Perth Glory FC has edged into the top-six for the first time this Hyundai A-League season after defeating Newcastle Jets 2-0, in a dominant display at nib Stadium on Monday night.
Glory striker Andy Keogh opened the scoring in the 36th minute in front of 11,260 jubilant fans after local product Aryn Williams stormed down the right wing to chip in a cross to the penalty spot. Keogh found space and powered a header across Newcastle’s goal to give the home side the lead.
The boys from the West then doubled their lead 50-seconds after the re-start through Hungarian midfielder Gyorgy Sandor. Diego Castro burst into the 18-yard-box and cut the ball back for the midfielder, who slotted home a beautifully weighted shot into the near bottom corner.
The win has lifted Glory into 6th spot, sitting on 31 points, one point ahead of Sydney FC on 30.
Glory will look for their 7th win in 8 games this Saturday night as they take on bottom of the table Central Coast Mariners at nib Stadium.
Kick-off is at 6.40pm.
Key Moments
1’ Chris Harold breaks through the defence but is denied by Cowburn.
6’ Keogh breaks through the defence and crosses in search of Harold, but the shot evades him as Boogaard sees the ball out for a goal kick.
10’ First shot of the game. Nebo tries a curling strike from distance but Birighitti gets down well to gather.
12’ Leonardo’s corner is swung in and finds Jason Hoffman free at the top of the box, but his volley is smashed well over the bar
19’ Chris Harold almost opens the scoring after striking a brilliant curling shot just inches wide of Birighitti’s far post.
21’ Shane Lowry picks up a yellow card for tripping a Jets player in the middle of the park.
32’ Trifunovic finds himself in a footrace with Shane Lowry, the Glory defender wins with a sliding challenge that sees his shot deflected out for a corner.
33’ Grant down with a head injury from the resulting corner. Play stops briefly.
36’ Keogh heads home a goal from a smart Williams cross, putting Glory 1-0 up late in the first half.
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Second Half
46′ Sandor places a perfectly placed shot past Birighitti to make it 2-0, after Castro plays a smart back-pass following an incisive run into the Jets box.
52′ Castro cuts a low cross behind Keogh, before Marinkovic’s follow-up strike crashes into the side netting for a goal kick.
59′ Daniel Mullen is given his second yellow and his marching orders, after a heavy body check on Chris Harold.
84′ Keogh crosses at hip height to Petratos in the box, his well-controlled volley zooms over the crossbar.
89′ Penalty awarded to the Newcastle Jets. Grant is judged to have pulled down Nordstrand in the box, no card.
90′ The Nordstrand-Grant decision is overturned, as the linesman convinces referee Chris Beath there was a foul by Nordstrand in the lead-up to the penalty decision. Goal kick Covic.
Squads
Perth Glory: Ante COVIC (GK), Alex GRANT, Josh RISDON (C), Shane LOWRY, Aryn WILLIAMS (Dino DJULBIC 45’), Nebojsa MARINKOVIC (Richard GARCIA 71’), Gyorgy SANDOR, Chris HAROLD (Kosta PETRATOS 78’), Kristian VADOCZ, Diego CASTRO, Andy KEOGH
Newcastle Jets: Mark BIRIGHITTI (GK), Nicholas COWBURN, Daniel MULLEN, Jason HOFFMAN, Nigel BOOGAARD (c), Steven UGARKOVIC, Mateo POLJAK, Morten NORDSTRAND, LEONARDO (Ryan KITTO 67’), Enver ALIVODIC, Milos TRIFUNOVIC (Ben KANTAROVSKI 61’)
Scorers: Andy KEOGH (36’), Gyorgy SANDOR (46’)
Red cards:  Daniel MULLEN (58’)
Yellow cards: Shane LOWRY (21’), Jason HOFFMAN (27’), Daniel MULLEN (47’, 58’), Morten NORDSTRAND (78’), Nigel BOOGAARD (94’)
Conditions:Â Warm, 33C
