Perth Glory outclassed Adelaide United through a thoroughly dominating display that saw them walk away with three points in their first A-League game of the season.
The absence of skipper Diego Castro was one that was widely talked about prior to the game, with manager Richard Garcia previously having admitted that the stalwart had sustained a muscle injury.
Despite the absence of the veteran midfielder and having gone without competitive games since participating in the Asian Champions League in Qatar, questions concerning squad strength and match fitness were put to bed through a strong showing in their first home game in 318 days.
The opening goal of the game came in the form of a penalty, when United goalkeeper James Delianov came off his line and awkwardly clashed with Bruno Fornaroli to concede a clear cut spot kick. Neil Kilkenny – who was handed the armband in Castro’s absence – continued his record of having never missed a penalty in the A-League, with a shot going hard and down the middle as the ‘keeper dived to his right.
The hosts made it 2-0 in the 34th minute as a cross from the left pin balled in the box with Fornaroli’s attempted shot being a complete airball. But the resulting action saw the ball land at the feet of Nicholas D’Agostino, who fired a shot that took a deflection and rolled into the back of the net.
With only a few minutes left in the first period of play, Adelaide scored against the run of play with their first shot on target to make it 2-1. Ben Halloran sent in a cross from the left wing that saw Glory defender Dane Ingham horrifyingly failing to clear the ball. Nathan Konstandopoulos latched onto the loose ball and put it past the ‘keeper.
During stoppage time in the first-half, returning Glory man Andy Keogh was very angry with himself for missing a header, as a cross from the right saw him miss his mark by a fair distance.
Young Callum Timmins who was handed a chance to play in midfield produced a solid shot from outside the box in the 49th minute, forcing Delianov to make a decent save.
Two minutes later, Fornaroli – who had scored only one goal in nine games until that point – got his name on the scoresheet after Keogh went forward, drew the defenders towards him and slipped it through for the Uruguayan to tap the ball home.
The 4-2-2-2 system that Perth were using to overload the midfield was running the visitors ragged, as they were being outmanned, outclassed and out-passed in nearly every position on the pitch.
As the hour mark came along, a set-play from a free-kick on the right saw Kilkenny send a great delivery for D’Agostino to score from an unmarked header. That goal made it 4-1 and showcased the story of the evening for the visitors, as the former Brisbane Roar man barely had a marker from the point where he made his run to the point when he scored.
Garcia’s men continued their dominating performance and scored yet again, as Keogh showed exceptional work rate to chase down a long ball from the ‘keeper on the right. Despite having two players around him, the Irishman cut the ball through into the middle. Carlo Arimienta was on hand to blast the ball at a tight angle past Delianov at the near post to make it 5-1.
As Glory cruised toward a strong home victory, United came back with goals from Mohamed Toure in the 88th minute and Halloran in stoppage time. But those goals were a small consolation as Carl Veart suffered his first defeat in charge of Adelaide.
Perth Glory will travel to Melbourne for a trio of away games as they take on Western United on Saturday, a clash against Melbourne Victory on January 26 followed by a game against Melbourne City on Sunday, January 31. Adelaide United will also face one of the Melbourne sides as they play host to Victory on Saturday, January 23.
