Melbourne Victory were worthy winners away to Perth Glory on Friday night.
A goal in either half was enough for Arthur Diles’ side to earn their first win of the 2025/26 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Fresh from netting against Newcastle Jets a week ago, Keegan Jelacic was on the scoresheet again, this time haunting his former club on Halloween to give Victory a lead at the interval.
A fourth win from five trips to HBF Park was secured just nine minutes after the restart as Juan Mata marked his full debut with a first goal for the Club.
Team News
The Men’s First Team Head Coach decided on a trio of changes from the XI that started away to Newcastle Jets. This saw Perth-born defender Joshua Rawlins come into the backline, while Matthew Grimaldi and Juan Mata were given their starting debuts in Victory colours.
Match Action
Perth were evidently aware of Denis Genreau’s fine start to the campaign, but were a shade overzealous in their attempts to stifle the midfield string-puller, with Callum Timmins’ reducer earning him an early caution.
Both fair and foul, the hosts’ initial approach was a direct one, and they had the contest’s first opportunity, but Adam Taggart’s radar was off as he headed William Freney’s cross wide.
Their backline, however, was a unit that had conceded six goals in the opening two fixtures and under little in the way of duress, they cracked. Victory looked penned in on the left, but Grimaldi shifted play in field, and when it found its way to Jelacic, he shifted possession out of his feet and stylishly located the bottom corner with 11 minutes played.
A Taggart half-chance aside, it was Diles’ men setting the attacking agenda – even in the face of a horizontal rain burst. Mata was gliding into pockets of space, Grimaldi ghosting his marker through clever movement and Vergos, who put a header off target, testing Perth’s willingness to play a high line.
They would, though, after a Jelacic strike deflected behind, have to settle for a single-goal advantage heading to the rooms.
Half-time: Perth Glory 0-1 Melbourne Victory
Perth opened the second 45 with fresh intent, and it took a couple of smart defensive actions from Joshua Inserra to keep them at bay, heading clear an inviting far post cross before easing out Lachlan Wales as he attempted to burst into the penalty box. It was then the moment for goalkeeper Jack Duncan to intervene, reacting well to push away a swerving Taggart effort.
The Glory faithful were sensing an equaliser; instead, Victory sniffed out a second courtesy of more slick forward play.
Jelacic, by bravely taking an industrial Brian Kaltak challenge in the middle of the park, created a vacancy that Jordi Valadon promptly occupied ahead of feeding a galloping Davidson. He equally efficiently found the vertical run of Grimaldi, and his low centre was swept in by Mata, who raced off to celebrate with the travelling Victory fans.
Determined to accompany three points with a clean sheet, Davidson produced a last-ditch clearance before, as the game became increasingly open, the defender was denied by a goalline intervention at the other end.
Vergos thought he had added a third through an accurate slotted finish, only for the flag to be raised on the nearside touchline, and he was then a little unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when a late challenge prevented him from getting a clean shot off. The Greek forward was then foiled by an instinctive Matt Sutton save when Genreau picked him out in the middle.
Match Details
Perth Glory 0
Melbourne Victory 2 (JELACIC 11′, MATA 54′)
Perth Glory XI: 29. Matthew SUTTON (GK), 45. Brian KALTAK, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 19. Joshua RISDON, 2. Charbel SHARMOON (20. Trent OSTLER 63′), 18. Rhys BOZINOVSKI (6. Brandon O’NEILL 84′), 8. Callum TIMMINS (21. Adam BUGARIJA 63′), 11. Lachlan WALES, 34. Tom LAWRENCE (25. Sebastian DESPOTOVSKI 46′), 22. Adam TAGGART (C), 27. William FRENEY.
Substitutes not used: 40. Ryan WARNER (GK), 17. Arion SULEMANI, 24. Andriano LEBIB.
Booking: TIMMINS 3′, RISDON 87′.
Melbourne Victory starting XI: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 16. Joshua INSERRA (15. Sebastian ESPOSITO 89′), 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 2. Jason DAVIDSON (C), 10. Denis GENREAU (29. Oliver DRAGICEVIC 80′), 8. Jordi VALADON, 23. Keegan JELACIC, 64. Juan MATA (11. SANTOS 69′), 14. Matthew GRIMALDI (34. Xavier STELLA 69′), 9. Nikos VERGOS (19. Jing REEC 80′).
Substitutes not used: 40. Jack WARSHAWSKY (GK), 3. Adama TRAORE.
Booking: DAVIDSON 25′, VALADON 40′, JELACIC 51′.
Coming Soon
The stakes are raised next time out, with bragging rights on the line at AAMI Park in the first Melbourne Derby of the season.
