A Bruno Fornaroli double appears to have ended his old team Perth Glory’s already-faint finals hopes, as the former Perth star condemned the Glory to a 2-1 loss to Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.

The ex-Glory favourite, who departed last season following an early-season falling out with previous coach Ruben Zadkovich, struck either side of half-time to give his side a deserved three points.

Inferior for a full hour against the Victory, Perth were handed a lifeline they scarcely deserved when Daniel Bennie scored his first senior goal.

But despite pushing for an equaliser late, they failed to properly test Paul Izzo in goal, and the loss leaves them 10 points off the pace with five games to play.

The Victory did not look like a team who had won one from their past four games; far from lacking confidence, they looked refreshed by the previous weekend’s international break.

They took the lead in the 16th minute, as Fornaroli returned to haunt his old team with his 16th goal of the season when Daniel Arzani’s flick spilled into Zinedine Machach’s path.

The ball then fell to the ex-Glory forward, whose shot on the turn took a deflection and left Oli Sail wrong-footed.

Alen Stajcic’s preferred midfield pairing for the match was the ever-present Giordano Colli and auxiliary option Trent Ostler, but the double pivot found themselves comprehensively outplayed by the Victory’s midfield three.

Jake Brimmer, Ryan Teague and Machach played simple triangles between them as Melbourne made 180 passes in the Glory’s half in the opening 45 – almost double Perth’s 92 in the opposing half.

Arzani was Melbourne’s main outlet in attack, and the former prodigy looked threatening every time he touched the ball, including a nutmeg on Ostler on the edge of the area which led to a desperate clearance by Kaelen Majekodunmui.

The 2018 World Cup Socceroo almost teed up Fornaroli for his second of the game, but the striker bobbled his shot wide in a let-off for Perth – who failed to land a shot on target in the first-half.’

Melbourne picked up where they left off after the break as long-range efforts from Brimmer and Teague kept Sail on his toes, while substitute Jarrod Carluccio wasted a chance up the other end, heading over the bar after Adam Taggart’s shot was parried.

His miss was punished a minute later when Arzani and Fornaroli combined once more, the former’s inch-perfect cross flicked into the net off the head of the latter.

The game appeared headed towards an easy win for Melbourne, but Perth clawed their way back into the contest in the 61st minute thanks to some good work from Carluccio.

After his run cleared space for David Williams to receive, Carluccio continued his run and his fellow substitute slipped him a clever pass, before his hesitation allowed him to skirt Damien Da Silva’s challenge and pick out Bennie for a simple finish.

Fornaroli almost snared a hat-trick a few minutes later when he headed wide from a corner, as the Glory pressed for an equaliser.

As the clock ticked down, Arzani continued to loom ominously over proceedings for the Victory, while an excellent tackle by Adama Traore denied Glory substitute Joel Anasmo a sight on goal in the box.