Former Perth striker Lisa De Vanna has broken Glory hearts with a last-gasp winner for Brisbane Roar to secure a 1-0 victory at Perry Park.
The match looked set to be a 0-0 draw after the Glory continued to withhold the inaugural Westfield W-League champions’ pressure.
Substitute De Vanna had other ideas and scored past Tine Cederkvist with just one minute remaining on the clock to send the home fans into raptures.
The first half was end-to-end football with Aivi Luik going close several times for the Roar and Collette McCallum’s dangerous set-pieces continually proved a danger for Brisbane goalkeeper Casey Dumont.
The battle in the middle of the park was an arm wrestle all afternoon with no team really gaining the ascendency.
Perth Glory striker Sam Kerr (WAIS-AIS) was lively in the second half and her pace was too much for Brisbane’s defence, allowing the Westfield Matildas star through in the final third.
Kerr had one effort saved by Dumont, and the other was wide of the target.
Despite both teams having late chances to nab the three points, it was De Vanna that grabbed the headlines with the decisive strike against her former side.
To add to Perth’s woes, midfielder Jaymee Gibbons was stretchered off early in the second half in what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.
The Glory will now return to Perth tomorrow and begin a week of preparation for their next match against Newcastle Jets on Sunday 5 December at Inglewood’s 6PR Stadium.
– Football West
