A stoppage-time penalty converted by Kelli Brown earned Perth Glory a point in a 1-1 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers in the Ninja A-League on Friday night.
Wanderers captain Amy Harrison put the hosts ahead in the 84th minute with a blistering free-kick but there was to be another twist in the tale, as Western Sydney keeper Sham Khamis conceded a late penalty to the visitors which Kelli Brown converted to earn her side a point on the road.
The Wanderers notched their first win of the season in Round 6 and were within minutes of going back-to-back before Brown’s late equaliser as the points were shared at Wanderers Football Park.
Georgia Cassidy looked to get Perth on the board early with a driven shot from long range, but Sham Khamis was up to the task of keeping the young Glory midfielder at bay with a comfortable save.
Harrison tried to fire a similarly audacious attempt into the back of Perth’s net down the other end and the Wanderers captain’s free-kick had Glory keeper Casey Dumont scrambling backward – but the ball didn’t dip in time as it drifted over the crossbar.
Cushla Rue came closest to opening the scoring in the first half, gambling on a deflected Talia Younis effort and getting to the drop of the ball first – but her close-range header lacked accuracy as the Wanderers winger let the visitors off the hook.
A tactical battle between two closely-matched sides offered little in terms of genuine chances until the hour mark when Younis lashed a volley from the edge of the area just past the top-left corner.
Younis’ nearly moment ignited the action at Wanderers Football Park. Perth’s best chance of the game came shortly after as Brown broke through on goal but Khamis came up with a big save in a one-on-one with the Glory forward.
The clutch Khamis save set the scene for Harrison to put the hosts in front with a free-kick struck off the post and in.
The Wanderers kept their lead intact until the sixth minute of added time when Miku Sunaga was fouled in the box by Khamis. Brown stepped forward and aimed her penalty to the top-right corner; Khamis got a glove on the ball but could only push it off the crossbar and in as Glory rescued a point in dramatic circumstances.
