Adelaide United FC could not manage to bring home an early Christmas present as the Reds played out a scoreless draw with Perth Glory at nib Stadium.
Adelaide United FC could not manage to bring home an early Christmas present as the Reds played out a scoreless draw with Perth Glory at nib Stadium.
Overall the Reds had the better of the chances but in the end they were forced to take their second point from Perth this season. While it may not have come together at the pointy end, Coach Josep Gombau would have been pleased to record a second straight clean sheet as Eugene Galekovic was largely unthreatened between the posts.
A cagey opening half saw United-s Argentine duo Marcelo Carrusca and Jeronimo with the best opportunities to break the deadlock but neither could beat Danny Vukovic.
With Perth willing to sit back and absorb the Reds- high possession style, it took some patience for United to crack the Glory defence.
Carrusca forced Vukovic into a sharp reflex save low down with a fierce drive in the 22nd minute before Jeronimo tried his luck with a well timed volley from an acute angle five minutes before the break but again Vukovic was up to the challenge.
Gombau introduced Sergio Cirio and Awer Mabil midway through the second half to try and expose the Glory for pace out wide, and the duo did not disappoint as they provided a spark and serious threat in the attacking third.
But despite the Reds- best efforts, they could not find a late winner, Cirio, Carrusca, Jake Barker-Daish and Isaias all with attempts late on as both teams were forced to settle for a point.
The Reds return home for two massive games back to back at Coopers Stadium over the festive season, starting with the Newcastle Jets on December 29 before Sydney FC come to town on January 3.
Match Details
Perth Glory 0
Adelaide United FC 0
Referee: Alan Milliner
Crowd: 9,436 @ nib Stadium
Perth Glory line-up: 1.Daniel VUKOVIC (GK), 2.Jack CLISBY, 6.Cameron EDWARDS (3.Brandon O-NEILL 58-), 7.Jacob BURNS (c), 8.Ryo NAGAI (11.Adrian ZAHRA 74-), 10.Jamie MACLAREN, 14.Steven McGARRY, 17.Chris HAROLD (16.Sidnei SCIOLA MORAES 58-), 23.Michael THWAITE, 24.Matthew DAVIES, 25.Riley WOODCOCK
Substitutes not used: 18.Jack DUNCAN (GK), 22.Ndumba MAKECHE
Yellow Cards: Davies 50-, Thwaite 88-
Red Cards: Nil
Adelaide United starting line-up: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (GK) (c), 4.Jon McKAIN, 5.Osama MALIK, 7.JERONIMO (17.Awer MABIL 58-), 8.ISAIAS, 10.Marcelo CARRUSCA, 11.Bruce DJITE (19.Jake BARKER-DAISH 76-), 13.Steven LUSTICA, 14.Cameron WATSON (9.Sergio CIRIO 54-), 18.Michael ZULLO, 21.Tarek ELRICH
Substitutes not used: 3.Nigel BOOGAARD, 20.Paul IZZO (GK)
Yellow Cards: Malik 13-, Isaias 43-, McKain 88-, Carrusca 88-
Red Cards: Nil
