Western Sydney Wanderers 1-3 Perth Glory
by Ben Gilby (31/10/25)
Above: Rola Badawiya (right) celebrates with Grace Johnston after scoring Perth Glory’s second goal tonight. Photo: Perth Glory.
Grace Johnston bagged two assists as Perth Glory opened the new A-League Women season with their first away win since 31st December 2023.
The Young Matilda was in sparkling form along the left throughout, not only linking with those around her in the middle of the park, and up front, but getting back to defend superbly when called upon.
Perth’s midfield and strikeforce this season has the potential to be hugely creative and dangerous when it clicks – and tonight they had a sharpness to them that was missing at times last season.
Among their crop of new arrivals, Wanderers gave an A-League Women return to Western Australian Poppie Hooks after three and a half years, playing against her former club. There was also a start for hugely talented 17-year-old Allysa Ng-Saad from the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba.
The Glory gave a start to emergency loan signing goalkeeper, Alyssa Dall’Oste, after Teresa Morrissey picked up a back injury at work, and Jess Skinner was sidelined with flu.
The competition’s 2025/26 curtain-raiser was delayed by over 75 minutes due to lightning strikes in the immediate area around Wanderers Football Park, but that didn’t seem to impact the home side too much, as they forced two corners in the opening three minutes.
Western Sydney’s attacks were largely centred along their right-hand side, with Holly Caspers and Tahlia Younis linking up well, which ensured that Grace Johnston was busy in the early encounters, and the young Western Australian was tidy and comfortable.
It was Ng-Saad who forced the first save of the night when her effort was held by Dall’Oste after being played in by two one-touch passes through the Perth midfield.
The visitors had their first sight of goal on 17 minutes when Susan Phonsongkham was brought down by Amy Harrison centrally 35 yards out. Captain Izzy Dalton fired in a high curler that didn’t quite dip quickly enough to trouble keeper Brianna Edwards.
Perth were looking to play a quick passing attacking game when the opportunity came to get forward – it’s a style that plays to the strengths of players such as Phonsongkham Johnston, and Tijan McKenna. If quality balls can be threaded through, then Rola Badawiya and Gabby Hollar will profit in front of goal.
Glory were building more possession the longer the half went on, and hit the front on 28 minutes. Johnston showed great footwork to escape down the left after being fed by a perfectly weighted pass from McKenna in the middle of the park.
She beat Younis and played a high ball in. Edwards was buffeted under heavy traffic amidst her own defender, Ella Buchanan, and Hollar challenging, with the Glory attacker turning the ball home, with the Wanderers’ subsequent protests being waved away by referee Isabella Mossin.
Western Sydney looked to hit back with Younis finding Ng-Saad, who controlled instantly with the outside of her boot before Onyi Zogg stepped in with a tackle. But it was another example of the huge potential that Ng-Saad has.
Immediately afterwards, Ena Harada fed Younis, who hit a first-time volley just over the top. Perth remained ahead at the break.
Johnston was at it again within two minutes of the second half kicking off. She received possession out on the left from Badawiya to deliver an on-the-money low ball into the box for Badawiya to fire home inside the box.
The two-goal lead lasted for less than three minutes as Buchanan turned home from close range after a monumental schoolyard-style goalmouth scramble following a corner on the left.
Yet, they don’t call this the Chaos League for nothing, and Badawiya beat Danika Matos on the left to deliver a perfectly weighted ball for an unmarked Hollar to head home from the middle of the box. It would be the American striker’s last impact of the night after leaving the pitch following a head knock.
With just under a quarter of an hour to play, Alana Cerne let fly for the Wanderers with an absolute rocket from 25 yards in a central position, but her former Western United teammate Dall’Oste pushed it over the bar with an excellent save.
Glory saw out the remainder of the game pretty comfortably. It was a professional display with strength at the back allied to the promise further up the pitch that they showed earlier.
Glory ending their long winless streak on the road will take the headlines, but Wanderers face a tough sequence of games in the opening weeks, but if they can keep their focus at the back and up the accuracy elsewhere, they have the potential to have a better campaign than last time round.
Teams: WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS (3-4-3): Edwards, Hooks, Buchanan, Cerne, Harada, Chessari, Matos, Ng-Saad, Younis, Harrison, Caspers. Substitutes: Bennett, Fazzari, Hall (GK), Khosaba, Price, Stajčić.
Scorers: Buchanan 51′.
PERTH GLORY (3-4-3): Dall’Oste, Chinnama, Zogg, Sardo, Dalton, Tovar, Johnston, McKenna, Badawiya, Hollar, Phonsongkham. Substitutes: Anderson, Lincoln, O’Donoghue, Phillips (GK), Trew, Wainwright.
Scorers: Hollar 28′, 52′, Badawiya 48′.
Referee: Isabella Mossin.
Attendance: 957.
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