A
wasteful Melbourne Victory have butchered the chance to make it three
straight wins after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Perth Glory
on Friday night
Victory
dominated all night, save for Andy Keogh’s 17th minute bullet that
gave the visitors a shock early lead.
That
Besart Berisha equalised in the 41st minute was the least that
Victory deserved, but how Kevin Muscat’s men did not go on and
claim all three points will have the coach scratching his head all
weekend long.
Victory
had 22 shots to four, nine corners to nil and enjoyed 63 per cent of
possession.
Even
Glory goalscorer Keogh said post match that Victory deserved to win.
But
it didn’t.
It’s
a head-scratcher of a game sometimes.
When
Jason Geria made a menacing run in to the attacking penalty box
shortly after half time it was clear Perth was inviting trouble.
A short time later another defender, Alan Baro, got
forward and launched a stinging shot that Liam Reddy could only parry
over the bar, before Baro’s fellow stopper James Donachie turned
left winger with an attempted cross that deflected out for a corner.
Why this was signalling danger for the Glory was that
they were retreating so far back in an attempt to protect their point
that they were practically inviting Victory to shoot at will.
And shoot they did - that stat again, 22 shots to four,
plus another four after tight offside calls went against them.
Nine times out of 10 such statistical dominance would
end in a multiple-goal win for the hosts.
This was the one time out of those 10 that football
proved once again that it is not a game won or lost on the stats
sheet.
It was actually probably one of Victory’s best
performances of the season.
But for Perth it could be the kickstarter of a season
that has stuttered strangely to begin with for a side that was
considered as a serious title fancy from the outset.
Perth was missing last season’s Johnny Warren Medal
winner Diego Castro (hamstring), Socceroos right back Josh Risdon
(quad), experienced stopper Rhys Williams (suspended) and fellow
defender Alex Grant (hamstring).
Young gun Adam Taggart could also only manage a start
off the bench as he battles back from a calf injury and then the
team’s injury woes only deepened when left back Joseph Mills was
forced off with a right knee injury in the 28th minute.
But by that stage Glory was already 1-0 up.
It was a brilliant through ball from Nebo Marinkovic
from the centre of the park that that set it up.
Chris Harold was set free on the wing and it was his
beautiful cut back for Keogh that the Irishman lashed home to become
Glory’s all-time leading scorer.
Berisha converted from point blank range after James
Troisi won back possession in midfield and Marco Rojas - brilliant
all night once again - whipped in a low cross from the right.
From then there appeared only one possible result, but
Fahid Ben Khalfallah (three times), Berisha, Jai Ingham (twice),
Leigh Broxham all spurned chances.
And when James Troisi’s volley hit the post in the
93rd minute it summed up Victory’s night - so close, but yet so
far.
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