Stats show Riera is getting back to his lethal best following another goal against Adelaide

Oriol Riera appears to have found his shooting boots again as Western Sydney Wanderers drew 2-2 with Adelaide United on a scorching Wednesday night in the Hyundai A-League.

The Spaniard registered four shots on target tonight, the equal-most in his Wanderers career. The last time he registered such a stat was in Round 20 of the 2017/18 Season against Newcastle Jets.

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Riera got things rolling in first-half injury-time, following up his missed penalty to give the visitors the lead.

Nathan Konstandopoulos brought down Tarek Elrich in the box, presenting Riera with the penalty. But a second-half Nikola Mileusnic brace — in the space of seven minutes, no less! — gave Adelaide the lead. 

Bruce Kamau’s strike in the 61st minute, one minute after Jordan Elsey’s second yellow card, meant both sides would share the spoils in a result that helps neither side. 

The 2018/19 Season has been a checkered one for Riera who, by his own high standards, hasn’t been pushing the benchmark he set last campaign. 

In the 2017/18 Season, Riera notched 15 goals and one assist in 25 games during a tumultuous time for the Red and Black. This time around, with some reinforcements brought in by Markus Babbel, Riera has five goals in nine games.

At this rate, the 32-year-old won’t hit the same heights as his debut campaign, but don’t let the numbers tell the whole narrative. 

Riera has let fly 36 shots on goal this year, with 20 of those forcing a save from opposition keepers. With just over 55% of his shots being on target, a reduction in profligacy could see Riera’s conversion rate sky-rocket. 

With all that in mind, it seems only a matter of time before Riera gets back to his lethal best and wreaks havoc on opposition defenders.