Perth Glory reach Australia Cup round-of-32 with win over Brisbane Roar

Having made last year’s Australia Cup final, Brisbane Roar’s hopes of another good run in the knockout competition have come unstuck in Darwin.

Perth’s Jarrod Carluccio (left) and Brisbane’s Ben Halloran battle for possession during the Glory’s 4-2 win in Darwin. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Brisbane Roar’s hopes of another deep Australia Cup run have been dashed, with last year’s beaten finalists failing to qualify for the main draw of the 2024 knockout competition.

Forced to battle for a round-of-32 Cup berth in a playoff after finishing in the A-League’s bottom four last season, the Roar were beaten 4-2 by Perth Glory in Darwin on Tuesday night.

Brisbane went ahead in the 16th minute courtesy of a sweet right-footed finish from Australian under-23 international Keegan Jelacic.

However, there was no denying the superiority of Perth – last season’s A-League wooden spooners – under the guidance of new coach David Zdrilic.

Perth’s Abdelelah Faisal (right) scored twice in the Glory’s 4-2 win over Brisbane. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

The Glory didn’t drop their heads and were rewarded with a deserved equaliser in the 38th minute when veteran attacker David Williams netted from close range.

Things were to get progressively worse for Brisbane after half-time, with left-back Corey Brown sent off in the 51st minute after using his arm to stop a goal-bound strike.

Abdelelah Faisal converted the subsequent penalty to give Perth the lead, with the midfielder’s second goal three minutes later increasing the Glory’s advantage to 3-1.

Substitute Nathanael Blair put the game to bed in the 65th minute with Perth’s fourth goal.

Ex-Glory forward Adam Zimarino netted a late consolation for the Roar but it was too little, too late for the Queenslanders.