Mitch Nichols and Mile Sterjovski each scored a brace – and their own version of a wonder goal – as Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar fought out a topsy-turvy 3-3 A-League draw at nib Stadium on Wednesday night.
Brisbane trailed 2-0 by the 24th minute after Travis Dodd opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Sterjovski doubled the lead through a 25-metre curling effort.
But a 22-metre thunderbolt from Nichols in the 41st minute sparked the Roar into life, with the visitors going into the break all square at 2-2 after Erik Paartalu’s bouncing header on the stroke of half-time sneaked over the head of goal-line defender Josh Risdon.
The Roar were on the back foot for much of the contest and the Glory were unlucky not to score at least two more goals early in the second half.
But to the shock of the 6912 fans on hand, Brisbane went ahead in the 69th minute when Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic made a hesitant charge off his line and Nichols made him pay the price after latching on to Partaalu’s penetrating ball.
Enter Sterjovski, the former Socceroo who had been consigned to youth team duties at the start of the season.
Sterjovski won his team a penalty when Roar defender Ivan Franjic clattered into him clumsily and brought him down.
The Glory veteran then stepped up to the spot to put the finishing touch on his contribution.
And Perth almost stole all three points right at the death, only for Dodd’s injury-time header to sail just wide.
Sterjovski could have had three goals to his name, but his curling effort which bounced off the head of Mohamed Adnan clattered into the upright early in the second half.
Perth were dealt a late blow when striker Billy Mehmet was forced off with what appeared to be a painful foot injury.
The result catapulted Brisbane back into second on the table, above Melbourne Heart on goal difference, while the Glory slipped to ninth.
Brisbane coach Ange Postecoglou was scathing of his players after the match, even describing some of their intent as cowardly.
“Perth Glory got robbed to be honest,” a forthright Postecoglou said.
“They deserved to win the game today. We were very ordinary and it would have been an injustice if we got anything more than a point out of it.
“It’s unacceptable. I’m not interested in getting cheap points or cheap victories playing like that. That’s not what we’re about.
“I didn’t see it coming and I didn’t think we had it in us to be honest.”
Glory coach Ian Ferguson rued his side’s lack of concentration at key times.
“But on a more positive note, I thought the boys were outstanding tonight. I thought they took the game to Brisbane and played really well,” Ferguson said.
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