Perth Glory's Asian Champions League debut spoiled by late Tokyo goal

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:16 am

Perth Glory were undone by a slice of late Brazilian magic in their 1-0 Asian Champions League loss to FC Tokyo in Japan.

Glory were on track to secure a draw in their ACL debut on Tuesday night after putting in a brave defensive effort, but Leandro broke their hearts in the 82nd minute when he unleashed a beautiful dipping strike from outside the box.

Goalkeeper Liam Reddy's dive was in vain as the curling ball lobbed over him and hit the net.

Glory's defence had held firm up until that stage, with the back three of Tomi Mrcela, Alex Grant and Gregory Wuthrich particularly impressive. FC Tokyo only had two shots on target for the match, with many of their forays forward brought undone by Glory's resolute rearguard action.

All in all it was a brave effort from Glory, who had to deal with the distraction of the potential sale of the club leading into the match.

Perth owner Tony Sage held talks with London Football Exchange over the weekend, but he is yet to announce whether he will sell an 80 per cent share of Glory to the bitcoin company.

"I think sometimes in football as a coach you can walk off the field and accept that the other team is better," Glory coach Tony Popovic said. "But I think tonight that's not the case. Tonight we deserved more from the game."

Perth Glory show dejection after their AFC Champions League loss to FC Tokyo
Perth Glory show dejection after their AFC Champions League loss to FC Tokyo
Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Glory welcomed back skipper Diego Castro from injury for his ACL debut, with coach Tony Popovic having decided to leave in-form striker Nicholas D'Agostino on the bench until the 73rd minute.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between in the opening half.

Leandro and compatriots Adailton and Diego Oliveira looked dangerous for the home side, but Glory's steadfast defence scrambled well.

Glory had two good chances in the second half. Bruno Fornaroli produced a nice strike that sailed just wide of the goal and defender Ivan Franjic should have done better with his 77th-minute volley after a perfect lob from Diego Castro.

Franjic was just metres from goal, but he mistimed his strike and it skewed to the side. Glory's next ACL fixture is an away match against Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai FC on March 4.