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Shane Smeltz the Heart out of Melbourne

Shane Smeltz’s double has propelled Perth Glory to a strong start in the A-League with a 2-1 victory over Melbourne Heart.

This win positions the Glory alongside Brisbane Roar as the only teams with victories in their first two matches of the season.

However, the Heart find themselves at the bottom of the table, remaining the sole team without any points following an aimless performance in a game filled with few chances.

Both of Smeltz’s goals came as a result of defensive blunders, yet they were executed excellently by the New Zealand striker.

The first goal for his new team arrived in typical Smeltz style—a precise header from a well-placed Liam Miller cross at the 33-minute mark.

Despite the quality of the cross from Miller, Smeltz was allowed too much space between centre-half Matt Thompson and goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic to convert his opportunity.

“It wasn’t a great game; chances were limited, but Smeltz is the difference-maker. He had two opportunities today and converted both,” remarked Glory coach Ian Ferguson.

“It’s fantastic for the Glory to have two wins out of two.”

In an unexpected turn of events just before half-time, the Heart leveled the score when referee Gerard Parsons called a penalty for a shirt pull by Glory defender Chris Coyne on striker Maycon.

David Williams calmly converted the penalty, sending both teams into halftime with the score tied.

The second half, which was marked by wayward shots and passes, was ignited by Smeltz following a careless play by Thompson, who kept a ball in play unnecessarily.

Seizing the moment, Smeltz capitalized on the loose ball, evaded defender Curtis Good, and scored a fantastic winner in the 67th minute.

The loss for the Heart intensifies their upcoming derby against Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.

The Victory have garnered just one point from their two matches this season, having lost 1-0 to Adelaide United on Friday.

Heart coach John van’t Schip candidly acknowledged that both he and his players should be troubled by the mistakes they are making and their lack of creativity against Perth, describing their performance as “poor.”

“Playing with fear—that’s what I observed in the first half,” van ‘t Schip reflected.

“There was a noticeable fear within the team, preventing them from expressing themselves and feeling free to play.

“We all understand that fear inhibits performance.”

 

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1 Brisbane 2 2 0 0 3 6
2 Perth 2 2 0 0 2 6
3 Wellington 2 1 1 0 2 4
4 Adelaide 2 1 0 1 0 3
5 Newcastle 2 1 0 1 -1 3
6 Gold Coast 2 0 2 0 0 2
7 Central Coast 2 0 1 1 -1 1
8 Victory 2 0 1 1 -1 1
9 Sydney 2 0 1 1 -2 1
10 Heart 2 0 0 2 -2 0

by Buford Balony

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