Perth Glory recovered from a debatable send-off and a horror penalty decision to erase a two-goal deficit and draw 2-2 with Melbourne Victory in Sunday night's A-League clash at Docklands.
The result helped the Glory to fourth on the table, while the Victory were left with just one win from seven games so far this season to remain outside the top six.
Ten-man Perth was down 2-0 until a magnificent free kick from Andrezinho in the 71st minute and a clinical Shane Smeltz header in the 87th delivered the visitors a point, which was the least they deserved.
Referee Chris Beath's first-half dismissal of midfielder Liam Miller, for bringing down in-form Victory striker Archie Thompson from behind as he was headed for the penalty area, was arguable.
But the 52nd-minute penalty against Bas Van den Brink, who clearly got the ball in a well-executed penalty area tackle on Thompson, was plain wrong.
Costa Rican international Carlos Hernandez converted from the spot.
Six minutes later Melbourne striker Danny Allsopp slotted home a simple goal-mouth finish after Rody Vargas had headed a corner kick to his feet, leaving the 10-man Glory seemingly with no hope.
But they showed enormous character.
Brazilian Andrezinho's 25m left-foot free kick, which rocketed into the top right corner of the net, sparked their comeback hopes.
They levelled when Todd Howarth delivered an excellent cross from the left flank to the far post, where New Zealander Smeltz coasted in to the far post and finished expertly.
Glory coach Ian Ferguson said the club might appeal the Miller send-off although it would need to take a closer look.
But he was in no doubt the penalty was incorrect and said Football Federation Australia should review that blunder by Beath.
"I'd like something done, to be honest with you," Ferguson said.
"Without jumping all over anybody, let's be calm about it and let FFA do what they've got to do and look at it.
"At the end of the day, it's our livelihoods.
"It could cost you games, it could cost you points, it could cost me my job, especially crazy decisions like we've seen today."
Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic struggled to explain another unconvincing performance from a side that started the season with huge expectations.
"Unfortunately things aren't going our way at the moment, that's the honest truth," he said.
"We're a big club and we need to be getting points at home.
"I'm disappointed, like the players and like the fans out there."
Perth had looked more dangerous from the start, the Victory's only truly threatening move in the first 35 minutes being a long-range Hernandez free kick in the seventh, which swerved sharply, but did not quite make it inside the right post.
The Glory troubled the Victory defence in the air and went close to scoring several times in the first 20 minutes, including an Adam Hughes header which bounced off the crossbar.
The game changed, though, in the 37th minute when Thompson weaved past Perth's Joshua Risdon and towards the open penalty area, with Van den Brink chasing desperately from his side and Miller from behind.
A lunging Miller tackle brought Thompson down just outside the area, resulting in a red card for the midfielder, who had been a key player to that point.
Melbourne Victory: 2 (C Hernandez 52', D Allsopp 57')
Perth Glory: 2 (Andrezinho 70', S Smeltz 86')
AAP
Tags: sport, a-league, soccer, melbourne-3000, vic, perth-6000, wa, australia First posted November 20, 2011 19:10:28
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