Melbourne City Head Coach Michael Matricciani was full of praise for his side’s resilience after opening the 2026/27 Ninja A-League Women’s season with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.
In a rematch of last season’s Grand Final, City overturned a second-half deficit thanks to a Melina Ayres penalty and a stunning late free kick from debutant Momo Hayashi, securing all three points in a thrilling season opener at HNRY Stadium.
Despite admitting his side rode its luck at times, Matricciani was delighted to begin the Club’s Premiership and Championship defence with a win.
“First and foremost what an excellent occasion,” he said. “It was a perfect day for football in this stadium, for me personally, it was the first time here. So it was really nice to coach in such a beautiful stadium with a lot of fans as well, which made a lot of noise.”
“I thought the atmosphere was top. First half we were under the pump and we rode our luck a little bit. I made a few adjustments second half and after [Wellington] scored, I think we sort of shifted a little bit and yeah, eventually got a couple of goals and I think it could have gone either way, but yeah, we’re definitely very pleased.”
With seven changes to the starting XI that featured in last season’s Grand Final, it was a new-look City side that took to the pitch in Wellington.
The hosts took the lead shortly after half-time through Makala Woods, before Ayres marked her return to City with an equaliser from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute.
It was then Hayashi who stole the headlines, producing a spectacular free kick in the 87th minute to seal a memorable comeback win on her City debut.
Beyond the result, Matricciani was encouraged by the performance of his refreshed squad, particularly given the significant turnover of players during the off-season.
With several members of last season’s double-winning side moving overseas, the Head Coach believes there is plenty more improvement to come as the new arrivals continue to settle into City’s system.
“I think to have so many core players over the last season move on to bigger and better things and majority in Europe, I think they [current squad] adapted really well,” he reflected. “I think we’re only going to get better and this is just the start for us.”
The win was made even more impressive by City’s defensive reshuffle, with captain Rebekah Stott and Karly Roestbakken both limited to 45 minutes, while Dan Turner missed the clash.
“Having Dan Turner [out] and Rebekah Stott only able to play 45 minutes, we had to have a bit of a makeshift back four, which definitely didn’t help our flow and rhythm and how we normally do things,” he explained.
“But that’s why we’ve got a squad and everyone needs to adapt, and sometimes we need to play different positions as well, and overall I’m super happy. Wellington is a well-coached, very good side and they’re going to be up there as well so it was a really good match.”
There were also plenty of positives for Matricciani in the performance of Matildas star Cortnee Vine, who made her first competitive appearance for City since arriving during the off-season.
Vine played the full 90 minutes and showed glimpses of her attacking quality, with Matricciani excited by what is still to come from the 28-year-old.
“Yeah, [she was] excellent. She had very interrupted last 12 to 18 months, so she’s going to take time. I think she’s at 50 or 60%… she’s got a lot more to go and a lot more to give,” Matricciani said.
“But, we’re supporting her and her gradual increase. I wasn’t expecting her to play 90, but she was saying she was fine and the data was not too bad, so we pushed her all the way to the end so really happy she got through the 90 minutes. And yeah, her, like others are only going to get better.”
While much of the attention has been on City’s exciting new signings, Matricciani was also quick to highlight the importance of the players who remained at the Club following last season’s success.
With the likes of Stott, Malena Mieres, Shelby McMahon, Aideen Keane and Deven Jackson continuing to play key roles, the Head Coach believes the foundations built over recent seasons will be crucial as the new squad develops.
“You hit the nail on the head. Most of the chat has been about new players. But when I think about Malena [Mieres], when I think about Rebekah Stott, Dan Turner obviously didn’t play today, Karly Roestbakken, Shelby McMahon, Aideen Keane, Deven Jackson all these players have helped instil the ideas of what we do in the one percenters off the pitch and that’s what makes us very successful.”
Despite acknowledging there is still plenty of work ahead, Matricciani was particularly pleased with his side’s ability to grind out a result in difficult circumstances.
“Today I didn’t really know what to expect and to be able to win in that manner. What I would say a little bit ugly, it was nice to still find a way to win, which is very positive.”
City will now turn its attention to another away fixture against Sydney FC on Sunday, before travelling to Uzbekistan to begin its AFC Women’s Champions League campaign.
