Perth Glory have staged a remarkable second-half comeback to turn around a two-goal deficit and register an astounding 6-4 win over the Newcastle Jets in their NYL match.
Perth Glory have staged a remarkable second-half comeback to turn around a two-goal deficit and register an astounding 6-4 win over the Newcastle Jets in their Round 12 National Youth League match at Wanderers Oval on Sunday morning.
The first half almost exclusively belonged to the Jets, who overcame an early penalty to Perth’s Chris Harold to run riot through the Glory defence and create a host of chances, with striker Marko Jesic collecting a brace and Brazilian Bernardo Ribeiro converting an eye-catching solo effort for a 3-1 lead at half-time.
Both sides made changes in the second half and it was the visitors who prospered when they clawed a goal back in the 50th minute via defender Jack Glisby.
That seemed to swing the momentum in Perth’s favour and they scored four impressive goals in a 19-minutes spree to take the score to 6-3, before Jesic completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot late in the contest.
The win lifts the Glory to within two points of the top four while the Jets remain in third place.
The Jets applied all the early pressure and fashioned the first chance on goal in the seventh minute when Ribeiro sent a shot from the edge of the area over the crossbar.
The game turned in the 10th minute when Glory striker Harry O’Brien was felled as Jets goalkeeper Ben Kennedy came out to try to smother a lobbed through ball.
Referee Stephan Luca had no hesitation awarding the penalty and Chris Harold stepped up to convert from the spot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Jets hit back almost immediately via a solo goal to Riberio. The crafty import took the ball just outside the area, feinted one way and then went back the other before unleashing a shot into the top far corner of the net to make it 1-1 after 13 minutes.
From that point on the Jets started to control proceedings and made plenty of inroads through the middle of the park as they duly took the lead just after the half-hour mark when Jesic fired in a low left-footed shot from just outside the area.
Jesic got his second goal in almost identical fashion just a few moments later when he took the ball on the edge of the box, turned and fired a low left-foot shot inside the far post to make it 3-1 after 35 minutes.
Newcastle seemed to run through the Glory defence at will and Adam Taggart could have added to his side’s total when he was played in by a great through-ball from Mitch Cooper, but the striker’s shot smacked off the goal-post.
Taggart had two more chances to score but could only fire his shot into the arms of Glory goalkeeper Jordan Franken and the home side had to be content with a 3-1 lead at half-time.
The Jets made a couple of changes at half-time, resting Kennedy, defender Josh Mitchell and midfielder Cooper, while the Glory brought on Andrew Higgins for Lawrence Shuruma.
The Glory dragged themselves back into the contest just five minutes after half-time when defender Glisby fired in a glorious left-footed free kick after Adrian Zahra had been pulled down by Nicholas Cowburn.
The Glory were back on level terms just after the hour mark when Zahra made a break down the right wing before cutting the ball back inside for substitute Borbor Sam, who curled a lovely shot inside the far post.
The home side looked to regain their lead when substitute Kale Bradbery played in Bobby Russell but the nippy winger saw his shot pushed over the bar by Franken.
Remarkably it was the Glory who took the lead when they engineered some sparkling play down the left flank, where fullback Riley Woodcock was afforded too much time on the edge of the area and he was able to float a curling effort over Hartnett and into the far corner.
The Jets tried hard to get back into the contest with Bradbery and Russell combing to set up chances for Ribeiro, but he sent two attempts over the target.
The Glory sealed the match when Moses Kalau’s shot came off the crossbar and Zahra was first to the rebound, heading home to make it 5-3 with 10 minutes to play.
Perth capped an amazing comeback when they added a sixth goal seven minutes from full-time when substitute striker Moses Kalau poked home a goal-mouth scramble.
The Jets kept fighting and claimed a consolation when Ribeiro was pulled down by Franken and earned a penalty. Jesic converted from the spot for his hat-trick to make the final score 6-4 to the Glory.
Newcastle Jets 4 (Ribeiro 13, Jesic 32, 35, 88pen)
Perth Glory 6 (Harold 10pen, Glisby 50, Sam 61, Woodcock 68, Zahra 78, Kalau 80)
at Wanderers Oval, Newcastle
Newcastle Jets
1. Ben Kennedy, 20. Nicholas Hartnett (46min) Mason Campbell (capt), 3. Nicholas Cowburn, 4. Josh Mitchell, (12. Radovan Pavicevic 46min) 5. Luke Remington, 6. Michael Finlayson, 7. Bobby Russell, 8. Mitch Cooper, 13.Kale Bradbery (46min) 9. Adam Taggart (14. Stevan Ilic 60min), 10. Bernardo Ribeiro, 11. Marko Jesic.
Perth Glory
16. Jordan Franklen, 2. Matthew Davies, 3. Ryan Lowry, 4. Jack Glisby, 5. Riley Woodcock, 6. Blamo Quaqua (capt), 7. Adrian Zahra, 8. Lawrence Shuruma (12. Andrew Higgins 46min), 9. Ndumba Makeche (14. Borbor Sam 60min), 10. Harry O-Brien, 11. Chris Harold (13. Moses Kalau 60min).
Unused substitute 1. Devon Spence.