Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory shared the points with a penalty each at AAMI Park earlier in the afternoon.
Perth almost got off to a disatorous start with Alex Grant’s pass back to Ante Covic missing the goalkeeper completely and only narrowly avoiding the goal. Victory held more possession over the first 45 mintues, but Glory’s chances appeared to be more threatening to the Melbourne defence.
The hosts took the lead in controversial circumstances after Covic was adjudged to have brough Besart Berisha down in the box. However, replays suggested that contact was minimal, if not non-existent. Regardless, the Albanian converted and the Victory took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
While Glory looked better in the second-half, Kevin Muscat’s men appeared to have the momentum. They were unable to make this show on the scoresheet though, with Fahid Ben Khalfallah missing a simple chance right in front.
The visitors were able to get back into the game via the penalty spot after Mathieu Delpierre brought down Josh Risdon in the box, with Diego Castro scoring from 12-yards out.
While the point is enough to snap Victory’s losing streak, they are still without a win since round eight.
Melbourne Victory
Danny Vukovic – 7: Guessed the right way but could not stop the penalty. Made the necessary saves when required.
Jason Geria – 7.5: Solid down the right-hand flank, got forward on plenty of ocassions.
Matthieu Delpierre – 6: A typically unfazed and solid performance from the Frenchman was tarnished a little with the concession of the penalty.
Thomas Deng – 8: Faultless showing for the youngester. Composure beyond his years.
Daniel Georgievski – 7: Got forward a lot more in the second-half. A decent shift.
Leigh Broxham – 7.5: Hardworking and a great defensive cover to the central-defensive pairing.
Oliver Bozanic – 7.5: Tirelessly working in the midfield, was particularly good in the second-half.
Jesse Makarounas – 6.5: Arguably one of his most positive performances for the Victory in the league.
Kosta Barbarouses – 7: Was a nuisance down the flank as he usually is but could not create as many chances as he usually does.
Besart Berisha – 6: Scored Victory’s penalty, although it came about under dubious circumstances.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah – 6: Missed an asbolute sitter, played 70 minutes. He showed glimpses of his best.
Substitutes
Archie Thompson – 5.5: Replaced Khalfallah in the 71st minute, couldn’t do much once he came on.
Connor Pain – N/A: Spent too little time on the pitch to make an impact.
Dylan Murnane – N/A: Came on in the 84th minute.
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Perth Glory
Ante Covic – 7: Was brilliant to deny Jesse Makarounas, and unlucky to have conceded the penalty.
Alex Grant – 7.5: Besides his early gaff which would have left the young defender red faced, was incredibly solid in the heart of defence.
Michael Thwaite – 7.5: Cool, calm and collected in defence. One of the Glory’s best.
Marc Warren – 5.5: Saw a yellow early, looked a little reckless on the wing but improved in the second stanza.
Josh Risdon – 7: Contained Khlafallah really well. Got a bit heated with Daniel Georgievski in the second-half.
Diogo Ferreira – N/A: Was substitued in the first-half and was quiet for most of his time on the pitch.
Diego Castro – 7.5: One of the more positive Glory players, got into plenty of good positions and scored their goal.
Gyorgy Sandor – 5: Was not a big presence in the game.
Chris Harold – 7: Showed off his pace and was the most dangerous Glory player in the first-half.
Richard Garcia – 6: The captain had a few chances but nothing of note.
Jamal Reiners – 6: Well covered by Deng and Delpierre, substituted in the 82nd minute.
Substitutes
Mitch Oxborrow – 6: Came on in the 39th minue for Diogo Ferreira. No goal scoring heroics this week.
Aryn Williams – N/A: Only saw the final minutes on the pitch.
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