Glory remain within one point of the top six after securing a battling 0-0 draw with Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Easter Sunday.
View full match highlights HERE.
With the race for Finals really hotting up, there was an edge to the game throughout and that tension eventually boiled over in stoppage-time as Glory defender Mark Beevers was red-carded for his involvement in a melee prompted by Victory’s appeals for a penalty.
While it was the home side who enjoyed the bulk of the possession and territory, the visitors could have snatched all three points late on as Luke Bodnar saw his header brilliantly saved by Paul Izzo and fellow-substitute Adam Taggart was unable to steer home a Ryan Williams cross.
The result means that Glory could move into the Finals places with a win over Sydney FC next weekend and Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich was pleased with the resolve his charges showed to earn what may prove to be a vital point.
View his full post-match media conference HERE.
“We always play for the three [points],” he told Paramount, “but points have been hard to come by away from home for a lot of teams… and it’s been difficult.
“So I think to come away and get a point at the business end of the season and go four games unbeaten, yes, there are some positives there.
“I’m extremely proud of the players today for their character.
“The performance was below our best, well below our best and there are some things to work on, but there were a lot of positives.
“The way the boys dug their heels in and ground out a result together, I think that shows a lot of resilience and character and that’s certainly an important thing at this time of year.”
After a low-key opening period, Victory fired a shot across Glory’s bows when Fernando Romero got in behind and beat Cameron Cook with a low strike, only to see the ball rebound off the foot of the post and straight back into the grateful arms of the visitors’ ‘keeper.
Having struggled to threaten the home defence in the first half, Glory looked significantly more purposeful after the break and came close to hitting the front when Damien Da Silva somehow prevented substitute Jacob Dowse from bundling the ball over the line after Ryan Williams had nodded a Trent Ostler cross back across goal.
Victory responded with a typically fierce strike from Bruno Fornaroli which Cook was equal to and Jack Clisby then did well to hack the ball clear after the former Glory striker had raced onto a through-ball from Chris Ikonomidis and squared across goal.
Cook duly parried another effort from Fornaroli with seven minutes left, before opposite number Paul Izzo produced an even more spectacular save to deny Bodnar after the midfielder had met Dowse’s corner with a bullet header.
Then, in stoppage-time, Taggart was unable to get a decent contact on Williams’ cross and as both sides went to-to-toe right to the whistle, the final dramatic episode unfolded at the other end of the field.
While trying to latch onto a loose ball just six metres out from goal, Lleyton Brooks tangled with Jordan Elsey and Victory’s appeals for a penalty prompted an angry response from a host of Glory players.
There seemed to have been little more than some pushing involved, but referee Daniel Elder deemed Beevers’ participation worthy of a second yellow, meaning the Englishman is set to miss next weekend’s vital clash with Sydney FC.
Match Details
ISUZU UTE A-League 2022/23 Season Round 23
Melbourne Victory 0 Perth Glory 0
Half-time: 0-0
AAMI Park
Referee: Daniel Elder
Melbourne Victory: 20.Paul IZZO (gk), 3.KADETE, 4.Raimon MARCHAN (23.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS 86′), 5.Damian DE SILVA, 10.Bruno FORNAROLI, 14.Connor CHAPMAN (8.Josh BRILLANTE 63′), 16.Stefan NIGRO, 18.Bruce KAMAU (11.Ben FOLAMI 46′), 19.Fernando Romero GONZALEZ (26.Lleyton BROOKS 78′), 21.Roderick MIRANDA (c), 24.Nishan VELUPILLAY (7.Chris IKONOMIDIS 63′)
Substitutes not used: 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 1.Matt ACTON (gk)
Yellow Cards: Miranda, Romero, Fornaroli
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 6.Mark BEEVERS, 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 8.Mustafa AMINI (c) (19.Zach DUNCAN 69′), 12.Luke IVANOVIC (3.Jacob DOWSE 46′), 14.Jack CLISBY, 15.Jordan ELSEY, 16.Keegan JELACIC (4.Luke BODNAR 80′), 28.Trent OSTLER (22.Adam TAGGART 68′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 37.Jacob MUIR (36.Joseph FORDE 34′)
Substitutes not used: 43.Adam ZIMARINO, 30.Pierce CLARK
Yellow Cards: Beevers, Lachman, Clisby, Forde
Red Cards: Beevers
#ONEGlory
