Melbourne City left it late, but signed off the Ninja A-League regular season in style with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Newcastle Jets on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing early in the second half, City showed resilience to fight back, with Karly Roestbakken playing a decisive role with two assists. Aideen Keane levelled the scores before Danielle Turner popped up in stoppage time to head home her first goal for the Club and seal all three points.
Team News
A number of key absences forced Michael Matricciani into multiple changes to his starting XI for the trip to Newcastle.
Leah Davidson and Aideen Keane both returned to the lineup, while Melissa Barbieri was handed the gloves in goal. City were without a trio of young talents, with Alexia Apostolakis, Danella Butrus and Shelby McMahon away on international duty with the Young Matildas at the AFC U20 Asian Cup.
In attack, further changes were required with Holly McNamara (concussion) and Chinaza Uchendu (suspension) both unavailable, giving opportunities for others to step up in the final game of the regular season.
Starting XI: 23. Melissa BARBIERI (GK), 16. Karly ROESTBAKKEN, 13. Rebekah STOTT (C), 3. Danielle TURNER, 14. Laura HUGHES, 18. Leah DAVIDSON, 6. Leticia McKENNA, 22. Bryleeh HENRY, 21. Aideen KEANE, 11. Deven JACKSON.
Substitutes: 24. Malena MIERES (GK), 2. Ellie WILSON, 10. Izabella RAKO, 17. Kaya JUGOVIC, 19. Keira SARRIS, 26. Chelsea BIGGS.
What happened?
City controlled much of the early possession and looked the more composed side in the opening stages, although clear-cut chances were limited in a relatively quiet first 10 minutes.
The first real opportunity fell to the hosts in the 12th minute, but Barbieri reacted sharply to produce a strong reflex save and deny Melina Ayres from close range.
City came closest to breaking the deadlock midway through the first half when Leticia McKenna’s free kick crashed against the crossbar. The rebound fell kindly to Taylor Otto, but her header drifted narrowly wide with the goal at her mercy.
Both sides had moments in transition for the remainder of the half, but neither was able to create a decisive breakthrough, with the teams heading into the break locked at 0-0.
The deadlock was broken just minutes into the second half, with Ayres finding the back of the net to give Newcastle the lead and put City on the back foot.
The response from Matricciani’s side was steady rather than immediate, with both teams enjoying periods of possession as the contest remained finely balanced.
City came within inches of equalising in a frantic passage of play around the hour mark. Davidson’s deflected strike rattled the crossbar before Deven Jackson forced a corner moments later.
From the resulting set piece, Davidson rose highest to meet McKenna’s delivery, appearing to see her header bounce in off the underside of the bar, but the referee waved away strong appeals from the City players.
Undeterred, City continued to push forward and eventually found a deserved equaliser in the 72nd minute.
Roestbakken surged down the right and delivered a dangerous ball into the area, where Keane bravely attacked the cross and finished emphatically into the roof of the net.
With momentum now firmly on our side, City looked the more likely to find a winner as the match entered its closing stages. There were further appeals for a penalty late on when McKenna appeared to be brought down in the box, but once again, the referee was unmoved.
It ultimately proved inconsequential, as City delivered the decisive moment deep into stoppage time. In the seventh minute of added time, Roestbakken again provided the quality, swinging in a dangerous cross that the Newcastle goalkeeper failed to deal with, leaving Turner with a simple header to nod home and spark celebrations.
What’s next?
An extended break now awaits City following the conclusion of the regular season, with an international window and a week off during the opening round of Finals due to the team’s direct qualification to the Semi Finals.
City will return to action on the weekend of May 2 for the first leg of the Semi Final, where we will face the lowest-ranked Elimination Final winner as the push for Championship success begins.
