Perth Glory secured their first win since January, triumphing 3-1 in a closely contested match against Macarthur FC at HBF Park.
After Nicholas Pennington’s initial goal for Perth, Luke Vickery equalised for Macarthur. However, Perth responded well with Gabriel Popović and Arion Sulemani reclaiming the lead.
In a dramatic moment early in the game, Luke Brattan received a straight red card just three minutes in for a high boot challenge on Pennington. Fortunately for the Macarthur captain, VAR intervened and changed the red to a yellow card.
Throughout the first half, Perth Glory created the better opportunities, with Pennington linking up effectively with Jaiden Kucharski and Sebastian Despotovski. Despite their efforts, they struggled to find the back of the net.
Macarthur benefitted from VAR again just before halftime, as a penalty awarded to Perth for a handball by Liam Rose was overturned.
Perth finally made the breakthrough early in the second half when Pennington capitalised on a loose ball, hammering it home following a crucial intervention from Despotovski that diverted it from the Macarthur defenders.
Vickery levelled the score for Macarthur with a powerful shot from outside the box, which Perth keeper Matthew Sutton managed to touch, but was ultimately unable to prevent from entering the net.
Perth regained the lead when Stefan Colakovski’s perfectly curled cross found Popović at the back post, allowing him to nod it in for his first goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The match saw a late confrontation when Popović reacted to a reckless challenge from Tomislav Uškok, prompting players from both teams to rush in.
In stoppage time, Sulemani sealed the victory for Glory by scoring his first Isuzu UTE A-League goal with a composed finish that struck the post on its way in.
The defeat leaves Macarthur four points adrift of sixth-placed Melbourne City, with only two rounds remaining.
Next up, Perth Glory will head to Sydney to face Sydney FC on Saturday, while Macarthur will travel to Adelaide for their second consecutive away match.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Perth Glory goal: Pennington 48′
Macarthur FC goal: Vickery 68′
Perth Glory goal: Popović 76′
Perth Glory goal: Sulemani 95′
WHAT THEY SAID
Compiled by SportArena.au
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