Brisbane Roar have moved off the bottom of the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder for the first time since Round 1 after a hugely important 3-1 win over Perth Glory on Saturday night, delivered by a first career double from Sam Klein on his 21st birthday,
A clash billed as possibly decisive in the race to avoid the wooden spoon was ultimately decided by an unlikely source as not one, not two but three players netted their first A-Leagues goals in an entertaining clash at HBF Park.
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Glory recruit Luke Amos opened his account with a world class strike into the top corner from range, before Asumah Abubakar poked past Oli Sail to equalise before the half-time break and Sam Klein put the Roar ahead through a mess of bodies in the 51st minute.
Then, on his 21st birthday, the Roar midfielder made it a double in brilliant fashion, curling a cracking strike into the bottom corner to seal the three points in the final minutes,
The Roar’s second win of the season sees them leapfrog the Glory into 12th – with two games in hand on their rivals – and puts them on track to escape the prospect of finishing last for the first time in the club’s 20-year history.
Amos’ absolute stunner
While this match may not be remembered fondly by those of a Glory persuasion, it did provide a moment of pure magic that will not be forgotten any time soon.
Amos’ strike in the seventh minute looms as a Goal of the Season contender.
“That is a goal that will garner attention back in his homeland. He’s still got it,” said commentator Teo Pellizzeri on Network 10 and Paramount+.
Former Central Coast Mariners coach Phil Moss added: “(That is) an absolute thunderbolt. A goal worthy of any stage in world football.”
Incredibly, it was Amos’ first goal since April 2022, when he found the net in the English Championship for Queens Park Rangers against a Derby County side coached by none other than Wayne Rooney.
If it was perhaps going under the radar that a midfielder who was once handed a Premier League debut at Tottenham by Mauricio Pochettino had arrived in Australia, there is no doubt now that Luke Amos has arrived.
Ruben’s Roar come from behind to win it thanks to birthday boy Klein
After falling behind early, Roar boss Ruben Zadkovich will likely be delighted with the way his side surged back into this contest to claim all three points.
New signing Asumah Abubakar has been growing into life in the Isuzu UTE A-League and there can be no doubt he delivered his best performance yet in this match.
A constant thorn in the side of a Glory defence that has struggled this season, it was the enterprising work of the former Portugal U19 international down the left that earned a fortuitous situation that allowed him to poke past Oli Sail and level up the score.
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Then, he played a key role in what was eventually the winner, heading the ball down for Klein to lash into the back of the net and put the Roar in front.
While Henry Hore has shouldered much of the attacking burden since the departure of Thomas Waddingham, the signs are growing that Abubakar could play a key role in helping Zadkovich’s side come home with a wet sail to avoid the wooden spoon.
But the striker was upstaged on the night by birthday boy Klein who gave himself the best possible present by producing the best night of his career so far.
“A special night for him,” quipped Moss.
What does it mean?
Perth Glory are in real danger of finishing last for the second season in a row.
After 21 matches, they sit bottom with just 11 points and two wins to their name, with the most recent one coming in early January against league leaders Auckland FC.
David Zdrilic’s men can have few complaints about their footing on the ladder, having conceded a league-high 47 goals and scored a league-low 14 goals.
In fact, exactly half of their goals have been scored by captain Adam Taggart and you could argue the reigning Golden Boot winner is having a quiet season by his standards.
Five matches remain to change their fate, but it’s going to be tough to turn things around with clashes against Auckland FC (1st), Western United (2nd) and Adelaide United (6th) on the horizon.
