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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The young midfielder stepped up and converted by steering it into the bottom corner.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t take the game on as well as we know that we can.<\/p>\n
“We made some really, really poor decisions out of possession, we should have made better decisions in possession.”<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, Glory coach Alex Epakis was much more sanguine about Perth\u2019s showing.<\/p>\n
“We know that every performance is going to matter and every result,” coach Alex Epakis said.<\/p>\n
“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.\u201d<\/p>\n