Adam Taggart got the better of Apostolos Stamatelopoulos three weeks ago but couldn’t repeat the trick against Socceroos teammate Bruno Fornaroli at AAMI Park on Sunday.
The former Glory striker inflicted what is essentially the killer blow to Perth’s slim finals chances, netting a brace in a 2-1 triumph to lift Melbourne Victory back to third in the table.
The home side had the momentum throughout the majority of the contest, playing the game on their terms against a changed up Glory side.
Jayden Gorman was called up for his first A-League start and Trent Ostler made his first start since December, making up a unique midfield partnership with Gio Colli.
Ostler became the fifth player paired with Colli in the centre of the park this season, joining Oli Bozanic, Mustafa Amini, Jacob Muir and Johnny Koutroumbis.
As anticipated, the pairing didn’t blossom in their battle with the Victory duo of Ryan Teague and Jake Brimmer. The dynamic Victory frontline added to their woes, combining effectively to constantly keep them and the defence on their toes.
The opening goal was an example of their prowess, as Daniel Arzani found a pocket of space in the box. His flick back from Damien Da Silva’s pass managed to reach Zinedine Machach, eventually winding up at the feet of Fornaroli.
The striker took a touch away from goal and was afforded the time and space in the box to shoot on the turn, which took a nice deflection away from the dive of Oli Sail and into the net.
Bad moments in defence cost us both goals in this match, and its these types of errors which don’t go unpunished against the better sides in the competition, especially against the ones with the top finishers.
A striker like Fornaroli should not be given the room to take the ball in the box and be allowed to shoot on the turn unopposed. Also, the half-hearted effort which allowed Machach to get to the ball first from the flick on was weak.
Individually, there were some good showings from certain defenders. Most of the Victory’s attacking play came down the right side, part of which I attribute to the job done by Johnny Koutroumbis to keep Ben Folami’s output to a minimum.
Kaelan Majekodunmi rewarded the faith of Alen Stajcic with another good performance alongside Daryll Lachman, managing to win five of his seven duels and made a couple of crucial blocks to keep the scoreline close.
At the other end, the attack barely had a whiff of goal in the first half, taking two shots in total and both were from Taggart.
Second half substitutes ignited a spark, and nearly netted an equaliser. A long range Taggart strike was saved initially by Paul Izzo and fell kindly for Jarrod Carluccio, whose header looped over the crossbar.
The failure to convert a golden chance was punished a minute later when Fornaroli got his second to double the lead. Arzani’s cross to the middle was a beauty, allowing Fornaroli to get a run to it and glance it past Sail from close range.
Carluccio made amends for his error by setting up a goal of his own. David Williams’ incisive pass opened the door for Carluccio, who waited for Da Silva to go to ground before laying the ball across for Daniel Bennie to finally score his first A-League goal.
Shortly after, a counterattack nearly undid the Victory defence again. Mustafa Amini had his shot saved, and then Bennie had an attempt blocked in what looked to be a good sign of intent heading into the final quarter of the game.
Disappointingly, the Glory only had one shot for the remainder of the game. There was a penalty scare which the Victory survived, and while the right call was made, it took away a very good scoring opportunity from a close free kick.
The Victory didn’t get their desired third thanks to a couple of late saves by Oli Sail, but they comfortably got over the line despite holding a narrow lead for the final half hour.
City clinch Premiers Plate at Macedonia Park
The battle for first place was decided on the final day of the A-League Women’s season, and it was Melbourne City who finished at the summit by two points.
Sydney blew their chance to win it, going down 4-0 to Melbourne Victory having entered the round on top on goal difference.
Their loss meant they had to rely on the Glory to get a result against City. In a tense match with little shots, Dario Vidosic’s side came away with a 2-1 win.
Rhianna Pollicina’s distance strike opened the scoring early for the visitors, giving them full control of their destiny.
Hannah Wilkinson spurned a chance in a 2-on-1 situation, sparing the Glory’s blushes after a poor giveaway in the middle of the park.
Leading at the break, they almost conceded early in the second half when Tash Rigby headed Hana Lowry’s corner past Barbara, but not past Rebekah Stott on the goal line.
City remained in control despite the scare and wrapped up the title when 15-year-old Shelby McMahon scored minutes after coming off the bench.
Tanika Lala scored late for the Glory to spark some interest in the home crowd for the final moments, but not enough to deny City a piece of silverware.
The Wrap Up
The women’s season finished with another loss for Alex Epakis, whose side ended in 10th and without a win in 2024.
The winless run stands at 12, and with four losses to end the season there are serious questions regarding his future.
A season that started so well and looked to deliver on years of build up collapsed incredibly quickly despite a talented squad.
The shining light was undoubtedly Morgan Aquino, who solidified herself as the Glory’s no.1 and as one of the best keepers in the competition.
The men’s side have five matches left to navigate, two of which come in the next five days at home.
Their final game under the lights at HBF Park comes tonight in the form of midweek football against the confident Sydney FC.
It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, although Sydney had an extra day of rest after an important win over the Mariners.
A win for the Sky Blues would officially end the Glory’s finals chances and would set them up nicely to chase the Victory in third.
With the end nearing, some good performances in front of the Glory faithful would be nice to reward them in what’s been a difficult campaign, and give the fans more reason to look forward to next season in the first full year of the Pelligra era.
