Glory’s final game of the 2022/23 ISUZU UTE A-League campaign saw them slip to a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of defending Champions Western United after defender Mark Beevers was sent off with more than 30 minutes left to play.
View full match highlights HERE.
Wellington Phoenix’s win over Macarthur FC earlier in the day meant that Glory’s Finals hopes had already been extinguished by the time play got underway at HBF Park and they soon fell behind as Ben Garuccio found the net from close range.
Keegan Jelacic duly restored parity on the stroke of half-time, applying a composed finish after seizing upon a stray pass from Leo Lacroix and the home side thought they had hit the front shortly after the break, only for Adam Zimarino’s effort to be controversially ruled out for offside.
Moments later, Noah Botic tapped in at the other end and when Beevers then picked up two yellow cards in the space of three minutes, Glory were unable to find a way back into the game for a second time.
While conceding that his charges had made a sluggish start, Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich felt that they were unfortunate to have empty-handed.
View his full post-match media conference HERE.
“In the first half, I thought we were poor,” he said.
“We didn’t play well enough, we got caught a couple of times and just lacked movement and cohesion.
“But the second half, I thought we started really well having changed a few things at half time and then that second half was a little bit like our whole season; the good, the bad and the ugly.
“I don’t think we had the rub of the green at the right times.
“I felt like we should have had a goal and I don’t know why it was disallowed.
“That goal would have changed the game dramatically.”
Perhaps deflated by the result in Wellington not going their way, Glory were second best in the opening exchanges and found themselves trailing midway through the opening period when Garuccio played a neat one-two with Connor Pain before beating Cameron Cook.
United almost doubled their lead as Cook was forced to make a smart save from Dylan Pierias, before Jack Clisby did even better to block Garuccio’s follow-up effort and the men in purple made the most of that reprieve by levelling things up two minutes later.
Lacroix’s poorly-directed pass was picked off by Jelacic just outside the box and he calmly beat the advancing Jamie Young to claim his second goal of the season.
The second-half began as dramatically as the first had ended, with Glory believing they had taken the lead when Antonee Burke-Gilroy’s effort hit the post and half-time substitute Zimarino reacted quickest to stroke home the loose ball.
VAR, however, appeared to adjudge Adam Taggart to have been offside as Burke-Gilroy’s shot came in, even though he did not seem to be interfering with play and from then on, Glory’s night took a distinct turn for the worse.
Within two minutes, Botic slotted in a cross from Garuccio and that set-back was compounded when two fouls from Beevers on Pierias in quick succession saw the skipper receive his marching orders.
Zimarino had a strong penalty claim waved away late on and fellow-substitute Jacob Dowse had a fierce shot blocked by Ryan Scott who had replaced Young at the break, but unusually for a season characterised by late drama, Glory were ultimately unable to find a way through.
The final whistle prompted a touching tribute to retiring Western United icon Alessandro Diamanti from both sets of players, before the Glory squad were left to reflect upon a ninth-place finish which means the club will face an FA Cup qualifying play-off later in the year.
Match Details
ISUZU UTE A-League 2022/23 Season Round 26
Perth Glory 1 (Jelacic 45′) Western United 2 (Garuccio 25′, Botic 53′)
Half-time: 1-1
HBF Park
Saturday 29 April 2023
Referee: Daniel Elder
Perth Glory squad: 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 4.Luke BODNAR (19.Zach DUNCAN 79′), 5.Mark BEEVERS, 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 14.Jack CLISBY (20.Giordano COLLI 79′), 16.Keegan JELACIC (36.Joseph FORDE 65′), 21.Antonee BURKE-GILROY (3.Jacob DOWSE 65′), 22.Adam TAGGART, 28.Trent OSTLER (43.Adam ZIMARINO 46′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 37.Jacob MUIR
Substitutes not used: 30.Pierce CLARK (gk), 31.Chris DONNELL
Yellow Cards: Beevers, Williams
Red Cards: Beevers
Western United: 1. Jamie YOUNG (gk) (37. Ryan SCOTT (gk), 46′) 4. Leo LACROIX, 5. Dylan PIERIAS (88. Neil KILKENNY 77′), 6. Tomoki IMAI, 10. Steven LUSTICA, 11. Connor PAIN, 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 19. Josh RISDON, 21. Sebastian PASQUALI (9. Michael RUHS 77′), 23. Alessandro DIAMANTI (c) (14. James TROISI 64′), 38. Noah BOTIC (8. Lachie WALES 67′)
Substitutes not used: 31. Adisu BAYEW, 44. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY
Yellow Cards: Pain, Risdon
Red Cards: None
#ONEGlory
