Mark Beevers and Aleks Susnjar both received late red cards and five other Glory players were booked as Alen Stajcic’s side were defeated 4-2 in an ill-tempered and controversial New Year’s Eve clash with Central Coast Mariners in Gosford.
View full match highlights HERE.
View Alen Stajcic’s post-match media conference HERE.
Things began well for the visitors who hit the front via a well-constructed goal from leading scorer Adam Taggart 17 minutes in.
But by half-time, that 1-0 lead had turned into a 3-1 deficit as Jacob Farrell and Alou Kuol both found the net in the space of nine minutes and Marco Tulio converted from the spot after Beevers had been penalised for handball.
Just as they did against Macarthur FC in the previous round, Glory responded well after the break, this time Stefan Colakovski reducing the arrears with a delightfully impudent finish.
But there was to be no repeat of the remarkable HBF Park comeback as Beevers was again deemed to have handled in the box in the 88th minute and Tulio successfully converted his second spot-kick of the night.
Although he had not been booked for his first-half indiscretion, Beevers was bizarrely shown a yellow for his second offence and having been cautioned shortly after the restart, that meant a premature exit for the Englishman.
Susnjar soon followed his fellow-defender down the tunnel after collecting a second caution, presumably for dissent and there was still time for more controversy at the other end as substitute David Williams appeared to be fouled by Dan Hall in the box, only for the penalty not to be given.
Victory would have seen the men in white close to within three points of the top six in what remains a very congested A-League table, but instead it was the reigning Champions who climbed into the finals spots.
Glory looked threatening throughout the opening period of the first half and their adventure was rewarded when Johnny Koutroumbis delivered an inch-perfect ball to the far post where Taggart applied a composed, first-time finish to take his personal tally for the season to six.
But the game soon took on a very different complexion as the Mariners struck back three times before the break.
Farrell claimed Central Coast’s equaliser, playing a neat one-two with Josh Nisbett before firing across the face of goal into the far corner and the New South Welshmen hit the front nine minutes later when Kuol finished at the second attempt after his initial effort had been parried by Cameron Cook.
Glory felt that an apparent foul by Storm Roux on Salim Khelifi in the build-up to the goal should have seen it chalked off, but VAR disagreed and to compound their dismay, a third goal was conceded in first-half stoppage-time when Tulio converted from the spot after Beevers’ misdemeanour in the box.
Seemingly undaunted, Glory clawed their way back into the contest within six minutes of the restart, a neat flick from Taggart releasing Colakovski who cleverly beat his marker before dinking the ball past the advancing Danny Vukovic with the outside of his right boot.
Vukovic was then forced to make a smart save with his outstretched left leg to thwart Johnny Koutroumbis and the second half duly developed into a fractious, helter-skelter affair, littered with bookings for Glory players.
Any hopes of Stajcic enjoying a successful return to his former club were ultimately extinguished when VAR adjudged that Beevers had blocked Max Balard’s shot illegally, he received his marching orders, Tulio converted the resulting penalty and Glory were forced to play out the final minutes with nine men as Susnjar also saw red.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League Season 2023/24 Round 10
Central Coast Mariners 4 (Farrell 28′, Kuol 39′, Tulio (pen) 45+4′, 90+2′) Perth Glory 2 (Taggart 18′, Colakovski 52′)
Half-time: 3-1
Industree Group Stadium
Sunday 31 January 2023
Referee: Jack Morgan
Central Coast Mariners: 20. Danny VUKOVIC (c), 3. Brian KALTAK, 4. Josh NISBET, 6. Max BALARD, 9. Alou KUOL (17. Jing REEC 84′), 10. Marco Tulio (7. Christian THEOHAROUS 90+5′), 11. Angel TORRES (28. Will WILSON 90+6′), 15. Storm ROUX (2. Mikael DOKA 67′), 18. Jacob FARRELL, 23. Dan HALL, 26. Brad TAPP (39. Miguel DI PIZIO 85′)
Substitutes not used: 30. Jack WARSHAWSKY 33. Nathan PAULL
Yellow Cards: Kuol, Tulio, Hall
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 2.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS (19.Trent OSTLER 73′), 3.Jacob MUIR, 5.Mark BEEVERS (co-c), 7.Stefan COLAKOVSKI (9.David WILLIAMS 81′), 10.Salim KHELIFI (77.Bruce KAMAU 60′), 12.Luke IVANOVIC (17.Jarrod CARLUCCIO 73′), 15.Aleksandar SUSNJAR, 20.Giordano COLLI, 22.Adam TAGGART (co-c), 24.Oliver BOZANIC (8.Mustafa AMINI 60′)
Substitutes not used: 1.Oli SAIL (gk), 29.Darryl LACHMAN
Yellow Cards: Susnjar, Colakovski, Ivanovic, Beevers, Colli, Koutroumbis, Williams
Red Cards: Beevers, Susnjar
#ONEGlory
