CAMPBELLTOWN, Australia (Interstat) — Macarthur FC scored twice after conceding in the second half and beat Perth Glory 2-1 on Saturday, turning a tight contest with a late finish at home. Perth had taken the lead through Tom Lawrence in the 59th minute, but Macarthur responded and found the winner when Jonathan Aspropotamitis scored in the 89th. The result left Perth at 0-1 in the competition and 0-2 across all competitions, while Macarthur moved to 1-0 in both. Perth entered the match after a 3-1 loss to Adelaide United in its previous result this season, and the visitors could not protect their second-half advantage.

The first half produced no goals, with the main developments coming from yellow cards to Perth’s A. Lebib in the 21st minute and Macarthur’s L. Rose in the 36th. Macarthur made its first changes early in the second half, bringing on C. Pain and L. Vickery in the 55th minute after Perth had introduced H. Hore in the 52nd. Perth then broke through when Lawrence scored in the 59th minute. Macarthur trailed after the goal before mounting its reply, and the goal gave Perth a lead that lasted until Macarthur’s late surge.

Aspropotamitis played the full 90 minutes and scored once for Macarthur. Ryan Fraser was productive in limited time, recording a goal and an assist in 35 minutes. Lawrence scored in 63 minutes of action for Perth before being substituted, and William Freney provided an assist while playing 73 minutes. The contributions from Fraser and Aspropotamitis proved decisive as Macarthur completed the comeback after Perth’s opener. Macarthur’s pressure increased after the hour mark, and the home side found the late goal it needed through Aspropotamitis.

Perth made more changes after taking the lead, introducing S. Colakovski and removing Lawrence in the 63rd minute. Macarthur brought on A. Stamatelopoulos in the 64th. The match grew increasingly physical, with yellow cards issued to Macarthur’s B. Gibson in the 70th and Macarthur’s D. Bosnjak in the 90th minute plus five. Both sides made further changes in the 73rd, when Perth sent on W. Freney and S. Despotovski and Macarthur introduced O. Randazzo and removed B. Gibson. Despite the bookings and a series of changes, Macarthur maintained enough control to secure the win.

The substitutions gave both teams fresh legs during a tense second half, with Macarthur using Pain, Vickery, Stamatelopoulos and Randazzo and Perth turning to Hore, Colakovski, Freney and Despotovski. The game remained tight until the closing stages, and Aspropotamitis’s late goal left Perth with little time to respond. Bosnjak’s yellow card in the 90th minute plus five marked the final notable action. The final whistle followed shortly afterward.

Macarthur’s response came before Aspropotamitis struck late, and the home side held on through stoppage time. Perth could not generate a response in the closing minutes after Aspropotamitis’s 89th-minute goal. The late adjustments set up a stretched finish, and Macarthur found the decisive moment through Aspropotamitis. The home side’s record in the competition stayed perfect, while Perth remained without a win in the league and across all competitions. Perth’s season record in the competition is now 0-1, and its record across all competitions is 0-2. Macarthur’s season record in the competition is 1-0, and its record across all competitions is also 1-0.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Macarthur FC 3, Perth Glory 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Macarthur an 89.6 percent probability to win. Macarthur had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5, and the total score of 3 went under the over-under line of 2.75.