Glory’s 2024 Australia Cup campaign came to an end on Wednesday night as they were defeated 3-2 by Moreton City Excelsior in their Round of 16 clash at Perry Park.
View match highlights HERE
David Zdrilic’s men flew out to a 2-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes courtesy of headers from Zach Lisolajski and Jacob Muir, but by the half-hour mark, the hosts were back level after Marquez Walters and Ben Holliday found the net.
The complexion of the game then changed completely when Glory midfielder Adam Bugarija was dismissed late in the first half after collecting a second yellow card and City eventually made their numerical advantage pay when substitute Joseph Scott headed in what proved to be the winner five minutes from time.
Zdrilic felt that an inability to control key periods of the game cost his side dear.
“We couldn’t have wished for a better start with the two early goals,” he said, “but I don’t think we managed the momentum of the game very well.
“We should have been able to soak up a little bit of pressure.
“We’ve seen from a number of the other Cup games that the NPL teams are strong and they’re willing to have a go.
“We just had to manage that period when they did that, but we didn’t and we allowed them back into the game.
“Having said that, there was still another half to play and we’ve already done it many times this season, coming back and going again.
“But the red card then forced us to change our whole approach in the second half.
“I thought with ten men we still were able to create three or four big opportunities… but you have to take them and in the end we copped a late goal and didn’t give ourselves enough time to get back into it.
“All credit to the opposition, they fought back, fought for every ball… and unfortunately we let them back in.
“It’s about how we respond now.
“It’s not a good feeling, it’s not the result that we wanted, but teams that win have to be able to deal with loss.
“So we have to put it aside and go again.
“There have been a lot of positives in this pre-season, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Glory had scored nine goals in their previous two Cup outings and wasted no time in adding to that tally as they came flying out of the traps and hit the front in the third minute when Lisolajski climbed highest in a crowded box to nod home a Taras Gomulka corner.
Muir then emulated his defensive colleague moments later, finding a pocket of space in which to meet Brandon O’Neill’s free-kick and pick out the top corner with a looping header.
Moreton came into the game off the back of a free-scoring NPL Queensland campaign, however and soon reduced the arrears as leading marksman Walters was played in by Chris Maher and beat Oli Sail from a tight angle.
As a pulsating opening period continued, Nathan Foster in the home goal made a smart save to foil Abdul Faisal before Holliday went one better at the other end, cutting in from the left and hammering a shot past Sail to make it 2-2.
The drama duly continued right into the shadows of half time when, having earlier been cautioned for a foul on Rhys Gwynne-Jones, Bugarija was late into another challenge and received his marching orders from referee Adam Kersey.
To their credit, Glory responded well to that major setback, with Adam Taggart and Josh Risdon both drawing fine stops from Foster in the early stages of the second half.
A flurry of changes made by both sides somewhat stymied the flow of the game late on, but it was one of those replacements who was destined to decide the contest.
The lively Holliday was once again involved, this time delivering a pinpoint cross for substitute Scott whose powerful header arced its way into the top corner to seal victory for the Queenslanders.
Match Details
2024 Australia Cup Round of 16
Moreton City Excelsior 3 (Walters 14′, Holliday 30′, Scott 85′) Perth Glory 2 (Lisolajski 3′, Muir 10′)
Half-time: 2-2
Perry Park
Referee: Adam Kersey
Moreton City Excelsior: 1.Nathan FOSTER (gk), 3.Nicholas BERNARDI (4.Jack MCINALLY 72′), 6.Seita MURAI, 7.Damin ANDERSON, 9.Marquez WALTERS, 10.Ben HOLLIDAY, 15.Chris MAHER, 17.Zachary KIERPAL (11.Joseph SCOTT 72′), 18.Lachlan SAYERS (8.Emryn DONNELLY-FAGAN 90+1′), 23.Rhys GWYNNE-JONES, 24.Declan SMITH
Substitutes not used: 5.Sam KNIGHT, 16.Liam BYRNE, 22.Will EDMISTON, 21.Mason NASH (gk)
Yellow Cards: Smith
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 1.Oli SAIL (gk), 6.Brandon O’NEILL (26.Khoa NGO 87′), 12.Taras GOMULKA, 15.Zach LISOLAJSKI (4.Luke BODNAR 78′), 16.Adam BUGARIJA, 17.Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 19.Josh RISDON, 21.Abdul FAISAL (14.Nathanael BLAIR 78′), 22.Adam TAGGART (c) (9.David WILLIAMS 87′), 28.Kaelan MAJEKODUNMI, 29.Jacob MUIR
Substitutes not used: 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 25.Jaylan PEARMAN, 42.Daniel JANKULOSKI
Yellow Cards: Bugarija
Red Cards: Bugarija
#ONEGlory
