Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory drew an all-action game 2-2 at Olympic Park Melbourne on Sunday evening in front of a capacity attendance, giving encouragement that the new national league can penetrate its most difficult market.
Richard Kitzbichler scored the opener for Victory early in the game, and Adrian Caceres levelled against the balance of play just before the break. Bobby Despotovski netted just after the interval to give Glory the lead. Kevin Muscat converted a late penalty to keep the game on a knife-edge to the end.
’Äú(It was) an absolutely cracking game,’Äù said Victory coach Ernie Merrick after the match. ’ÄúIt was great to see so many Victorians out to support us ¬‚ great atmosphere, end-to-end stuff and we created about three-hundred chances and scored (twice) without Archie Thompson ¬‚ it was terrific.’Äù
Perth Glory coach Steve McMahon was disappointed to have let the game slip after coming back from behind to take the lead. ’ÄúIt was a point gained after (the performance in) the first half. But it was two points dropped ¬‚ that’Äôs how the game fluctuated. (Victory was) the better team in the first half and we changed a few things at half-time. But it’Äôs very disappointing when you go in to the last five minutes leading two-one (only) to concede a penalty.’Äù
Missing from the action were the respective teams’Äô livewires ¬‚ Archie Thompson for Victory and Henry Fa’Äôarodo for Glory ¬‚ absent on World Cup qualifiers international duty for Australia and the Solomon Islands respectively. Victory missed Thompson up front, sending Kitzbichler forward to work with Allsopp in his stead. Kitzbichler had a lively period on the park before being replaced with under twenty minutes remaining.
The opening goal came just eleven minutes in after a bright opening by both teams. Kitzbichler was first to respond to Jamie Harnwell’Äôs headed clearance from Kristian Sarkies’Äô free-kick into the front edge of the six-yard box. Kitzbichler’Äôs low volley crashed into the net from 16 metres, sending the capacity crowd into raptures.
Within minutes, Sarkies sent in another free-kick from a similar position after Kevin Muscat was fouled. Mark Byrnes’Äô header under pressure just went over the bar. And before the excitement had died down, Daniel Allsopp had a goal-bound volley from Andy Vlahos’Äô long cross which Glory goalkeeper Jason Petkovic was grateful to scramble around the post for a corner.
Sarkies is proving Victory’Äôs free-kick specialist, and his two first-half efforts showed why. Early in the second-half, a third whistled only centimetres by the post after substitute Ricky Diaco had his shirt pulled in the act of shooting.
Byrnes was having an enthralling duel with Glory target-man Brian Deane, the giant English import whose physical presence was the basis of Glory’Äôs attacking danger. Byrnes had to leave the game just on the hour with a groin injury, but did an effective marking job on the experienced Englishman in that time.
The combination of Deane and speedster Bobby Despotovski will likely unlock many defences during the season, especially once the newly-arrived Deane works his way into an instinctive understanding with his strike-partner.
Glory’Äôs equaliser however, came through less orthodox channels five minutes before the interval. Scott Miller spotted the opportunities behind the Victory back-four and launched a long pass up the left into gap. Caceres used his electric pace to get there marginally before goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic who was slow to react to the danger. Although Galekovic partly blocked, Caceres’Äô first touch got him around Galekovic, and his second was to tap the ball into the now unguarded net.
’Äú(Galekovic) has played quite a few games for us now,’Äù said Merrick. ’ÄúHe’Äôs never made a mistake. He makes one mistake and pays the price for it, but he was fine.’Äù
McMahon’Äôs half-time instructions were to bring Billy Celeski from a wider to a more central position, and tighten up the marking.
Deane and Despotovski showed how effective their partnership could be by combining for the goal which gave Glory the lead just after half-time. Deane was able to nod down from a throw-in to where Despotovski was making his run. Despotovski was able to round the wrong-footed Geoffrey Claes and Kevin Muscat before shooting past Galekovic.
Sarkies and Diaco had long-range efforts which went narrowly wide as Victory sought to battle its way back into the contest, encouraging the capacity attendance to redouble its vocal support.
The end-to-end nature of the game continued with Victory pressing for the equaliser and Glory working on the break. Nick Ward almost extended the lead after fellow substitute Adrian Leijer slipped at the edge of the penalty-area, but an unnecessary and ugly tackle by Ante Kovacevic on Carl Recchia in the penalty-area had referee Matthew Breeze point to the spot.
’ÄúAnte is experienced enough to know that (Recchia) is wanting Ante to dive in. He made it easy for the referee ¬‚ the referee had to give it,’Äù said McMahon.
Muscat coolly side-footed wide to Petkovic’Äôs left to bring the sides level again and set up a hectic final few minutes. ’ÄúI didn’Äôt have much time to think about it fortunately,’Äù said Muscat. ’ÄúI didn’Äôt know how much time was left, but (I felt) that if we did get an equaliser, we’Äôd go on to win the game.’Äù
The announced attendance of 17,960 counted only those through the turnstiles and not those who had bought memberships but not attended ¬‚ the game was a lock-out more than ninety minutes before kick-off and many hundreds had been turned away at the gate. Given the pace and intensity of the match, you’Äôd expect most to return.