A moment of combined brilliance between first-time starter Jamal Reiners and marquee player Diego Castro was the difference as Glory defeated defending Hyundai A-League champions Melbourne Victory 1-0 at nib Stadium.
In the 74th minute the 17-year old Reiners dribbled into the box from the left side of the pitch, evading his defender before passing to Castro with a deft touch. The Spaniard finished it off with his first touch right in front of goal, and the Glory faithful were sent into a frenzy.
A deserved three points for Glory, the better side for much of the match, creating far more meaningful chances than the visitors.
KEY MOMENTS
- 2’ Jamal Reiners dribbles into to the box, his blocked shot falls to Josh Risdon, who forces a diving save with his left foot
- 12’ Risdon feeds Chris Harold into the box, but the wingers cross is blocked and collected by Danny Vukovic
- 24’ Ante Covic springs off his line to beat Guilherme Finkler to a through ball
- 33’ Besart Berisha dribbles into the box but Marc Warren snuffs out any real danger
- 34’ Gyorgy Sandor takes a crack from distance but Vukovic tips it out for a corner kick
- 41’ Kosta Barbarouses crosses in front of goal, but Covic is there to snag it
- 53’ Chris Harold appears to earn a penalty after being taken down by Vukovic in the box, but the referee awards a corner kick instead
- 66’ Besart Berisha hits the crossbar with a blast, Connor Pain with a chance on the rebound but it is blocked
- 82’ Diego Castro nearly adds his second with a free kick to the far post, but it floats centimetres wide
- 87’ Another free kick from Diego Castro, this one over the wall and dipping back down in time to force a diving save out of Vukovic
WHAT THEY SAID
MICHAEL THWAITE:
“At the beginning of this week we were aiming to get nine points out of these three games, and after two games we have six points, so we’re on track the nine points”
KENNY LOWE:
“We worked ever so hard, we closed them down, we created chances.”
“Jamal had a ball out there. It’s his debut and he can look back on it with fondness. He worked his socks off, he was a threat and he created the goal”
“It’s like having an FFA Cup game. We seem to be good at that. Really we’re in FFA Cup mode. Players love this, play, recover, play, recover. They don’t train. Players love that”
TEAMS
Perth Glory : 1. Ante COVIC (gk), 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Marc WARREN (Aryn Williams 67’), 7, Gyorgy SANDOR, 10.Nebojsa MARINKOVIC (17. Diego Castro 52’), 11.Richard GARCIA (c), 13.Diogo FERREIRA, 14.Chris HAROLD (Mitchell Oxborrow 79’), 19. Josh RISDON, 24. Jamal REINERS, 23.Michael THWAITE
Melbourne Victory : 1. Danny VUKOVIC (GK), 2. Jason GERIA, 6. Leigh BROXHAM (C), 7. Guilherme FINKLER, 8. Besart BERISHA, 9. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 13. Oliver BOZANIC (Jesse Makarounas 77’), 14. Fahid BEN KHALFALLAH (Connor Pain 61’), 15. Giancarlo GALLIFUOCO, 16. Rashid MAHAZI, 18. Dylan MURNANE
Scorers: Diego Castro 74’
Red cards: nil
Yellow cards: Rashid Mahazi 55’
Conditions: 23°C, clear
Attendance: 5398
Glory have a quick turnaround, facing Western Sydney Wanderers at nib Stadium on Saturday.
Kick-off for that match is 6:40pm and tickets are available HERE
