Melbourne Victory ensured Perth sport fans were homeless in their own city on Saturday night, holding off Glory to win 1-0 at nib Stadium.
An own-goal and a red card from Glory’s fullbacks proved to be an even more comical pairing than that of Queffelec and Cheeseman as officials in the same game.
Melbourne could have taken the lead inside six minutes when first Danny Vukovic and then Jacob Burns were required to clear off the line, the former being the only one to use his hand.
The visitors did, however, produce a goal on 25 minutes from a move that has become a trademark of their season; a goal so well-constructed that Scott Jamieson couldn’t help but want a piece as he bundled in Marco Rojas’ whipped ball across the face of goal.
Perth pushed forward towards the end of the first half but Adama Traore and teammates were unwilling to repay Jamieson’s own-goal favour.
Having tested Victory throughout the first 25 minutes of the second half, Perth’s chances took a significant blow when Josh Risdon was handed a second yellow for sliding in on Leigh Broxham, before Danny Vukovic kept them alive by denying Rojas in a one-on-one.
Ryo Nagai went within inches of equalising for Perth in stoppage time when his deflected shot was adjudged not to have crossed the line from the underside of the bar, but Glory fans were left asking NagWHY was the Japanese winger not introduced ahead of Nick Ward.
PERTH GLORY: Vukovic (gk), Risdon, Pantelidis, Van Den Brink, Jamieson, Dodd, Burns, Miller, Heffernan, McGarry, Smeltz.
MELBOURNE VICTORY: Coe, Ferreira, Leijer, Broxham, Traore, Dilevski, Milligan, Jeggo, Thompson, Flores, Rojas.
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