Bruno Fornaroli has taken a two-goal lead at the top of the Golden Boot chart after netting a double against Perth Glory, while nearest rival Adam Taggart did not hit the scoresheet.
Melbourne Victory’s clash with Perth Glory on Sunday was billed as a Golden Boot shoot-out between Socceroos strikers Bruno Fornaroli and Adam Taggart, who entered the match in a tie atop the Isuzu UTE A-League scoring charts with 15 goals apiece.
After it, there can be no doubt who is the frontrunner to claim the coveted award this season.
Fornaroli scored twice as Victory ran out 2-1 winners at AAMI Park, taking his tally to 17 and creating a buffer between himself and the competition.
The 36-year-old was perhaps fortunate to open the scoring via a deflection in the 16th minute, but there was no luck involved in his second, which came in the 53rd minute. Victory’s talisman produced a trademark headed finish from a pinpoint Daniel Arzani delivery.
“Bruno’s back baby!” proclaimed Network 10 and Paramount+ commentator Phil Moss.
After a lean few weeks following his return from the Asian Cup, Fornaroli appears to have rediscovered the scoring form which saw him set an extraordinary scoring pace in the early months of the campaign.
He’s now scored four goals and provided an assist in his last three Isuzu UTE A-League games, signalling his intent as we enter the business end of the season.
In total, Fornaroli boasts 17 goals and two assists in 17 matches this term, putting him in the box seat to claim the Golden Boot for the first time since 2015-16, when he scored 23 times in 27 matches for Melbourne City.
Taggart remains his closest rival, sitting on 15 goals, but was unable to add to his tally this weekend, with Glory’s lone goal scored by teenager Daniel Bennie, his first ever in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
