PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND – PERTH GLORY

It would be hard to give it to anyone else this week although Perth were a cut above their opponents on Sunday night.

Impressing in front of a poor crowd, Glory were able to find two goals inside the first half before proving their defensive prowess in the second.

Two clinical goals from Diego Castro and Joel Chianese caught Melbourne City out, putting their opponents on the back foot for the rest of the game. With a shot accuracy of 100 per cent, they were patient and clinical with their shooting with Andy Keogh and Castro causing the most trouble.

In the second half, Perth were forced to deal with a desperate and attacking Melbourne City but they showed defensive prowess they haven’t shown really at all this season.

Dino Djulbic and Lucian Goian were the symbols of strength in the middle of Perth’s defence, keeping Tim Cahill and Bruno Fornaroli quiet for the whole game.

Able to show off their attacking ability in the first half and their defensive ability in the second, Perth showed that they will be able to put in an all-around performance. Facing Sydney FC next weekend in the finals, they will need their current form and more to climb above the league leaders but will go into the match with a strong optimism. A great performance this weekend.

PLAYER OF THE WEEKEND –VEDRAN JANJETOVIC

With three heroic goalkeeper performances on the night, it was in fact the losing keeper who put in the best performance. Faced with more shots and the golden boot winner, Janjetovic stepped up, pulling off a series of great saves.

Despite Michael Theo’s heroics, he faced about half the shots of Janjetovic. The Wanderers keeper also survived to face the penalty shootout and despite Jamie Young making the final save in the match, it was more so due to the poor penalty, rather than a fine save.

The Wanderers defence had to work hard, with an unbelievable 28 shots being taken by Brisbane, with ten of those on goal.

Janjetovic pulled off a series of excellent saves, especially at the death of regular time. The only goal he conceded all game was a rebound off a goal post with a Jamie Maclaren tap in. Apart from that, he looked ever confident in the Wanderers goal.

Arguably one of the most underrated goalkeepers in the A-League this year, he showed he is still up there with the best despite being second choice at Sydney FC to start the season.

While he won’t be playing any more A-League football this season, he will likely face Arsenal in July and with heroics like he showed this weekend, he will make it hard for the English giants to score.

A great performance this weekend!

GOAL OF THE WEEKEND – DIEGO CASTRO

We know Castro has an ability to pull a goal out of nowhere and he showed us that this week. Perth were clinical with their shooting all game and this goal was no exception with a great right footed shot sneaking past Dean Bouzanis in the City goal.

A long ball from the defence found Andy Keogh in City’s half with only Ruon Tongyik to beat. Stopping the ball at the edge of the box, Keogh played in Castro who ran behind him, putting him inside the box and in a great position for a shot. Holding the ball, Castro was able to work his way into the centre of the box before releasing a quick shot past three Melbourne City defenders and their goalkeeper.

Joel Chianese pulled out a similar goal a few minutes later but it was Castro’s ability to find that shot despite being surrounded by almost the entire City defence.

It wasn’t a spectacular goal but it was clinical and it changed the game for Perth, allowing them to go on and hold their own in the match. A great goal for Castro.

FLOP OF THE WEEKEND – MELBOURNE CITY

Despite having the home ground advantage, Melbourne were disastrous in front of a dismal crowd of less than 10,000. Booed at the final whistle and at half time, they didn’t deserve much more as they showed how little a team could do with such large amounts of possession.

Early in the game, the balance between Perth and Melbourne was strong, but as soon as Perth made the breakthrough, Melbourne City crumbled, failing to trouble Liam Reddy until the final few minutes of the game.

Putting in several long balls, City were unable to find a series of solid passes and even after finding out they exploit the left hand side of Perth’s defence, they still couldn’t make anything stick. A series of chances saw the ball blasted over, wide, or simply nowhere near the goal.

Despite having 12 shots, only two were on target. Perth by comparison put all six of their shots, on target, challenging Dean Bouzanis and finding the back of the net twice.

Perth were definitely the deserved the win on the night and absorbed the pressure of the second half well, pushing their claim for a spot in the grand final. As for City, it was a flop for the team and fans alike, both of whom will have a long off-season to think about next season.