Melbourne City FC W-League Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo has praised the collective contribution of his squad following their 2-1 win over Canberra United at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Jess Fishlock opened the scoring with a tremendous strike in the 20th minute, before Michelle Heyman equalised three minutes later. City’s dominance eventually prevailed with 10 minutes remaining when the Welsh international doubled her total and secured all three points for the home side.
Following the match, Kisnorbo commended the performance of his team and highlighted the importance of players earning a spot in the starting line-up.
“We created chances, we had full control of the game,” Kisnorbo said.
“I thought our back four was solid again today. There was a lot of contributors that played really well. The team showed a lot of resilience, their work rate was phenomenal and I’m very happy for them.
“Aivi [Luik] was fantastic today, she was brilliant. Kyah [Simon] did her job well. Unfortunately, you can only pick 11 players. If someone deserves to play, I’ll play them.”
The City boss was full of praise for Welsh maestro Jess Fishlock following her match-winning performance against last year’s Semi Finalists.
“I think she’s the best player in the W-League, if not the world. She is world-class,” he said.
“Players like herself sometimes get kicked, and that’s part of the game. I was happy she got up and scored the winner. She was fantastic today, as well as the whole team.”
Speaking after the game, Fishlock emphasized the importance of the strength of City’s depth.
“We have a very good squad,” Fishlock said.
“[On] our bench today were three very good players capable of coming on and changing the game.
“That’s what you need to win the W-League or to do what we’ve got to do. We don’t have a set XI; we have a very good squad of players and I think that was summed up by today.
“Rhali [Dobson] is playing, she goes off and we bring on [Larissa] Crummer. Kyah Simon goes off and we bring on Amy Jackson.
“These players are very good players and have won two W-Leagues [titles] with this team, yet they’re sitting on the bench ready to come on and make a difference. It’s a testament to our squad and their attitude to training and playing.”
City will now prepare to take on third-placed Brisbane Roar on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium, kick-off 4.30pm. See the match on Fox Sports 501 and SBS VICELAND.
