Western Sydney Wanderers have registered their first win of the Hyundai A-League season, edging past Perth Glory 1-0 at a rainy Pirtek Stadium on Sunday.
Marquee man Dario Vidosic marked his first start for the club with the decisive goal just before half-time, to ease the pressure at Wanderland.
Glory struggled to create anything going forward and will need to improve for next week’s Westfield FFA Cup final.
The crucial victory for Wanderers – on the anniversary of the club’s AFC Champions League success from last year – moves them off the bottom of the ladder and above Glory.
GOALS
1-0 Vidosic (45’) – A Wanderers corner wasn’t adequately cleared by the visitors, with the ball eventually ending up at the feet of Vidosic at the top of the box. The marquee man skipped past one defender before arrowing a shot into the bottom corner.
KEY MOMENT
In the steamy and wet conditions there wasn’t a lot of quality but the Wanderers marquee man Vidosic provided it when it counted right on the stroke of half-time. In his first start for his new club, the classy playmaker showed superb composure, technique and a clinical finish to provide the moment of quality the match had been crying out for. In a game where the first goal was always going to be crucial, Vidosic delivered to open his account for the club.
OPTA DATA KEY STATS
The Wanderers continued their run of scoring in every single Hyundai A-League clash against Glory, now at 10 straight games. The shut-out at the other end also snaps a run of 16 straight A-League games without keeping a clean sheet.
Glory went into the match with the best conversion rate in the competition but only managed six at goal the whole match, with none on target. This compared to the home side who had six of their 15 efforts on target.
HIGHLIGHTS REEL
On the first anniversary of the Wanderers historical AFC Champions League success, the hero from that final win ‘keeper Ante Covic returned to ‘Wanderland’ – but this time in the colours of Glory. But the veteran gloveman received a huge ovation from the home fans, who still hold Covic in high regard despite his change of clubs. And the ex-Socceroo made a number of exceptional saves for the visitors to keep his side in the match right until the death.
