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Western United 3-1 Perth Glory
Hiroshi Ibusuki’s double has powered Western United to their first win of the A-League Men season, a 3-1 defeat of struggling Perth Glory that kicked off Unite Round in Sydney.
After wasting ample chances in a scoreless first half at Allianz Stadium on Friday, United bagged two goals in five minutes to stun the Glory and erase their unlikely 1-0 lead.
United appeared home when towering Japanese striker Ibusuki notched his second goal with 15 minutes to play. It was his seventh goal in seven games against Perth.
Hiroshi Ibusuki celebrates.Credit: Getty Images
A late red card to Dylan Leonard put a damper on United’s win, with the teenage defender set to miss next week’s clash against Melbourne Victory after pushing Cristian Caicedo at the edge of the box.
The Glory have now lost four of five games to begin the season and are still searching for a maiden victory under new coach David Zdrilic. Given their league-worst goal difference (-14), Perth will fall to the bottom of the ladder if 13th-placed Brisbane Roar can beat or draw with Adelaide United on Saturday.
At 17, Leonard became the youngest goalscorer in United’s short history when he made good on an inch-perfect corner from Ben Garuccio in the 60th minute. It came after Trent Ostler scored only the Glory’s second goal this season – and first in 339 minutes of football – from a counter-attack ignited by Khoa Ngo.
Perth threatened to fall in a heap only minutes later when Noah Botic found strike weapon Ibusuki inexplicably unmarked in the box. The cross helped Botic redeem himself for blowing two golden chances in the first half, including when he sprayed a header into the crossbar at point-blank range.
Botic was at the centre of Ibusuki’s second goal, again picking out the star recruit from the right wing. This time Ibusuki had more work to do, beating three defenders before driving the final nail into Perth’s coffin.
Leonard was shown a red card just before stoppage time in the second half for his contact on Caicedo, but the Colombian fired his free kick above the woodwork.
Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Newcastle Jets
Central Coast have finally broken through for their first win of the A-League Men season, defeating local rivals Newcastle 2-1 in Unite Round.
An own goal in the 74th minute was the Jets undoing, with Lucas Mauragis’s cross towards grand final hero Ryan Edmonson deflecting off opponent Aleksandar Susnjar.
Friday night’s win at Allianz Stadium was a much-cherished result for an injury-ravaged Mariners side, who had opened their title defence with three draws and a loss. They have also now won six-straight F3 derbies.
The greatest trophy in Australian sport.Credit: Getty Images
Stand-in captain Brian Kaltak was the hero, the Vanuatuan returning to Australia after facing off against his New Zealander Mariners teammate Storm Roux in World Cup qualifiers in the international break.
Newcastle had drawn first blood after a horror error by teenaged Mariners goalkeeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen, but a dogged Kaltak found the equaliser.
Former Mariner academy product Lachlan Bayliss was at the source of the Jets’ only goal, cleverly opening up the play with a superb pass to substitute Ben Gibson.
Gibson’s shot was stopped by Peraic-Cullen, but the rebound landed for Thomas Aquilina, who slotted easily in the 64th minute for his career-first goal.
But the Jets’ ascendancy did not last long, with Kaltak peeling one back less than two minutes later with a fantastic header.