Perth Glory have made it two from two to start the new Hyundai A-League season with a 2-1 win away to Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Perth Glory have made it two from two to start the new Hyundai A-League season with a 2-1 win away to Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Star striker Shane Smeltz netted once in each half for the competition joint leaders while David Williams scored from the penalty spot for the hosts on the stroke of half time.
Heart, who were looking to atone for last week’s devastating opening-round defeat to Newcastle, lost skipper Fred in the 35th minute to a hamstring injury to compound the pre-match loss of Jason Hoffman due to illness.
Fred, who apparently felt a twinge in the warm-up, will have scans during the week but must be in some doubt for next Saturday’s much-anticipated Melbourne derby.
Hoffman’s replacement in the starting line-up, Alex Terra, took up a role on the right and Mate Dugandzic shifted to the midfield.
Veteran defender Simon Colosimo, who was named in Heart’s initial squad, was overlooked altogether.
The contest meandered along for the first half-hour.
Wayne Srhoj had the best of the early opportunities with a header in the 15th minute that was cleared off the line by Todd Howarth.
Smeltz had barely had a sniff at the other end before Liam Miller picked him out in the 34th minute at the far post with a yard on Matt Thompson.
The big Kiwi honoured Miller’s pinpoint cross with a perfect header that gave Nikola Roganovic, who opted to stay on his line, no chance.
Roganovic, the understudy for injured No.1 Clint Bolton, had earlier looked unconvincing with his handling of several Glory corners.
It was Smeltz’s 50th Hyundai A-League goal in his 79th appearance.
Terra came close to squaring the ledger a minute later with a spectacular bicycle kick that skidded just wide of Danny Vukovic’s right post.
The hosts appeared resigned to trailing at half-time when they were gifted a penalty by Glory defender Chris Coyne who got the faintest tug on Maycon’s jersey.
Referee Gerard Parsons was in the perfect position to spot the infraction.
Vukovic guessed right but was unable to stop former North Queensland striker Williams from planting the ball in the corner of the net to open his account for his new club on his home debut.
Smeltz put the Glory back in front in the 67th minute when he pounced on a careless back pass from Matt Thompson.
Smeltz turned his marker inside out before curling the ball past Roganovic with a powerful strike from just outside the box.
Nick Kalmar squandered Melbourne’s best chance to equalise in the 76th minute when he blasted over the bar after fine lead-up work from Dugandzic and Michael Marrone on the right.
Melbourne Heart 1 (Williams 45pen)
Perth Glory 2 (Smeltz 34, 67)
Crowd: 7,229
