Popović Emerges as Perth’s Champion, Dealing a Blow to Macarthur’s Finals Aspirations

Perth Glory have secured their first victory since January, triumphing 3-1 in a hard-fought encounter against Macarthur FC at HBF Park.

Macarthur equalised when Luke Vickery found the net after Nicholas Pennington had put Perth ahead, but Glory quickly regained control thanks to goals from Gabriel Popović and Arion Sulemani.

In a dramatic start, Luke Brattan received a straight red card just three minutes into the match for a high boot on Pennington. However, VAR reviewed the incident and reduced the sanction to a yellow card, allowing Macarthur’s captain to remain on the pitch.

Perth Glory looked the more threatening side during the first half, with Pennington linking effectively with Jaiden Kucharski and Sebastian Despotovski in attack, but they struggled to convert their chances into goals.

VAR again came to Macarthur’s rescue right before half-time, overturning a penalty decision awarded to Perth for a handball by Liam Rose in the box.

Early in the second half, Perth finally broke the deadlock when Pennington smashed home a rebound following a vital touch from Despotovski that redirected the ball away from Macarthur’s defenders.

Vickery levelled the match with a powerful shot from outside the area; despite a strong attempt by Perth goalkeeper Matthew Sutton to save it, he could not stop the substitute’s strike.

Perth regained their lead when Stefan Colakovski delivered a perfectly curled cross that Popović headed home at the back post, marking his inaugural goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League.

Tempers flared late in the match as Popović reacted to a late challenge from Tomislav Uškok, leading to a confrontation involving players from both teams.

Sulemani then capped off the evening with his first Isuzu UTE A-League goal during stoppage time, finishing coolly off the post to secure all three points for Perth.

This defeat leaves Macarthur four points adrift of sixth-placed Melbourne City, with only two rounds remaining in the season.

Perth Glory will travel to Sydney for a clash with Sydney FC next Saturday, while Macarthur will head to Adelaide for their second consecutive away game.

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