A dramatic final two minutes of normal time during the Round 1 Liberty A-League game between Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar saw the hosts earn an unlikely three points at Macedonia Park.
Urged on by a bumper crowd of 1000, Perth refused to lie down and produced a stunning turnaround when all looked lost.
Roar took the lead in the 22nd minute when American import Shea Connors found some space in the Perth Glory box. Her pass released Anna Margraf, who tucked the ball past Morgan Aquino to score her first-ever A-League goal.
Up until that point Glory had shaded the game with the energetic pair of Gemma Craine and Lisa De Vanna not allowing the Brisbane Roar defence any time to settle, but the goal seemed to deflate the home team and from that point on Brisbane began to gain the ascendancy.
Larissa Crummer was a terrific outlet for the visitors and her clever link-up play allowed the likes of Ayesha Norrie and Mariel Hecher to dominate possession, leaving the Glory midfield working overtime to try and win the ball back.
The second half was nearly all Brisbane, and Aquino was called upon to make a number of smart saves.
Both sides went to their benches during the second half as the warm conditions started to take their toll. One substitution saw 16-year-old Poppie Hooks make her debut for Glory as she came on for Lisa De Vanna.
Glory’s chances looked slim as the clock ticked into the last two minutes of normal time. However, Craine’s refusal to give up on anything saw her wrestle possession from the Brisbane defence and then somehow find the energy to drive into the box. Her cross was met by second-half substitute Susan Phonsongkham, who stabbed the ball home from close range to level the scores – her first goal in Glory colours.
Almost before the enthusiastic home crowd had recovered from that excitement, they were back on their feet as Perth secured a remarkable come-from-behind victory.
Kim Carroll‘s long ball seemed to be easy meat for the Roar backline, but with Craine breathing down her neck, Jessie Rasschaert was forced to play the ball back to keeper Georgina Worth, who miscontrolled the ball and let it into the unguarded net, triggering scenes of wild jubilation among the Glory faithful.
The turnaround was now complete and the home team were able to celebrate their first win since February 22nd 2020, and their first home win since defeating the Roar on February 16th 2020.
Afterwards, Glory coach Alex Epakis spoke of his team’s refusal to give up but admitted the victory was a little unexpected. He also gave praise to the contribution of goalkeeper Aquino.
“I’m so, so happy for the players. We stayed in for the whole 90 minutes of the match and you get your rewards sometimes and in this instance, we were very fortunate to get the result.”
“She (Aquino) knows that she made some really important saves at a really critical time so she certainly did her bit today.”
Brisbane coach Garrath McPherson was obviously very disappointed by the result but felt there were many positives to come from the game.
“I was very happy with the second half, we were happy with the first half. It was a very hectic first half, very transitional so it was nice to wrestle a bit of control back out of the game, and I think probably (if) one or two more chances (we) created find the back of the net then we’re probably not looking at a two-one loss.”
