Western United continue to chase Isuzu UTE A-League leaders Auckland FC after defeating bottom-placed Perth Glory 3-1 at Ironbark Fields, marking their fifth consecutive victory.
The home side surged ahead early, with midfielder Rhys Bozinovski scoring the opener just three minutes into the match. He fired home the goal after a well-timed corner, providing Western with a dream start on Saturday.
Although Western United dominated proceedings, Perth Glory managed to level the score thanks to a spectacular strike from Jaylan Pearman, who curled an impressive shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.
Perth’s equaliser was short-lived, however, as Western quickly restored their lead. Midfielder Taras Golmulka was credited with an own goal after a mix-up in the box involving defender Yuto Misao and goalkeeper Oli Sail shortly after his introduction.
Western settled the contest in the 86th minute when substitute Ramy Najjarine netted his first goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League since 2023, curling home the third goal of the night following excellent build-up play from Michael Ruhs.
This result solidifies Western’s position in second place on the league ladder, narrowing the gap to Auckland FC at the top to just five points, while they continue their club-record streak of five consecutive matches with three or more goals.
As for Perth Glory, David Zdrilic’s team remains at the bottom of the Isuzu UTE A-League after conceding another three goals. They are level on points with Brisbane Roar but have played two matches more.
The home side began strongly at Ironbark Fields as Bozinovski netted his fourth goal in three matches.
Positioned at the back post during an early corner, Bozinovski initially saw his powerful shot saved well by goalkeeper Sail, but he quickly followed up to hammer home the rebound, ensuring Western didn’t waste any time taking the lead.
Perth did manage to find the back of the net soon after, with Will Freney scoring a superb header, but the goal was disallowed after replays confirmed he was offside at the critical moment.
After that disallowed goal, Freney came close again to scoring his first in the Isuzu UTE A-League, his deflected shot whistling just past the post following a clever setup from club captain Adam Taggart.
Despite these chances, Western continued to control the match, and they would have gone 2-0 up in the 36th minute if it weren’t for a fantastic save from Sail, who denied Matthew Grimaldi’s attempt.
Western nearly extended their lead on the brink of half-time when striker Hiroshi Ibusuki was put through on goal. However, the Japanese forward opted for a cheeky chip, which Sail read effortlessly.
Looking to assert more pressure, Perth started the second half with intent, forcing goalkeeper Matthew Sutton to produce a smart save as he parried away Trent Ostler’s powerful shot.
The match continued to swing from end to end, with Western’s Grimaldi attempting to curl a left-footed shot into the net, only to see it sail over the bar.
Despite their dominance, Western soon found themselves pegged back by a moment of brilliance from Perth’s Pearman.
Receiving the ball at the edge of the box, Pearman sidestepped a challenge and magnificently curled a right-footed strike into the top corner, leaving Sutton with no chance and silencing the home crowd.
This goal temporarily lifted Perth off the bottom of the ladder, but they swiftly returned following a defensive blunder that would have left coach David Zdrilic in disbelief.
After initially clearing the ball from their box, Perth’s defenders failed to deal with a follow-up attack, leading to a bizarre sequence of play where Golmulka’s attempted clearance inadvertently looped towards the goal and was finally knocked in by Sail—an absolute howler.
In the final five minutes, Western sealed the points. Outmuscling Perth defender Tomi Mrcela at halfway, Ruhs orchestrated a three-on-one counter-attack, sidestepping the last defender and setting up Najjarine, who curled in Western’s third goal to confirm the victory.
Co-leader in the race for the Golden Boot, striker Noah Botic, had a relatively quiet evening against Perth but nearly added a fourth goal for Western; however, his low shot just missed the far post.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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