Adelaide United FC endured a hard fought 1-1 draw in a closed pre-season friendly against Perth Glory on Thursday afternoon.
Sergio Cirio struck first for the Reds after 32 minutes, picking up the ball just outside of the 18-yard box and slotting to the right of the committed Vukovic, before Glory captain Thwaite equalised with a looped header over Eugene Galekovic.
The Reds maintained majority of the possession through Isaias, Jeggo and new signing Pablo Sánchez throughout the match, and their forward passes proved a constant threat to the Glory’s backline.
New signing Pablo Sánchez showed his credentials by getting involved in much of Adelaide’s play going forward, and narrowly missed two opportunities on goal himself.
Adelaide’s defence was able to withstand much of what the Glory threw at them throughout the first half, keeping them to just one attempt on goal, one that proved vital when Thwaite equalised six minutes after Cirio gave the Reds the lead.
Djite and Cirio proved troublesome up front throughout, with the former latching on to a number of shots that were blocked by a committed Glory defence.
The nature of the friendly allowed Gombau to test a variety of young talent with the likes of Bruce Kamau starting on the right wing and Scott Nagel on the left; both proving to be constant threats for the Reds going forward.
The second half of the match began how the first one ended, with the Reds controlling momentum through the center of midfield.
But it was the Glory who came closest to finding the breakthrough early in the half, firing two shots on goal created by the lively Mitch Nichols, which tested the reflexes of Galekovic.
The Reds responded quickly, however, with central players Jeggo and Pablo Sánchez utilising the pace of Cirio and Kamau on the wings to put pressure on the Glory’s defence, ultimately to no avail.
Adelaide United will be able to take a number of positives out of this afternoon’s match, showing a strong defensive display as well as dominance in possession and a willingness to go forward.
UPDATE: The restructuring of the all-red seating at Coopers Stadium is well underway.
Match Details
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Closed Pre-season Friendly
Adelaide United FC 1 (Cirio 32’)
Perth Glory 1 (Thwaite 38’)
Venue: Coopers Stadium
