Perth Glory capped off the Friday A-Leagues action with a statement 1-0 win over second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers at Macedonia Park, decided by a maiden Isuzu UTE A-League strike to teenage talent Keegan Jelacic.
The stunning Glory result followed a 1-0 A-League Men triumph for Brisbane Roar over Victory at AAMI Park; it was Victory’s second A-Leagues fixture of the season, with the club’s Liberty A-League side kicking off the Friday action with a 1-1 draw against Glory in Melbourne.
KEEPUP followed along LIVE to bring you all the goals, highlights and biggest talking points from three A-Leagues fixtures on Friday.
O’Shea ends near 600-day wait for open play goal as in-form Roar show ‘big togetherness’
Paramount+ analyst Daniel McBreen summed it up best in the aftermath of Brisbane Roar’s 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory on the road: “you can’t say they’re creeping under the radar.”
You might have managed to dismiss the Roar’s early-season form as a flash in the pan – but not anymore. The statistics no longer lie. Warren Moon’s side are shaping as one of the best teams in the competition after 11 rounds of the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
The Roar are unbeaten in eight games, stretching back to October 22. They’ve conceded just seven goals – the equal-least in the league – and have lost just one game to league-leaders Melbourne City.
A 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory on the road on Friday night helped Brisbane up to fifth on the A-League Men table. The result was sealed by a heavily deflected Jay O’Shea strike, which looped off the foot of Victory defender Roderick Miranda on its way over the head of keeper Matthew Acton and into the back of the net.
It was O’Shea’s first league goal from open play for Brisbane since May 21, 2021, ending a 595-day wait; the creative midfielder had scored six penalties since, and was delighted to break that drought regardless of the fortuitous nature of the strike.
“I only scored penalties last year, so it was about time I started shooting!” O’Shea told Paramount+ post-match. “I turned a couple of opportunities down last week, watched the game back and thought: ‘I need to pull the trigger a little bit more’.”
O’Shea went on to praise his side for the spirit shown in a 1-0 win on the road, especially considering the absence of towering defender and captain Tom Aldred: “I think it’s a big togetherness that we’ve got,” he said. “Today we didn’t have our skipper and (Connor Chapman) came in and played brilliant. We’re looking forward to having Tom back whenever he’s fit.
“We do a lot of work defensively, getting in a block and getting compact. We’re hard to break down, obviously we’ve only lost one game this season against Melbourne City, so hopefully we can continue the way we’re going.”
‘The first I’ve heard of it’: Glory boss dismisses claims of in-fighting as youngsters lead charge to shock win over Wanderers
Bottom-placed Perth Glory notched a sensational 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at Macedonia Park on Friday night – and they did it without some of their most experienced campaigners.
Aaron McEneff, Mark Beevers, Ryan Williams and Liam Reddy were all absent from Ruben Zadkovich’s squad in Round 11, and noise around the club suggested at least some of the key absentees were as a result of in-fighting within the dressing room.
Zadkovich was quick to dismiss those claims in the aftermath of his side’s statement win over the second-placed Wanderers.
“I think someone is having a lend of you guys,” Zadkovich said.
“There were certainly no training ground bust-ups, we didn’t train. That’s actually quite funny, because all we’ve done is really recover.
I haven’t seen where it (the rumours) comes from or where it stems from, and to be honest I couldn’t give a s**t.
“When you’re down the bottom of the ladder, the wolves will come out and people will talk.
“But I’m not interested in rumours or hearsay. What I am interested in is sticking very clear to the long-term plan of this club.”
In place of goalkeeper Reddy came 21-year-old Cameron Cook, who on Friday night made a string of important saves to keep a clean sheet in his first start of the season – and his side’s first clean sheet of 2022-23.
Keegan Jelacic, 20, was the match-winner; his well-taken strike on the hour mark was the first in his professional career.
Zadkovich also handed first starts for the season handed to Jacob Dowse and Luke Ivanovic (both 22). On paper, it was a Glory team which had little to no chance of turning over the in-form Wanderers, who arrived in Perth off the back of a 4-0 thumping of Macarthur FC.
Zadkovich’s side overcame the odds to remain undefeated at Macedonia Park ahead of a crucial run of games, with six of their next seven games coming at home.
“I’m very, very proud of the younger ones that stepped in tonight,” Zadkovich added.
“Obviously losing McEneff, Beevers and Ryan Williams, they’re three pretty integral players to what we’re building, and certainly a lot of experience, so I’m very proud of the young ones.
“I’m extremely proud of the way Mustafa Amini leads his team around. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone in the league. As a collective, I thought we were really good.”
THE FRIDAY AGENDA
A-LEAGUE MEN: Perth Glory 1-0 Western Sydney Wanderers
MATCH REPORT: FIRST PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR JELACIC AS PERTH STUN WANDERERS AT MACEDONIA PARK
A-LEAGUE MEN: Melbourne Victory 0-1 Brisbane Roar
MATCH REPORT: O’SHEA STRIKES ROAR INTO FIFTH PLACE WITH SLENDER WIN AGAINST DOWNTRODDEN VICTORY
A-LEAGUE WOMEN: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Perth Glory
MATCH REPORT: GLORY STAR INJURED AS JANCEVSKI SCORES LATE TO SNATCH A POINT OFF VICTORY
MATCHDAY BLOG
