A-League
R7: Western Sydney Wanderers v Perth Glory
Two goals in a dramatic final ten minutes saw Western Sydney and Perth share the points in a 1-1 draw at Wanderers Park on Friday evening.
Both teams were coming into the game with high scoring wins in their previous matches, but goals would be harder to come by in this match as a result of some desperate latch ditch defence and a lack of polish in finishing off opportunities.
Perth had a near identical starting lineup to last week, with the only change being 18yr old defender Ella Abdul-Massih coming in to play against the club she grew up playing with for the previous three seasons. Abdul-Massih was wearing the red and black of the Wanderers earlier in the year, and HER WAY observed a couple of Wanderers fans in the crowd wearing jerseys with her name still on the back.
After an initial six minute delay in the match starting after the players had taken the field, it was the visitors who started better, controlling possession a little better and winning it back in several one-on-one challenges.
However it was the home side came closest to opening the scoring, when captain Amy Harrison’s 16th minute long range shot tested out Glory keeper Casey Dumont as it just sailed over the crossbar. Two minutes later, young Wanderers winger Talia Younis put in a lovely cross which took a deflection, wrong foot footing Dumont, however Cushla Rue was unable to control her header as the ball sat sat up for her.
For Perth, New Zealand international Kelli Brown was in the thick of the action. After going down injured in just the fifth minute, the striker used her physical presence throughout the game. A tough challenge by Brown on Wanderers’ Gemma Ferris left the defender needing treatment and the crowd calling for a yellow card, however play continued. Then in the 24th minute the Football Fern had the best chance to open the scoring when she was left unattended at the far post but her header sailed wide.
Some desperate Perth Glory defence denied reigning Dolan Medallist Sophie Harding shortly before halftime, when Younis’ cross was on target for the imposing forward’s flying header, only for the ball to be cleared. The teams went into halftime at 0-0 in Western Sydney as the sun set.
The visitors almost caught the Wanderers napping from the resumption with an attack forward from the kickoff, and only some last ditch defence kept the score line in tact. From there the game ebbed and flowed for the next 20 minutes or so with a few half chances, but with possession almost indentical between the teams, it was hard to predict from who or where a winning goal was going to come. Kelli Brown looked dangerous at times, and Wanderers keeper Shamiran Khamis pulled off a great save to deny her in the 64th minute. At the other end, Sophie Harding was getting a few chances going forward, but the Glory defence kept her in check.
The match went up a notch in the 83rd minute, when Perth’s Naomi Thomas-Chinnama received a yellow card for a challenge just outside the box, and Wanderers skipper Amy Harrison sent the resulting free kick past the defensive wall and Casey Dumont’s left hand to clip the post and into the back of the net, to the joy of the home crowd.
With time running out, Glory went all out in attack, and seemed to be camped in the Wanderers half for the next 5-6 minutes. A shot from Kelli Brown was off target, then moments later a good save from Khamis denied Gabby Hollar in the 89th minute.
And then as the match entered deep into injury time, a somewhat contentious penalty in the box was awarded to Perth after Wanderers keeper Khamis was deemed to have interfered with a Glory attacker, leaving the Western Sydney keeper with a yellow card.
Up stepped Kelli Brown from the spot, and despite Khamis getting a hand to the shot, Perth levelled the game at 1-1 with not much time remaining, and the home crowd fell silent. They found their voice seconds later, when Sophie Harding, looking to get play back underway, objected to Perth’s Grace Johnston, pushing her to the ground which resulted in several players jostling. Both Johnston and Harding received yellow cards.
That is how the game would finish, with 1-1 perhaps a fair result. However Wanderers Danika Matos told HER WAY it felt like three points had gone begging after taking the lead late in the game:
“We need to take a look at ourselves. We should have taken chances when we should have, and we should have cleared our line when we could have as well.”
Coming in to the game after a big win, Matos said the team had high expectations of themselves.
“We knew we couldn’t just have one big win and step back down. I think we stepped back up, but we also had a little step down. I think the expectations - didn’t get to us - but I think we needed to expect more for ourselves.”
Asked about the penalty late in the game, Matos said,
“I don’t think it was a penalty. We had a very similar situation a few weeks ago against Melbourne City and our player got nothing, so… it’s a ref’s call, but I don’t think it was a penalty.”
Perth teenager Ella Abdul-Massih told HER WAY they were confident of finding a goal after the Wanderers took the lead:
“100%. I thought we were on the front foot quite a bit. Unfortunately we missed a few chances, but the fact we can create those chances and be on the front foot was really positive, so we’ll take that from the game.”
HER WAY asked Ella about her feelings coming into the game, going up against many of her friends and ex-teammates from the past three years.
“They’re my best mates. I looked forward to this game, and I look forward to it next round as well. It gives you a bit more fire, and you play against your best mates, it makes it a bit more fun.”
Ella had many friends and family in the crowd, whom she hasn’t seen for over a month. I asked her about the move to Western Australia:
“I’ve got to cook and do my own washing and that, so as an 18 year old it’s challenging, but I really enjoy it. It’s been a big move, helping me mature. I’m learning so much, it’s definitely been challenging but I’ve been learning a lot from it, so it’s been really good.”