Western women upset by Perth Glory

PERTH Glory are daring to dream of a once-unlikely charge into the A-League Women finals after an upset 3-1 win over leaders Western United in Ballarat last Saturday.

The Glory took the lead via Susan Phonsongkham’s penalty in the 12th minute on Saturday before Emma Robers scrambled an equaliser 10 minutes later.

But Alana Jancevski’s magnificent whipped free kick in the 73rd minute proved the difference, handing United just their second defeat of the season, before recruit Hannah Blake added a third in the 96th minute.

Perth broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after Phonsongkham went on a mazy run through the six-yard box and was brought down by Mel Taranto.

The young midfielder stepped up and converted by steering it into the bottom corner.

United equalised when golden boot leader Hannah Keane, teammate Danielle Steer and Perth goalkeeper Sarah Langman all collided mid-air in an aerial duel and the ball fell to Robers, who had the presence of mind to cooly smash it home first-time.

United spurned a couple of good chances early in the second half while Langman made multiple crucial saves, but Perth restored their lead when Jancevski brilliantly curled an unstoppable free kick past Beall.

Then, with almost the final kick of the game, Isabella Foletta pulled off a magnificent through-ball, which a bursting Blake met then coolly slotted home to seal three points.

“Like I said to the players at the end of the game, I thought it was a very ill-disciplined performance,” United coach Mark Torcaso said.

“We didn’t take the game on as well as we know that we can.

“We made some really, really poor decisions out of possession, we should have made better decisions in possession.”

Unsurprisingly, Glory coach Alex Epakis was much more sanguine about Perth’s showing.

“We know that every performance is going to matter and every result,” coach Alex Epakis said.

“We’re really focused on just making sure that when we walk off the field after 90 minutes we’ve given ourselves an opportunity to get something after the game.”

– BY ANNA HARRINGTON/ AAP