Adelaide United overcame a stern test from Perth Glory in an entertaining 3-1 win over Perth Glory at nib Stadium.
The hosts started brightly and were rewarded when Richard Garcia’s lovely ball was turned into the Adelaide net by Red’s fullback Tarek Elrick under pressure from Chris Harold. Harold should’ve made it 2-0 minutes later when Diego Castro turned his man in the box and picked him out unmarked, only for the winger to somehow fire over from two yards.
The miss allowed Adelaide to get back into the game, and the Red’s midfield of Marcelo Carrusca, James Jeggo and Isaias took over. They controlled possession with ease and thought they’d found an equalizer when Bruce Djite got the ball inside six yards, only for Josh Risdon’s excellent tackle to deny the visitors. However, it was only a matter of time before they responded, and Cirio made the breakthrough when he rounded off a lovely team move by clipping past Ante Covic.
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Perth though they’d retaken the lead when Garcia picked out an unmarked Castro at the back post, only for the winger to hit the post from a tight angle. The miss was compunded just before half time, when the otherwise solid Alex Grant pulled down Craig Goodwin as he ran through on goal. Referee Strebre Delovski had no choice but to give the centre back his marching orders.
The second half had barely begun when Adelaide took the lead. Carrusca lost Garcia on the edge of the box, before dancing past Mitch Oxborrow and beating Covic with a low drive. With an extra man, the Reds threatend to run away with it, and kept the ball of Glory with ease. However, they were unable to open up the Perth defence and were restricted to long-range shots.
With 15 minutes to go, Perth went on the attack in search of a goal. Despite dominating possession in the last 15 minutes, they were always suspect on the break, and Pablo Sanchez wasted a glorious chance to put the result beyond doubt. The Glory threw men forward, but were unable to carve out any clear cut chances, and they were punished late, as Goodwin cut inside and shot past Covic to seal the points.
Perth Glory
Ante Covic – 7: Made an excellent save just prior to half time from Goodwin’s free kick to keep Perth in the game, but could do little about Carrusca’s sublime effort, or Goodwin’s last gasp sealer.
Jacob Collard – 7: The 20-year-old debutant made a good early impression and kept Cirio in check for the most part. Was moved to centre back at half-time and did well to contain the physical threat of the much larger Bruce Djite.
Aryn Williams – 7: Out of position, but put a solid shift in at centre back. Made one key stop as Craig Goodwin bore down on goal late in the first half.
Alex Grant – 6: Made a couple of timely interventions as Adelaide started to gain the upper hand and held the line well against Bruce Djite. Unfortunately, he was given his marching orders on the cusp of half-time when he dragged down a tearaway Craig Goodwin as he bore down on goal.
Josh Risdon – 8: Started brightly and played a nice pass for Richard Garcia in the lead up to the goal, before making a goal-saving tackle on Bruce Djite soon after. His attacking endeavour provided the Glory with some of their best moments.
Chris Harold – 6: His pressure lead to Elrich heading the ball past his own keeper in the opening minutes, before providing a contender for miss of the season when he ballooned over from just two yards out. Looks to have the yips in front of goal and was substituted for the flashy Jamal Reiners.
Gyorgy Sandor – 6: Played one beautiful pass for Keogh to run onto, but found himself isolated as Adelaide dominated first half possession. Drifted in and out of the game as his opponents ran the show, but was pivotal as the Glory looked for a comeback.
Mitch Oxborrow – 6: Struggled to get involved in the first half as the away side controlled the game. Was shifted to left back in the second half and did a good job on the dangerous Goodwin.
Richard Garcia – 7: His beautiful cross lead to Elrich’s early own goal and continued to churn out dangerous passes throughout the first half. Worked tirelessly throughout the game as Perth swam against the tide, but to no avail
Andy Keogh – 6: First game back after leaving for Thailand in the off-season and looked like a man who had only played six games in the past six months. Tried to get involved in play, but was clearly lacking match fitness.
Diego Castro – 8: Got on the ball early and looked to shift possession wide. First touch was exemplary as always and constantly left the Red’s defenders bamboozled. Should have scored after finding himself unmarked, but could only hit the post from a tight angle. Continued to pose problems in the second half, but found himself with less chances to do so.
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Substitutes
Hagi Gligor – 7: Worked hard and made some vital tackles to win possession when he came on.
Jamal Reiners – 7: Injected some much-needed spark when he came on, his confidence and guile bringing his teammates into the game. Another promising outing.
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