Adelaide United have clinched their first win of the season thanks to a chipped Pablo Sánchez effort, lifting the Reds from the bottom of the Hyundai A-League standings.
A goal in the opening three minutes through Pablo Sánchez was enough to secure the three pints for United, who held on in very hot conditions to win the match.
With strong winds causing havoc in favour of Perth attacking to the east, United managed to cut through the Glory defence when Michael Marrone’s through ball found Pablo Sánchez who dinked a beautiful effort over Ante Covic in goal.
Conceding early brought the visitors into action, as they went in search of a quick equaliser. United’s defence, however, remained resolute and dealt with any potential danger confidently.
With the sides rightfully breaking at the 25 minute mark to take in some fluids, the teams were able to reenergise their bodies before continuing for the remaining 20 minutes of football.
Just after the half-hour mark, a neat interchange between Bruce Djite, Pablo Sánchez, and eventually Marcelo Carrusca, saw the latter put through on goal, but his cute effort was palmed clear by Covic.
Almost on the stroke of half-time, Sergio Cirio had the perfect opportunity to make it 2-0 in favour of the Reds when Marrone slotted a defence-splitting through ball between the Perth lines, but Covic again stood tall and saved his side.
But with the wind providing some assistance to the hosts in the second half, United were able to get on top of Glory early on.
Numerous chances fell to Jimmy Jeggo and Djite, but neither were able to capitalise on their opposition’s defensive frailties.
With the introduction of Bruce Kamau bringing added exuberance to the Reds going forward, the youngster found himself with a chance to double his side’s lead, but his strike swayed wide of the mark.
In the dying stages, Perth had an opportunity to snatch a point at the end, but Jordan Elsey put absolutely everything on the line to smother Chris Harold’s desperate attempt to scrounge something for his side.
Speaking after the result, Head Coach, Guillermo Amor, said he was proud of the efforts from his team in what was a crucial result.
“For us this is a very important win,” Amor said. “It’s important for the players, for the people of Adelaide, for everyone.
“I’m happy with our performance and the effort of my players because it was a hard game.
“The confidence of all our players was never lost and every player is important (in their own right).
“If we had dominated the game for longer, we would have played with more confidence and the result could have been greater.
“The game was open and could have gone either way in the last minute, but our team did very well.”
Match details:
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Hyundai A-League Round 9
Adelaide United 1 (Pablo Sánchez 3’)
Perth Glory 0
Venue: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 6,205
