For the second consecutive season, Melbourne City has clinched the A-League Women’s Premiers Plate on the road in Perth, producing a dominant 5-1 win over Glory on Friday night.
An explosive start saw City race to a 2-0 lead inside six minutes, and while the hosts briefly responded from the penalty spot, City always looked in control, eventually sealing the win and capping off an undefeated regular season in style.
Team News
Michael Matricciani named an unchanged matchday squad from last weekend’s 4-1 win over Newcastle, backing the same starting XI and substitutes to get the job done in the west.
Starting XI: 24. Malena MIERES (GK), 8. Alexia APOSTOLAKIS, 13. Rebekah STOTT (C), 5. Taylor OTTO, 16. Karly ROESTBAKKEN, 14. Laura HUGHES, 18. Leah DAVIDSON, 6. Leticia McKENNA, 22. Bryleeh HENRY, 19. Lourdes BOSCH, 9. Holly McNAMARA.
Substitutes: 23. Melissa BARBIERI (GK), 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 11. Emilia MURRAY, 12. Shelby McMAHON, 27. Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC.
What happened?
City came flying out of the blocks with two goals in the opening six minutes to set the tone early.
Taylor Otto opened the scoring with a towering header from an Alexia Apostolakis corner before the pressure quickly mounted again. Perth failed to clear their lines, allowing Lourdes Bosch to pounce, with the ball falling kindly for Bryleeh Henry to double the advantage.
Perth clawed one back from the penalty spot just five minutes later after Rebekah Stott was penalised for a handball on the line—earning her first yellow card in nearly 150 A-League Women appearances.
Despite getting close, Malena Mieres couldn’t keep out Susan Phonsongkham’s spot-kick.
City regained control through composed midfield play from Laura Hughes and Leticia McKenna, and it wasn’t long before Otto struck again. Another Apostolakis corner found Otto at the near post, who once again made no mistake with the header to make it 3-1.
The goal of the night came in the 40th minute, capping off a breathtaking team move. A slick sequence involving five players finished with McKenna threading a perfect pass through to Holly McNamara, who slotted home her 15th of the season with class.
While the second half didn’t bring the same chaos, City remained firmly in control.
Mieres came up with two crucial early saves to keep the three-goal buffer intact, before McKenna added the finishing touch in the 68th minute with a stunning free kick lashed into the top corner from distance.
With the result sealed, Matricciani was able to give minutes to his entire bench, managing workloads ahead of what’s still to come.
What’s next?
Following the celebrations, City will enjoy a week off as we sit out the first week of Finals.
Focus will soon shift to a two-legged Semi-Final, as we aim to book a home Grand Final at AAMI Park and chase more silverware.
