View his full post-match media conference HERE.
“I thought we deserved the win,” he said.
“I thought we controlled the contest for most of it and were very unlucky to go in [at half-time] 1-0 down, to be honest.
“I thought we deserved to be on top going into half-time, but in the end we got what we deserved.
“We talked at half-time about trusting the process and it’s served us well here [at Macedonia Park].
“The belief is very big in that dressing room and what I’m most proud of today with the players is that they stuck to the process and kept playing and against adversity, they showed a lot of character and a lot of belief.”
Knowing that a win was essential to keep them in the Finals hunt, Glory started purposefully and could have been ahead inside the opening minutes as Trent Ostler and Mustafa Amini combined to send Taggart in on goal, but Filip Kurto managed to smother the striker’s close-range shot.
Taggart went close again midway through the half, this time volleying a deep Keegan Jelacic cross into the side-netting and as half-time approached, Amini sent a long-range effort fizzing over the bar.
With Glory so clearly in the ascendancy, it came as a huge shock when it was the Bulls who broke the deadlock moments before the break, Rose cutting inside and picking out the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Seemingly undaunted at that unfortunate setback, the men in purple continued to threaten as the second half wore on and were rewarded in the 64th minute when, having been sent away down the right channel by Jelacic, Ryan Williams stood up an inviting cross to the far post where Taggart outmuscled a cluster of Macarthur defenders to head home.
The jubilant home fans were still celebrating that goal when Glory grabbed another, this time substitute Jacob Dowse bending a free-kick into the box which Beevers reached ahead of his marker and nodded past Kurto.
As has been the case in almost every Glory game at Macedonia Park this season, the drama continued right to the death as Adam Zimarino was just off-target with a vicious drive from outside the box and fellow-substitute Luke Bodnar produced a superb block at the other end to deflect a goalbound strike from Craig Noone wide of the mark.
Noone was off-target again in stoppage-time, to the collective relief of the home faithful who were able to celebrate a deserved and crucial win just seconds later.
Match Details
ISUZU UTE A-League 2022/23 Season Round 22
Perth Glory 2 (Taggart 69′, Beevers 74′) Macarthur FC 1 (Rose 43′)
Half-time: 0-1
Macedonia Park
Saturday 1 April 2023
Referee: Daniel Cook
Perth Glory: 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 5.Mark BEEVERS, 6.Aaron MCENEFF (4.Luke BODNAR 21′), 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 8.Mustafa AMINI (c), 14.Jack CLISBY (3.Jacob DOWSE 62′), 16.Keegan JELACIC (43.Adam ZIMARINO 75′), 22.Adam TAGGART, 28.Trent OSTLER (36.Joseph FORDE 75′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 37.Jacob MUIR (12.Luke IVANOVIC 62′)
Substitutes not used: 19.Zach DUNCAN, 30.Pierce CLARK (gk)
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Macarthur FC: 12.Filip KURTO, 2.Jake McGING, 5.Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITIS (16.Oliver JONES 80′), 6.Tomi USKOK, 7.Daniel DE SILVA (17.Craig NOONE 70′), 11.Kearyn BACCUS, 13.Ivan VUJICA, 20.Jason ROMERO (14.Moudi NAJJAR 80′), 27.Jerry SKOTADIS (8.Jake HOLLMAN 61′), 31.Lachlan ROSE (37.Jed DREW 70′), 44.Matt MILLAR
Substitutes not used: 1.Nick SUMAN, 24.Charles M’MOMBWA
Yellow Cards: Aspropotamitis, Millar
Red Cards: None
#ONEGlory
