McDonald Jones Stadium was rocking when, with Newcastle Jets down to 10 men, Beka Mikeltadze found the back of the net in the 94th minute.
The 10-man Jets had looked out on their feet in Saturday’s Isuzu UTE A-League encounter against Perth Glory, after goalscorer Jordan Elsey went from hero to zero – shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge to the head of David Williams.
But just as the match looked to be heading for a draw, the Jets – in their opening match of the season after last week’s F3 Derby was postponed due to wild weather – stunned the Glory 2-1 at the death in the Hunter Valley.
A blistering run from substitute Jaushua Sotirio and his poise to release Mikeltadze sparked wild celebrations, which continued after the full-time whistle as Jets fans soaked up the victory on the field.
Jets head coach Arthur Papas told Paramount+: “Difficult game to come away with three points at home, in front of these supporters is the most important part.”
It’s that comment that stood out to Paramount+ analyst Andy Harper, who believes the manner and drama of the win will have supporters wanting more in Newcastle.
“The fans – that’s my take from this. No one leaving that stadium or watching through Paramount+ is convinced the Jets are anywhere close to a finished article,” Paramount+ analyst Harper said post-game.
“The important thing, and he acknowledged them. In a game like this, which didn’t reach consistently great heights, you need your fans to be energised.
“The last emotion they have at the end of the game is this pure exhilaration. It’s much better, on top of just winning, to score it in that fashion deep into injury time then scoring the winner in the 75th minute and limping for the last 20 minutes.
I’m really happy for the fans. It’s more than the three points, it’s the timing of the win. It was an electric finish and what the fans deserve. They’ll be back now as a result of that.
Alex Brosque added: “We were asking how we will bring the fans back and that is one way to do it… 94th-minute winner and everyone there goes home happy. Everyone watching wants to come next week.”
‘Criminal’: McEneff furious after last-gasp loss
Aaron McEneff was understandably upset after the Glory somehow left McDonald Jones Stadium emptyhanded.
McEneff had stepped up to equalise via a 73rd-minute penalty after Elsey was sent off for a kung-fu challenge inside the area – 13 minutes following his opener for the Jets.
The Glory had the numerical advantage for over 20 minutes but were sucker-punched by a swift counter-attack as Perth began an ALM season with back-to-back defeats for the third time in their history.
After conceding in the fourth minute of stoppage time, McEneff told Paramount+: “It’s very tough to be honest [to digest].
“We fought well to get back into the game and they went down to 10 men.
“But to lose the call the way did, on the counter-attack, was criminal and we only have ourselves to blame.”
McEneff added: “If we did defend counter-attacks like that at this level, you get punished. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
MATCH REPORT – AAP
The 10 men of Newcastle Jets left it late to break Perth Glory’s hearts with a 2-1 win that heaps more misery on the reigning Isuzu UTE A-League wooden-spooners.
In the final minute of added time, Newcastle’s Jaushua Sotirio streaked away on a fast break as Glory’s defenders fought to catch up on Saturday.
The Jets substitute crossed to Beka Mikeltadze, who fired home to ensure Newcastle would kick-off their A-League Men season with a win at McDonald Jones Stadium, where the Jets won their opening match of a season for the first time since 2017-18.
Only minutes earlier, the Jets’ hopes of securing victory had appeared remote thanks to a moment of madness from defender Jordan Elsey, who was sent-off in his 150th A-Leagues game.
Elsey had earlier given Newcastle the lead in the Hunter Valley, heading a Carl Jenkinson cross into the net to break the deadlock at 1-0.
The goal sent the Newcastle crowd into a frenzy and came only minutes after Elsey had been shown a yellow card for tripping Salim Khalifi.
It was not to be the last time the 28-year-old would attract the ire of the match officials.
Elsey received his marching orders in the 73rd minute – his second yellow card upgraded to a straight red – after throwing up a high kick that connected with David Williams’ head, knocking the Perth man to the ground.
VAR inspection showed Elsey’s brain snap had occurred inside the box, which allowed Aaron McEneff to equalise from the spot with 17 minutes to play.
Elsey’s red card swung the momentum back into Perth’s favour after the Jets had come out firing after halftime.
As the minutes ticked down, the result appeared destined to stay locked at 1-1.
But that was before the Jets turned defence into prosperous attack by tearing away after the Glory failed to execute on a corner in the final seconds.
Perth showed signs of improvement from their loss to Western Sydney Wanderers in the first week of the season.
Ruben Zadkovich’s men did well to stifle the Jets’ early momentum and had the better of the chances in the first half.
But the Glory will rue missed opportunities and have now won only one of their last 19 A-League Men games.
