Ten-man Perth SC scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to rescue a point against Western Knights at Dorrien Gardens on Friday night to keep the Azzurri’s unbeaten start to the NPLM season.
Right back Josh Cala scored the equaliser in the third minute of added time after striker Gordon Perkins brought the Azzurri back into the game with a great solo run and strike in the 83rd minute.
All this occurred after Perth SC substitute Sean O’Connor was sent off in the 75th minute for what seemed to be an off the ball incident with Knights player Kristian Santich, which was spotted by the Assistant Referee.
Santich, a former Azzurri player who was a part of the highly successful Ramon Falzon era at Perth SC, haunted his old club all night and put in a man-of-the-match performance at one of his favourite grounds.
He picked young defender Luca Hirninger’s pocket and fired under Azzurri keeper Mark Birighitti to equalise for the visitors in the 39th minute after Ethan Banks had given Perth SC the lead in the 22nd minute.
Santich then put the Knights in front 10 minutes after the break with a stunning free-kick from the just outside the left corner of the penalty box. With the Azzurri defence set-up for a cross into the box, Santich drove the ball into the top right corner of Birighitti’s net.
The Knights doubled their lead 12 minutes later when midfielder Jesse Lazzaro scored from the penalty spot. Lazzaro had won the penalty when his cut back on the right hit the arm of a sliding Hirninger.
It was looking like certain defeat for the Azzurri, particularly after O’Connor’s dismissal. But Perkins made something out of nothing to drag Perth SC back into the game.
Collecting a loose ball in the front third, he ran at the Knights’ defence and went around one defender before firing a low shot from outside the box which snuck inside Sam Reilly’s left post.
The Knights were then punished for putting the cue in the rack early. The visitors’ defence failed to deal with a long, hopeful ball from David Ninkovich on the right, and Cala pounced with a right-footed volley just outside the six-yard box to secure a valuable point.
Perth SC now have 15 points from seven games and remain in fourth spot on the NPLM ladder. The Azzurri travel to Alfred Skeet Reserve next Saturday to take on Armadale SC.