Bruno Fornaroli took his goal tally for the season to eight as Glory fought out an incident-packed 1-1 draw with Sydney FC at HBF Park on Wednesday evening.
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The Uruguayan found the net from close range two minutes before the break to put the hosts in front, with VAR eventually overturning the initial decision to disallow the goal for offside.
Having made several key saves in the first half, Liam Reddy continued in a similar vein after the break, but the Glory ‘keeper was powerless to prevent Bobo from firing the Sky Blues back on level terms just after the hour-mark.
In a frantic finale, both sides continued to create chances and substitute Andy Keogh thought he had grabbed the three points for Glory, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
Glory Head Coach Richard Garcia, who handed a starting debut to 19-year-old striker Ciaran Bramwell, felt that the performance was one his side can build upon.
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“Of course I would have liked the win,” he said, “and I think we can improve on conceding the goal that we conceded, but it’s a fantastic stepping stone in the right direction.
“It’s a platform, something we can improve upon on Saturday [against Newcastle Jets].
“We worked well and were nice and compact and didn’t really give much away.
“There were chances here and there, but it was the same at the other end.
“It was a little bit more structured our defensive effort today and the players really had that in their mind, which was pleasing.”
In a lively opening it was the Sky Blues who looked the more dangerous, Reddy forced to make a stunning save to tip Joel King’s header on to the bar and then reacting smartly to block a low shot from Bobo.
As Sydney continued to enjoy the upper hand, Luke Ivanovic was the next to be denied by Reddy before Milos Ninkovic fizzed a shot wide of the target from just inside the box.
Having weathered that storm, Glory steadily began to gain a foothold in the game and managed to snatch the lead just before the break.
Diego Castro provided the groundwork, getting away down the left and driving in a low cross to which Fornaroli applied the simplest of finishes.
Stung by that setback, Steve Corica’s side launched themselves at Glory immediately after the restart and Reddy made another two excellent saves to foil Bobo in the space of two minutes.
Moments later, however, the home defence was unable to clear a second ball and the veteran Brazilian striker pounced in a crowded box to hook a shot into the bottom corner.
Reddy was called into action once more in the 71st minute, adjusting quickly to push Ninkovic’s deflected shot around the post and Andrew Redmayne then responded in kind at the other end to block a toe poke from Darryl Lachman.
It was Glory who looked the most likely in the dying minutes, but the final chance of a compelling contest came and went as Castro was unable to get meaningful contact on a Josh Rawlins cross.
Match Details
Perth Glory 1 (Fornaroli 43′) Sydney FC 1 (Bobo 63′)
Half-time 1-0
HBF Park, Perth
Referee: Alireza Faghani
Perth Glory: 33.Liam REDDY (gk), 5.Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITIS, 6.Osama MALIK (19.Callum TIMMINS 89′), 8.Kosuke OTA, 9.Bruno FORNAROLI, 17.Diego CASTRO (C), 22.Josh RAWLINS (20.Carlo ARMIENTO 89′), 24.Daniel STYNES (23.Dane INGHAM 60′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 38.Ciaran BRAMWELL (10.Andy KEOGH 74′), 88.Neil KILKENNY
Substitutes not used: 1.Tando VELAPHI (gk), 13.Luke BODNAR, 21.Bryce BAFFORD
Yellow Cards: Fornaroli, Aspropotamitis
Red Cards: None
Sydney FC: 1.Andrew REDMAYNE (gk), 4.Alex WILKINSON (c), 6.Ryan McGOWAN, 8.Paulo RETRE (5.Alex BAUMJOHANN 77′), 9.BOBÔ, 10.Milos NINKOVIC, 16.Joel KING, 17.Anthony CACERES, 18.Luke IVANOVIC (33.Pat WOOD 60′), 23.Rhyan GRANT, 26.Luke BRATTAN
Substitutes not used: 3.Ben WARLAND, 20.Tom HEWARD-BELLE (gk), 21. Harry VAN der SAAG, 27.Jordan SWIBEL, 28.Calem NIEUWENHOF
Yellow Cards: Grant
Red Cards: None
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