Melbourne City’s Ninja A-League season came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday afternoon at ctrl:cyber Pitch, falling 3-2 on aggregate to Central Coast Mariners after a dramatic second leg of the Semi-Final.
With 120 minutes of high-stakes football producing no goals in front of a vocal home crowd, it looked destined to be decided by penalties—until a controversial late goal from the Mariners settled the tie in stoppage time of extra time.
Replays confirmed a clear offside in the buildup, but with no VAR in operation, the decision stood, and City’s quest for Grand Final glory was cruelly cut short.
Team News
Michael Matricciani made two key changes from the first leg in Gosford, reintroducing attacking stars Lourdes Bosch and Holly McNamara to the starting XI. McNamara had played a limited role last week due to a training niggle, while Bosch returned after sitting out with soreness.
There was also good news on the bench, with Mariana Speckmaier named for the first time in six weeks following her recovery from an ankle injury.
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, 12. Shelby McMAHON, 17. Mariana SPECKMAIER, 20. Caitlin KARIC, 27. Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC.
What happened?
An even opening period was disrupted by a lengthy delay following a heavy collision between Holly McNamara and Mariners goalkeeper Sarah Langman. Unfortunately, McNamara was unable to continue and was replaced by Shelby McMahon.
City’s troubles deepened just minutes later when Lourdes Bosch was shown a straight red card in the 25th minute, reducing Matricciani’s side to ten players for the majority of the contest.
Despite the setback, City held firm, even carving out opportunities, most notably through Bryleeh Henry, who went close after breaking in behind.
Higher up the pitch, the likes of Rebekah Stott and Leah Davidson put in a mountain of work and ensured Central Coast failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage.
In the second half, City’s resilience continued with limited clear-cut chances for either side.
Speckmaier’s introduction injected fresh energy, with the Venezuelan forward involved in several dangerous moments, but the breakthrough never came.
Extra time followed, and with penalties looming, Tyla-Jay Vlajnic whipped in a 100th-minute corner which found Speckmaier’s head—only for the attempt to drift wide.
Then, heartbreak. In the final seconds, a long ball over the top released Isabel Gomez, who slotted past Malena Mieres in the 121st minute.
Replays revealed Gomez was clearly offside, but the goal stood, and City’s domestic campaign came to an end under the most gut-wrenching of circumstances.
What’s next?
We will now turn our attention to the AFC Women’s Champions League, where a Semi-Final clash with Incheon Red Angels awaits in Wuhan, China on May 22.
Victory there would see City advance to the Final just days later, facing the winner of Wuhan Jianghan University and Ho Chi Minh City FC.
