Melbourne Victory have seen off Perth Glory 1-0 and climb to fifth in the NINJA A-League table as the playoff race approaches its climax.
Claudia Bunge grabbed the only goal of the game in the 22nd minute when she headed home from a corner and through flaring tempers at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, the visitors held on for well-earned three points.
The win lifts Melbourne Victory to fifth in the NINJA A-League table and they will await the results of both the Central Coast and Brisbane Roar to see if they will retain their spot in the playoff places. Perth Glory needed to win by at least nine goals to have any chance of breaking into the top six and thus remain in eighth.
Perth Glory thought they had opened the scoring after 10 minutes when Ella Abdul Massih flicked the ball towards goal from the back post and it was poked in by Gabby Hollar, but their celebrations were cut short when the flag was raised and the goal was ruled out.
The visitors added to the misery 10 minutes later when their second successive corner was played in deep and picked out Claudia Bunge who nodded home to give Melbourne Victory the lead.
Melbourne Victory should have doubled their lead when Holly Furphy enjoyed time and space out on the left and squared the ball into the path of Sofia Sakalis who lost her footing inside the area and made Teresa Morrissey’s job far too easy in the Glory goal.
Tempers flared on the pitch and between the technical areas but the visitors held on and have done all they can in their pursuit of playoff football in the final week of the regular season.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT THEY SAID
Kayla Morrison
Grace Johnston
