Fury snatch draw after Velaphi blunder

Ten-man North Queensland fought back from a goal down to grab a controversial 1-1
A-League draw against Perth in front of 12,822 fans at ME Bank Stadium on Saturday.
The Glory appeared destined to grab maximum points when Fury midfielder Ufuk Talay
was given his marching orders in the 45th minute and Mile Sterjovski put Perth 1-0
ahead with a 49th-minute penalty.
But the game, which featured eight yellow cards and one red, was turned on its head
in the 70th minute when Glory goalkeeper Tando Velaphi fell over his goal-line after
saving John Tambouras' goal-bound header.
Velaphi argued he was bundled over the line after receiving a push from Fury
substitute Chris Grossman but his desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, with referee
Ben Williams awarding the goal.
It was Velaphi's second disastrous mistake of the season, following his terrible
blunder against Central Coast when he ran under a long ball to gift the Mariners a
goal in a 2-1 loss.
The Fury held their own in a lacklustre first half but were thrown into disarray
when fit-again Talay, who picked up a yellow card in the 20th minute, was booked for
simulation in the 45th minute and dismissed.
Perth didn't take long to capitalise on the numerical advantage, hitting the lead
four minutes after the break when Sterjovski converted from the spot after being
brought down by a clumsy Tambouras tackle.
The Fury launched a feisty fightback after conceding the goal and were rewarded when
Velaphi fell over his line after jumping high to claim what appeared to be a
regulation save.
Perth unleashed numerous attacking forays thereafter but the Fury's dogged defence
held on, denying the Glory a chance to take top spot on the table.
The result proved costly for Perth in more ways than one, with skipper Jacob Burns
suspended for next week's home clash with Adelaide after picking up his fifth yellow
card of the season.