Only a stoppage-time equaliser prevented Glory from securing a first away win of the season as they fought out a dramatic 2-2 draw with Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
View full match highlights HERE.
View Alen Stajcic’s post-match media conference HERE.
Having fallen behind to a first-half penalty from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, the visitors roared back after the break and turned the game on its head via two quickfire goals from Adam Taggart and Stefan Colakovski.
But just as they seemed set to secure maximum points, substitute Trent Buhagiar found the net for the Jets in the 97th minute.
On what was a picture-perfect early summer’s evening in the Hunter Valley, the Round 8 clash got off to a slow start and only really burst into life when the hosts were awarded a penalty just shy of the half-hour mark.
Referee Shaun Evans took a dim view of a tangle in the box between Mark Beevers and Thomas Aquilina and Newcastle ‘s top scorer this term, Stamatelopoulos, made no mistake from the spot.
An acrobatic goal-line clearance from Johnny Koutroumbis then prevented Stamatelopoulos from doubling his tally, but it was a different story once the second half got underway.
Glory looked revitalised by the break and less than a minute in, they were back on level terms.
Luke Ivanovic provided the assist, making inroads down the right before crossing for Taggart who showed power, poise and precision to crash an unstoppable shot past Ryan Scott in the home goal.
Visibly lifted by that goal, Glory continued to surge forward and were rewarded again eight minutes later when Colakovski made it 2-1.
The former Melbourne City man pounced to cut out an errant pass from Clayton Taylor before racing to the edge of the box and as a cluster of defenders converged upon him, he calmly lashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Predictably, the Jets redoubled their efforts in a bid to avoid a 13th overall home defeat to Glory and the lively Stamatelopoulos missed a great chance to make it 2-2, before Lucas Mauragis bent a low shot centimetres wide of the post.
When substitute and former Glory man Callum Timmins then saw his 94th-minute effort strike the foot of the post and rebound away, it looked as if Alen Stajcic’s men would secure that elusive away victory.
But it was not to be, as with almost the last kick of the game, Buhagiar forced home a Mauragis cross and instead ensured that the two sides would end locked at 2-2 for the fourth time in a row.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2023/24 Season Round 8
Newcastle Jets 2 (Stamatelopoulos (pen) 26′, Buhagiar 90+7′) Perth Glory 2 (Taggart 47′, Colakovski 55′)
Half-time: 0-0
McDonald Jones Stadium
Saturday 16 December 2023
Referee: Shaun Evans
Attendance: 4714
Newcastle Jets: 1. Ryan SCOTT (GK), 5. Lucas MAURAGIS, 6. Brandon O’NEILL, 8. Apostolos STAMATELOPOULOS (7. Trent BUHAGIAR 80′), 10. Reno PISCOPO (23. Daniel WILMERING 69′), 13. Clayton TAYLOR, 14. Dane INGHAM, 17. Kosta GROZOS (19. Callum TIMMINS 80′), 22. Phil CANCAR, 33. Mark NATTA, 39. Thomas AQUILINA (26. Archie GOODWIN 62′)
Substitutes not used: 20. Michael WEIER (GK), 25. Carl JENKINSON, 29. Justin VIDIC
Yellow Cards: Mauragis
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 2.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS, 5.Mark BEEVERS (co-c), 7.Stefan COLAKOVSKI (9.David WILLIAMS 70′), 10.Salim KHELIFI (17.Jarrod CARLUCCIO 65′), 12.Luke IVANOVIC (23.Daniel BENNIE 79′), 15.Aleksandar SUSNJAR, 20.Giordano COLLI, 22.Adam TAGGART (co-c), 24.Oliver BOZANIC (8.Mustafa AMINI, 46′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN
Substitutes not used: 1.Oli SAIL (gk), 3.Jacob MUIR, 19.Trent OSTLER
Yellow Cards: Colli, Koutroumbis, Cook
Red Cards: None
#ONEGlory
