PGFC Academy graduates Giordano Colli and Trent Ostler both grabbed their first ISUZU UTE A-League goals for the club, but they were not enough to prevent Macarthur FC from claiming all three points with a 4-2 victory at Campbelltown Stadium.
View full match highlights HERE.
Despite missing a host of senior players, including leading scorer Bruno Fornaroli, skipper Brandon O’Neill, Andy Keogh, Nick Fitzgerald, Daniel Sturridge and Kosuke Ota, Glory could not have made a better start to the game as Colli scored the quickest goal of the A-League season to date.
Just 44 seconds were on the clock, when the midfielder stepped up and stroked a superb free-kick past Filip Kurto in the home goal.
Ostler then got in on the debut-goal act, marking his first A-League start for the club and his 20th birthday by cutting into the box from the right and slamming an unstoppable angled shot into the roof of the net.
Ulises Davila, however, pulled one back for the hosts from the penalty spot just before the break and another penalty, this time from Craig Noone, levelled things up early in the second half.
The subsequent dismissal of Kokola M’Mbomwa for encroaching at a free-kick appeared to hand Glory the initiative, but instead it was the Bulls who pulled away, Al Hassan Toure making it 3-2 on the break and then turning provider for fellow-substitute Moudi Najjar to add a fourth deep into stoppage-time.
While frustrated by what unfolded in the final 20 minutes of the game, Glory Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich was again pleased with the attitude shown by his youthful squad.
View the full media conference HERE.
“It wasn’t the finish we wanted, that’s for sure,” he said.
“We started the game with the boys executing the game plan really well and I thought we were a little bit unlucky in terms of the two penalties which took it back to 2-2.
“At the end of the game, you’re looking at a squad with eight or nine NPL youth team players that played for me all last year and that type of inexperience and naivete shone through in the end.
“But I’m super-proud of their effort and mentality to come here away from after playing in midweek and travelling twice across the country in the last seven or eight days.
“With a squad with 12 or 13 players out injured, in the end my message is kind of similar [to last week]; I’m really proud of their effort and the way they went about their business, but bitterly disappointed not to get something out of that game, because I think we did enough to take something.”
Colli’s fine strike and Ostler’s equally emphatic finish appeared to put Glory in pole position to secure what would have been a first ever victory over the Bulls.
They were pegged back, however, by two penalties which were both given for handball and required the involvement of the VAR.
Darryl Lachman was the first player to be penalised as the ball cannoned on to his arm after Devila ducked out of a header and the Mexican duly made no mistake from the spot.
Jonathan Aspropotamitis then found himself in the firing line, again inadvertently handling the ball and this time it was Noone who took over penalty-taking responsibilities and duly thumped the ball past Liam Reddy.
Following M’Mombwa’s dismissal, substitute Ciaran Bramwell twice went close to restoring Glory’s lead, but after those chances came and went, the ten men made the most of their reprieve.
Davila created their third goal for Toure who swept home having been sent clear on goal and as Glory threw men forward in search of a late equaliser, they were picked off on the break once again, this time by Najjar.
Match Details
Macarthur FC 4 (Davila (pen) 38′), Noone (pen) 54′, Toure 82′, Najjar 90+5′) Perth Glory 2 (Colli 1′, Ostler 18′)
Half-time: 1-2
Campbelltown Stadium
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro
Macarthur FC: 12.Filip KURTO (GK), 2.Jake MCGING (23.Adrian MARIAPPA 81′), 6.Aleksandar JOVANOVIC, 8.Jordon MUTCH (22.Liam ROSE 80′), 10.Ulises DAVILA (C) (4.James MEREDITH 90+3′), 15.Aleksandar SUSNJAR, 17.Craig NOONE, 21.Jake HOLLMAN (35.Al Hassan TOURE 76′), 24.Kokola M’MOMBWA, 31.Lachlan ROSE (14.Moudi NAJJAR 46′), 99.Apostolos GIANNOU
Substitutes not used: 9.Tomi JURIC, 1.Nicholas SUMAN (GK)
Yellow Cards: Mutch, M’Mombwa. McGing
Red Cards: M’Mombwa
Perth Glory: 33.Liam REDDY (GK) (C), 5.Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITIS (42.Joshua ANASMO 86′), 6.Osama MALIK (19.Callum TIMMINS 46′), 14.Jack CLISBY, 18.Daniel STYNES (7.Adrian SARDINERO 63′), 22.Josh RAWLINS, 23.Mitch OXBORROW, 26.Giordano COLLI, 28.Trent OSTLER (47.Tyler VECCHIO 58′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 43.Adam ZIMARINO (38.Ciaran BRAMWELL 58′)
Substitutes not used: 12.Cameron COOK (GK), 36.Joseph FORDE
Yellow Cards: Aspropotamitis, Clisby, Colli
Red Cards: None
#OneGlory
