Melbourne City’s 2025 came to a disappointing close on Sunday night, as Perth Glory left AAMI Park with all three points after a clinical performance.
The visitors made a blistering start to the contest, striking twice inside the opening 20 minutes and setting a platform City were unable to fully recover from. Despite a much-improved second-half showing and a late consolation goal through Andrew Nabbout, the early damage ultimately proved decisive in a 3-1 defeat.
Team News
With City taking to the pitch for the third time in just eight days, Aurelio Vidmar made two changes to his starting XI for the final fixture of the year. Andrew Nabbout and Kavian Rahmani both returned to the lineup, providing fresh attacking options after recent absences.
Elbasan Rashani was omitted from the matchday squad as a precaution, with the winger managing some soreness following City’s demanding run of fixtures across the festive period.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 4. Liam BONETIG, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 27. Kai TREWIN, 30. Andreas KUEN, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 47. Kavian RAHMANI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 33. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 35. Medin MEMETI, 37. Peter ANTONIOU, 38. Beckham BAKER, 39. Emin DURAKOVIC.
What happened?
Perth settled into the contest quickest, enjoying the majority of possession in the opening exchanges and registering the game’s first shots on goal. That early control was rewarded in the 10th minute, when Tom Lawrence found space inside the box and finished clinically to give the visitors an early lead.
City responded positively and came agonisingly close to an equaliser just six minutes later. Nabbout delivered a dangerous cross from the right that Rahmani nodded back into the path of Andreas Kuen, whose close-range effort was brilliantly turned away by Glory goalkeeper Matt Sutton.
Moments later, City threatened again on the counter, with Nabbout breaking forward and firing at goal, though his effort drifted wide of the target. At the other end, Beach was called into action to deny Glory a second, producing an excellent save to keep City within touching distance.
Unfortunately for City, the reprieve was only temporary. Lawrence struck again shortly after, capitalising on another attacking move to double Glory’s advantage and leave us facing an uphill battle before the half-hour mark.
City struggled to find rhythm for much of the remainder of the first half, with Perth looking sharper and more decisive in key moments. Kuen did create a promising opening late in the half, slipping Caputo through inside the box, but a last-ditch challenge denied City a vital goal heading into the break.
City emerged with renewed intent after halftime, enjoying more territory and registering the first several shots of the second period. Behich went close early, curling an effort just wide, as City looked to find a way back into the contest.
The pressure continued to build, with sustained possession and a series of attacking phases keeping Perth pinned deep. However, City were just unable to find the decisive final pass or clear shooting opportunity to convert that momentum into a goal.
Durakovic forced a strong save from Sutton in the 69th minute following neat interplay with Kuen, but again the breakthrough proved elusive. Against the run of play, Glory struck a decisive third in the 80th minute, with Lawrence completing his hat-trick to effectively seal the contest.
City continued to push right until the final whistle and were eventually rewarded in stoppage time. A mistake at the back from Glory allowed Durakovic to pressure Sutton, deflecting the ball into the path of Nabbout, who calmly finished into an empty net to pull one back. It ultimately proved little more than consolation.
What’s next?
City will now turn their attention to the new year, looking to put this result behind us and start 2026 on a positive note. Our next fixture sees us return to AAMI Park to host Sydney FC on Saturday 3 January. Click here to secure your tickets and get behind the boys as we begin the new year at home.
