Reds control the ball and keep a clean sheet in goalless draw with Perth Glory

Adelaide United held the upper hand for most of the afternoon at ServiceFM Stadium, taking a hard-fought point from a frustrating goalless afternoon.

First half

Adelaide United settled into a 4-3-3 against Perth Glory’s 4-2-3-1 at ServiceFM Stadium, and the Reds were soon looking comfortable on the ball. Perth’s first sight of goal came in the fourth minute, when Rola Badawiya’s left-footed shot from the centre of the box was blocked after an Ella Buchanan cross.

Adelaide’s first real effort came in the 12th minute, with Melissa Taranto’s right-footed shot from outside the box missing to the left. Four minutes later the Reds went closer, Kiera Meyers delivering a cross that Isabella Yakel met with a header from the centre of the box, only for Alyssa Dall’Oste to save it in the top centre of the goal.

Perth threatened again on 20 minutes, when Ella Abdul Massih’s right-footed shot from the left side of the box was blocked after a pass from Emma Tovar. It was the visitors’ last effort of the half as United kept hold of the ball through the middle of the park.

Adriana Taranto tried her luck twice in the 31st minute. Her left-footed shot from outside the box, set up by Carina Rossi, was blocked, and her follow-up with the right foot was too high. Abdul Massih was shown a yellow card for a bad foul in the 34th minute.

Two minutes of added time were announced and the half played out without further incident, the Reds on top but the scoreline still goalless at the break, Adelaide United 0, Perth Glory 0.

Second half

Perth Glory made a change at the break, Rasamee Phonsongkham replacing the booked Ella Abdul Massih, and the Reds picked up where they had left off. Melissa Taranto tested Alyssa Dall’Oste from outside the box in the 48th minute, and Adriana Taranto saw a left-footed effort blocked in the same passage after Kiera Meyers’ pass.

Perth’s first threat of the half came from a set piece in the 54th minute, Baxter Thew heading an Emma Tovar cross wide to the left. Theo Tsiounis responded a minute later, sending on Lara Gooch for Carina Rossi to freshen up the attack.

Adelaide’s best spell followed. Chelsie Dawber met a Claudia Cicco cross in the 61st minute and saw her right-footed shot from the centre of the box saved low in the bottom right corner, and after Perth made a triple change, Isabella Yakel’s header from the right side of the six-yard box, from a Paige Zois cross, was also kept out by Dall’Oste.

India Breier came on for Meyers in the 71st minute, and Onyinyechi Zogg was booked for a bad foul a minute later. Gooch drifted a left-footed effort from outside the box narrowly wide of the right post in the 74th minute, before Bronte Trew tested Ilona Melegh from range and the Adelaide keeper saved in the top left corner.

Tianna Harris and Emilia Makris replaced Yakel and Adriana Taranto in the 81st minute as the Reds pushed for a winner. Makris headed too high after Gooch set her up in the 83rd minute and had a right-footed shot blocked two minutes later from Dawber’s pass. Breier was booked late on, and Tovar headed wide from a Phonsongkham cross deep into stoppage time before the final whistle confirmed a goalless draw.

Full time

A goalless draw at ServiceFM Stadium is a point built on a defence that never gave Perth Glory a way in. Ilona Melegh and the back four of Claudia Cicco, Isabella Yakel, Holly Murray and Emily Hodgson kept a clean sheet against a side that managed just one shot on target, and the Club can take real credit from that discipline. Adelaide’s control through the middle of the park meant the visitors were rarely allowed to build any pressure, and the bench kept United pushing right to the end.

Match details

Next match

Adelaide United travel to face league leaders Central Coast Mariners at polytec Stadium on Saturday 31 October, with kick-off at 4:30pm ACDT, as the Reds look to take a result off the early pacesetters.