Victory 2 Glory 3
The battle for the last two A-League finals berths is likely to go down to almost the last kick of the season - and Perth Glory's roller-coaster 3-2 triumph over Melbourne Victory on Saturday was a perfect example of the drama likely to unfold through to the end of round 27 next weekend.
Perth looked to be cruising to a 2-1 win, and with it the three precious points that would keep them in the finals race, until 18-year-old Victory substitute Christopher Christaldo popped up in the 88th minute to score his first goal for his club at only his second appearance. The teenager's strike seemingly left Glory, last season's beaten grand finalists, to be also-rans this year.
But this game had one more unexpected twist and it came in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Joshua Risdon found himself clear on the right of the Victory's penalty area and slammed home a winner. It spoke volumes for Perth's character that they could come back in this way, and underlined once again that in this particular code of football the game is never beyond recall.
Liam Miller was once on the books of Manchester United and Glasgow Celtic, two of the best-known clubs in the world. So that two years ago, at 30, he found himself in the A-League having signed for Perth might have suggested a career that had not delivered all it promised.
But when he is in the mood the Irishman can play a pivotal role for his team - in any game against any opponents. And he did so for crucial periods in the first half on Saturday night as the Glory showed they did not fear the Victory on their own turf.
That thrilling denouement meant the West Australians had inflicted only Victory's second defeat of the season at AAMI Park, Chris Harold's tremendous volley cancelling out Adrian Leijer's headed opener, with Travis Dodd putting the Glory ahead in the 38th minute. The first three goals came in the first 45 minutes, and that looked to be it …
Both sides were severely depleted, with the Victory missing Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan, away with the Socceroos, and Marco Rojas, on duty with New Zealand. Perth lacked the services of marksman Shane Smeltz, accompanying Rojas with the All Whites, and Michael Thwaite, in camp in Sydney hoping to make the Australian team to take on Oman on Tuesday.
As such it was a test of the strength in the depths and mental approaches of both sides. Perth's motivation could not be doubted: they simply had to win to stay alive into the last week of the season, while the Victory already knew their destiny - a home final at Etihad Stadium on Friday, April 5 - where Perth could perhaps provide the opposition, depending on results in round 27.
If that is the case, the Victory will need their star men back, particularly Milligan to stifle the influence of Miller, who linked well on numerous occasions with a lively Perth front line made up at various times of Japanese import Ryo Nagai, the evergreen Dodd and the pacy Harold.
Victory boss Ange Postecoglou has never been afraid to place his faith in youth and his team sheet contained the names of outfield players - Jesse Makarounas, Andrew Nabbout, Scott Galloway, Connor Pain and Dylan Murnane - few would have recognised five months ago. The only experienced ''fresh face'' was marquee man Marcos Flores, making his first appearance in four weeks.
Makarounas played a key role in the opening goal, drifting an inswinging corner into a dangerous spot, allowing Leijer to get in ahead of former Victory defender Steve Pantelidis and Perth goalkeeper Danny Vukovic to head home.
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