Perth Glory took a major step towards proving themselves in the Australia Cup, pulling off a dramatic comeback to beat Melbourne City in extra time. But there’s no time to relax, because they’ve got to head out to Brisbane and face Moreton City Excelsior, who could secure their best ever run in this tournament with a cupset. Before these sides collide, let’s look back on how they got here and look ahead to how it might play out.
Moreton City Excelsior had the honour of hosting the first match of the national rounds this year, taking on Adelaide side Campbelltown City. Last time around, the South Australians had been giant-killers, famously ending Macarthur’s title defence hopes in the Round of 32, but Excelsior quickly put the Red Devils on the back foot, as Ben Holliday’s free kick found Rhys Gwynn-Jones’ forehead and broke the deadlock just six minutes in. City’s problems only compounded fifteen minutes later, when midfielder Brandon Centofanti blocked a shot with his face at the worst angle, causing an own goal and putting Moreton up two early.
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Campbelltown would eventually convert all their first-half possession into something worthwhile and make it 2-1 at half-time, but that was the peak of their night. The second half saw Moreton turn into dominant volume shooters, spearheaded by NPL Queensland goals leader Marquez Walters, who scored a brace off assists from Joseph Scott and Zachary Kierpal. Kierpal went on to score one of his own, making it 5-1 in the 64th minute, and the Devils had no recourse to narrow that gap the rest of the way.
With one of the flashiest kits of the tournament, Excelsior looked good and played better, and they’ll hope to outdo themselves by achieving the cupset.
Perth had a lot to prove against longtime heavyweights Melbourne City, and that hunger fueled them from the jump. Young Abdul Faisal, who scored a brace in the playoff against Brisbane, came up huge once again, scoring in the third minute to give the Glory an immediate edge. The Glory would threaten to make it 2-0, but instead, Harry Politidis danced past his man into the box and served up a cross for Max Caputo to head into the net and even things.
Upon returning for the second half, reigning Golden Boot winner Adam Taggart took the pitch for Perth and made his presence known immediately. After Taras Gomulka, who won the league double with City just a few years ago, made a precise cutback pass, Taggart ran to meet it and confidently struck it home, once again giving the Glory the ambush lead and marking Golmuka’s second assist of the night.
Adam Taggart celebrates a goal for Perth Glory. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
However, what followed was a dismal stretch for the home side. The woeful defence that held Perth back last year reared its ugly head again, starting when a major miscommunication and a whiffed clearance by Lachlan Barr allowed Alessandro Lopane to snatch the ball in Glory territory. Lopane dealt to Politidis, who one-timed it straight home and brought things level once again.
Things only got worse when Politidis linked with Andrew Nabbout, whose long looping shot caught Oliver Sail lacking and put City in front for the first time all night.
The Hearts stayed heartless afterward, and when a loose ball found Zane Schreiber, he launched a rocket of his own towards the right post, putting Melbourne up 4-2 with just over 20 minutes left to play.
At this point, Perth badly needed a charge, and Nathanael Blair entered the game eager to provide it. Presented with a corner kick situation, Blair ran to meet fellow new signing Gomulka’s cross and headed it towards the far post, putting the Glory right back in it. And in the final minutes of regulation, when outnumbered near Melbourne’s box,
Perth proved they weren’t outgunned. Defender Josh Risdon sent one high into the box, and Adam Bugarija’s header froze City’s scholarship keeper James Nieuwenhuizen where he stood, sending the game into extra time.
Now realizing the danger they were in, Melbourne furiously locked down possession, holding the ball for two-thirds of extra time. But when the Glory earned a free kick deep in City territory, Perth’s big heroes linked up once again. Golmuka’s cross found Blair’s foot, and despite two City men’s attempted intervention, Blair’s second touch became his first professional brace, Golmuka’s fourth assist of the night, and most importantly, Perth’s game-winner in the most electrifying match of the round.
Signs so far indicate Perth mastermind David Zdrilic and the team’s long list of free transfer pickups have refashioned the Glory into a potent attacking side that only gets stronger in the second half. They’ve now turned a narrow lead into a blowout and a two-goal loss into a dramatic three-goal comeback, achieving both against A-League teams who were their clear superiors last season. Compared to that, facing an NPL side who just lost the inaugural Queensland Cup final should be cake.
However, this west coast cannon might be made of glass, and Marquez Walters is one of Queensland’s deadliest strikers, averaging a goal per game for Excelsior this year. If his teammates can get him the ball and create opportunities for him—especially from distance, where Sail repeatedly had trouble defending last round—it may just be a matter of chipping away until Perth’s defence cracks.
Either way, we should be in for crowd-pleasing attacking football both ways and a cracking showdown that further fulfils this Australia Cup’s potential to be one of its greatest editions yet.
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