Who else but Jason Cummings?
The Socceroos striker answered Central Coast Mariners’ call for an avenue back into the contest, scoring twice from the penalty spot within seven minutes to wrestle back a 2-0 deficit and secure a point away to Perth Glory.
Not many Isuzu UTE A-League teams had taken points in the past from Perth’s home-away-from-home at Macedonia Park and it was going to take an almighty effort for the Mariners to turn things around after Salim Khelifi’s brace gave the Glory a two-goal advantage.
However, Central Coast were given a lifeline when, after VAR intervention, they visitors were awarded penalty after Johnny Koutroumbis was seen to have handled Jacob Farrell’s cross – which Cummings coolly dispatched.
Moments later, substitute Christian Theoharous was fouled inside the box by Aaron McEneff – gifting Central Coast another spot-kick which Cummings put away and let the Glory fans know about it with his celebration.
“I love it,” Cummings told Paramount+ when asked if he enjoyed dispatching the second of his two penalties.
The fans, they’re on me all day, on my back, giving me abuse and that and I love it. It was a bit of banter.
“Don’t know what they were saying, they were just shouting… and I just told them to shut up when I scored.
“It was a little bit of banter, so it was good.”
Cummings said he was pleased with the manner in which he and his teammates fought back to secure the draw, which he believes showed a lot of “character”.
However, a rev-up from coach Nick Montgomery at half-time acted as somewhat of a catalyst for the fightback.
“We weren’t at our best, so the draw was probably alright considering we were 2-0 down,” Cummings said.
“I was pretty poor, my first touch was like a trampoline at times but I managed two get penalties.
“The gaffer (Montgomery) had a go at us at half-time because in the first half we weren’t clinical enough, we weren’t in their face.
“We came in better in the second-half. We knew if we got a goal we would have a chance to go on and win it and we did.
“We just never got that ball in the net there.”
Meanwhile, it was a happy return for Glory’s Khelifi, who made a quicker than expected comeback from a foot injury to start from the first minute – scoring a brace in his 55 minutes on the park – including a stunning free-kick.
The Tunisian admitted, however, that he is still feeling the affects of his injury.
“I feel happy that I came (back) from my injury,” Khelifi told Paramount+.
“I thought that maybe I’d stay out there longer but yeah, I’m happy to help the team. Today was not enough but we will try next game to win.
“It’s not easy because I still feel it a little bit. I have to not push it too much but I think it’s in a good way.”
Khelifi said the result was “very disappointing” given they had surrendered a two-goal lead, but remained optimistic that the Glory could still make a charge for the top six – sitting four points behind sixth-placed Sydney FC going into the last nine games of the season.
“There is a lot of games, we still have a chance,” Khelifi said.
“Like I said, next game is very important in Brisbane, we have to win.”
MATCH REPORT – AAP
By Justin Chadwick
Jason Cummings has scored two second-half penalties to help Central Coast secure a 2-2 draw against Perth Glory at Macedonia Park.
Glory winger Salim Khelifi marked his shock early return from injury with a double to give the home side a 2-0 lead in Saturday night’s Isuzu UTE A-League clash.
But penalties in the 74th and 81st minute to Cummings helped the Mariners secure a share of the spoils.
Central Coast almost snatched the win, but Christian Theoharous’s 82nd-minute thunderbolt from long range cannoned off the post.
The draw keeps the Mariners in second spot for now, but they can be leapfrogged by Adelaide on Sunday.
Ninth-placed Glory were left to lament a result that leaves them four points adrift of the top six.
Khelifi’s starting role against the Mariners came as a huge surprise, given there were fears his season could have been over after he suffered a foot injury in Glory’s 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory on January 21.
It was the same foot Khelifi had surgery on previously, but the latest setback wasn’t serious and he made an immediate impact in his return match
Glory striker Adam Taggart won the free kick that led to Perth’s first goal after being brought down on the edge of the box by Brian Kaltak.
Khelifi stepped up to take the free kick and he whipped the ball in off the crossbar, sending the home fans into raptures.
The Mariners enjoyed 65 per cent possession in the first half, but their 11 shots – four of which were on target – didn’t yield anything.
Glory goalkeeper Cameron Cook pulled off two important saves to ensure Glory went to the break with a 1-0 lead.
Cook reacted quickly in the fifth minute to parry away Kaltak’s goalward-bound header.
And he got a hand to James McGarry’s 32nd-minute free kick to deflect the ball into the upright and safely away.
Khelifi doubled the lead in the 51st minute when he buried a penalty after a handball from Kaltak.
Cummings breathed life into the Mariners’ hopes with a successful spot kick following an unlucky handball from Glory defender John Koutoumbis.
And when Glory midfielder Aaron McEneff tripped up Theoharous in the box in the 80th minute, Cummings stepped up again to bury another penalty.
