ID :
20566
Mon, 09/22/2008 - 11:44
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/20566
The shortlink copeid
Perth Glory beats Wellington, 1-0
(AAP) - Perth Glory have notched their first win of the A-League season with a crucial 1-0 triumph over Wellington Phoenix at Members Equity Stadium.
In front of a paltry 4,433 fans - the Glory's lowest ever home attendance in the
A-League - Eugene Dadi provided the heroics from the penalty spot in the 77th minute
after being brought down by John McKain in the box.
It was a deserved win for the Glory, who controlled the majority of possession
throughout the contest and were unlucky not to go ahead earlier.
The victory moves Perth off the bottom of the table and back to within two points of
the top four, while the Phoenix are left to prop up the table with just two draws
from five rounds of football.
Wellington were content to attack on the counter in a lacklustre first half and it
was the Glory who had the first real chance to break the deadlock in the 27th
minute.
The home side were awarded a free kick just six yards from goal when Wellington
goalkeeper Glenn Moss handled a backpass from defender Andrew Durante.
But Perth failed to capitalise on the opportunity, with midfielder Wayne Srhoj's
low-drilled shot on goal crashing into a tangle of legs on the goal-line.
The visitors were counting their luck in first-half stoppage time when Nikolai
Topor-Stanley's goal-bound header was cleared off the line by McKain, whose
lighting-quick reflex ensured the teams headed to the break locked at 0-0.
Moss had little trouble keeping out Dadi's 57th-minute header but the Wellington
custodian was made to earn his pay in the 69th minute to save the Frenchman's
close-range shot in a goal-mouth scramble.
It signalled the start of a frenzied attack from the Glory as cracks started to
appear in the Phoenix defence.
Nikita Rukavytsya blazed a shot over the target in the 71st minute after making a
scintillating run down the left, while just two minutes later Moss dived high and to
his right to palm away substitute Naum Sekulovski's 22-metre shot.
But Wellington's back four eventually crumbled under the immense pressure, with
McKain clearly pulling down Dadi in the box as the striker raced towards the loose
ball.
Dadi made no mistake with the spot kick, drilling his shot low and to the right to
notch his fourth goal of the season.
In front of a paltry 4,433 fans - the Glory's lowest ever home attendance in the
A-League - Eugene Dadi provided the heroics from the penalty spot in the 77th minute
after being brought down by John McKain in the box.
It was a deserved win for the Glory, who controlled the majority of possession
throughout the contest and were unlucky not to go ahead earlier.
The victory moves Perth off the bottom of the table and back to within two points of
the top four, while the Phoenix are left to prop up the table with just two draws
from five rounds of football.
Wellington were content to attack on the counter in a lacklustre first half and it
was the Glory who had the first real chance to break the deadlock in the 27th
minute.
The home side were awarded a free kick just six yards from goal when Wellington
goalkeeper Glenn Moss handled a backpass from defender Andrew Durante.
But Perth failed to capitalise on the opportunity, with midfielder Wayne Srhoj's
low-drilled shot on goal crashing into a tangle of legs on the goal-line.
The visitors were counting their luck in first-half stoppage time when Nikolai
Topor-Stanley's goal-bound header was cleared off the line by McKain, whose
lighting-quick reflex ensured the teams headed to the break locked at 0-0.
Moss had little trouble keeping out Dadi's 57th-minute header but the Wellington
custodian was made to earn his pay in the 69th minute to save the Frenchman's
close-range shot in a goal-mouth scramble.
It signalled the start of a frenzied attack from the Glory as cracks started to
appear in the Phoenix defence.
Nikita Rukavytsya blazed a shot over the target in the 71st minute after making a
scintillating run down the left, while just two minutes later Moss dived high and to
his right to palm away substitute Naum Sekulovski's 22-metre shot.
But Wellington's back four eventually crumbled under the immense pressure, with
McKain clearly pulling down Dadi in the box as the striker raced towards the loose
ball.
Dadi made no mistake with the spot kick, drilling his shot low and to the right to
notch his fourth goal of the season.
