McBreen brace sinks Mariners
A first-half brace from Perth striker Daniel McBreen has seen the Glory cast Central Coast out of the Hyundai A-League finals for the first time through a solid 3-1 victory at ME Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Although an injury-hit Glory looked slightly vulnerable heading into the encounter, McBreen helped ease some of the worries within the first minute as he fired home past Danny Vukovic.
McBreen doubled the tally in the 11th minute and despite Central Coast gaining control of possession, Andrija Jukic flicked in the third just before the break.
Adam Kwasnik pulled one back within four minutes of the re-start but Central Coast struggled to hit the target from there on as the Mariners lost just their second game to the Glory since the new competition began.
Perth's third win in a row sees Lawrie McKinna's men lose any mathematical chance of making the finals this season with two games remaining.
But Brisbane's surprise win over Sydney on Saturday night means the fourth-placed Glory are not assured of making the play-offs just yet.
Perth may be six points clear of the Roar with a substantially better goal difference, but the Brisbane side can't quite be counted out as it plays Perth in the final round.
Meanwhile, Sydney has cruised to a comfortable 2-1 victory over the Brisbane Roar in a wet National Youth League clash at Ballymore stadium.
Brisbane came into the game in second-last place on the ladder and from the outset looked outmatched by its southern rivals.
Sydney scored its goals early in both halves, through Justin Hayward and Iain Ramsay, and the three points never looked in danger, despite a last-minute goal to the Roar courtesy of Tim Smits.