Melbourne experienced a heartbreaking moment with a controversial injury-time penalty
that allowed Perth Glory to secure a 2-2 draw at AAMI Park on Sunday night.
The Heart were in the lead at 2-1 until three minutes into stoppage time when an extremely questionable penalty was awarded. Glory’s Michael Baird seemed to have been struck by the Tokyo express as he fell to the ground after substitute Kliment Taseski allegedly tripped him.
The truth is…Baird never made contact.
Nevertheless, Robbie Fowler stepped up and netted his first goal of the season, earning a crucial point for Glory, who dominated possession during the second half.
A penalty awarded to Gerald Sibon allowed Heart to take an early lead just five minutes in, as Alex Terra was roughly handled in the box by Glory’s Naum Sekulovski.
A terrible defensive lapse led to Perth’s equalizer at the 20-minute mark.
Heart goalkeeper Clint Bolton hesitated on a Fowler cross; the ball glanced off defender Brendan Hamill’s head, struck his teammate Michael Marrone in the chest, and rolled into the net.
However, Heart continued to play effectively and were justly rewarded when midfielder Nick Kalmar scored in the 37th minute.
Kalmar’s low right-footed shot on the turn gave Heart a deserved edge, to the delight of the 6,000-strong crowd.
Perth emerged with improved momentum in the second half but was thwarted by two spectacular saves from Bolton.
First, the Heart goalkeeper dove low to his left to block a goal-bound thunderbolt from Fowler in the 71st minute, then he leapt at the feet of Sekulovski, denying him just eight minutes later.
Yet, there was nothing Bolton could do when Robbie Fowler confidently converted from the penalty spot.
Perth remains at the top of the ladder, while Heart lingers at the bottom with two draws from four matches.
Buford Balony says: Glory deserved to draw this match, but was it justified by such a dubious penalty? It’s time for new technology to be integrated into football following the poor refereeing during the World Cup and at the beginning of the A-League and EPL seasons. If other sports can manage it, then surely the world’s most popular sport can too. I don’t want to hear the nonsense about implementation difficulties at lower levels. FIFA, just make it happen, and do it quickly. Do you agree?
