Mike Mulvey’s tenure as Brisbane coach got off to a losing start on Friday night as Perth Glory downed Roar 1-0 in a dour affair at Suncorp Stadium.
Mike Mulvey’s tenure as Brisbane Roar coach got off to a losing start on Friday night as Perth Glory downed his side 1-0 in a dour affair at Suncorp Stadium.
Steven McGarry’s long-range goal, which lit up a quiet first half on 44 minutes, was enough to seal the clash for the Glory.
Brisbane threw the kitchen sink at Perth in the second half but the Glory pushed numbers back and ensured they held on for their second win in a row.
From the outset, Perth made their tactics apparent, hustling Roar defenders as they tried to pass the ball out of defence in order to stifle any build-up play.
After a period in which Brisbane struggled to break out of their own half, they eventually began to build some possession-based momentum and pushed the visitors back.
The first genuine chance of the match came on 18 minutes, as Massimo Murdocca drove forward from midfield before playing a superbly weighted through ball to Henrique down the left.
The Brazilian sent the ball in low across the face of goal, and Besart Berisha pounced, only to slice his shot wide from close range.
On 27 minutes, Perth were unable to convert an even better chance, as Liam Miller played through Shane Smeltz.
The dangerous striker, normally so unforgiving in front of goal, was thwarted on this occasion by a fine Michael Theo save low to his right.
Thomas Broich, who had been anonymously drifting across the attacking third, finally made his presence felt on 33 minutes, playing in an accurate cross after some nice dribbling down the left.
Berisha’s header from a standing start, however, was easily dealt with by Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic.
A minute before the break, McGarry put Perth in front with a wonder strike which stood in stark contrast to a largely turgid half which had preceded it.
Bursting on to a Smeltz flick on, McGarry shaped to pass left before twisting his body into a shooting position and curling the ball past Theo with his right foot from 35 yards.
After the break, Glory found themselves pinned back as the Roar pressed for an equaliser.
Berisha launched a superb attack after 51 minutes, weaving between defenders as he broke out of his own half then lobbing a perfect pass forward to Henrique, but the Roar No.10 could only smack the underside of the crossbar with his shot.
Berisha, who looked the player most likely to set up a goal for one of his Roar team-mates, bombed a chance of his own on 57 minutes when his attempted lob in a one-on-one situation went straight to Vukovic.
Fleet-footed Roar substitutes Ben Halloran and Nick Fitzgerald were unable to convert decent opportunities from inside the box, and Perth maintained their discipline to hang on for only their second ever win at Suncorp Stadium.
Mulvey, who has only taken charge of one training session for the Roar so far, now has a week to turn around a situation that is becoming increasingly dire for the reigning champions.
Brisbane Roar 0
Perth Glory 1 (Steven McGarry 44)
Bet365 Man of the Match: Bas van den Brink The big Dutchman continues his excellent form for Glory and was yet again a rock at the back in a gritty defensive performance.
Crowd: 11,352 @Suncorp Stadium
