Propelled by a brace from Holly McNamara and a second-half blast from Leticia McKenna, City eased to a 3-1 victory over Wellington in Saturday’s grand final at AAMI Park – winning their first title since they won the 2020 decider with Vidošić in the dugout and the likes of Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter, Emily van Egmond on the park.

The changing face of the A-League Women meant that this Galácticos unit dispersed overseas in the years that followed, leaving the club to re-tool its women’s program with young talent such as McNamara, McKenna, and Leah Davidson as it adjusted to the new era.

Vidošić was entrusted with overseeing this generational changeover, and a seventh-place finish in 2020-21 was followed by a return to the finals the following campaign before he was then moved into the men’s program on the eve of the 2022-23 campaign, with his son Dario taking over.

Parting ways with City’s men’s side two weeks into the 2023-24 season, Vidošić passed away from cancer in January of this year — his last job in football working in the women’s program led by Dario at WSL side Brighton and Hove Albion.

And in the wake of Saturday’s grand final, McNamara, now a Matilda, reflected on the impact the coach, who gave her a professional debut in 2021, had on her career.

“Looking back, it’s my fifth year here now, and a lot of the girls were in the same boat when Rado kind of brought us in,” said the attacker. “He nurtured us a lot.

“I was reflecting a bit on that today, Bubs [Melissa Barbieri] and I had a little conversation about that, [on] Rado and kind of everything that he did for us. And that [grand final win] was kind of for him today.

“He helped us a lot, that’s where the kind of winning mentality came from.”

Signed from Perth Glory for the 2021-22 season, McKenna made her City debut under Vidošić and, by the end of her first campaign, was entrusted with starting both of her side’s finals matches. Like McNamara, the 23-year-old has gone on to become an Australian international in the years since.

“When you had that first Zoom call with him, I can still remember parts of the conversation, and just how excited I was to be under him and work with him,” McKenna said.

“I’ve learned so much, and still to this day, some of those things he would shout out to me are still back in my head. I’m like, “Oh, yep, got to get into the pocket’ kind of thing.

“He had left a massive legacy on us girls. and past girls [at the club] as well. We were able to hopefully play for him. Like Holly said, she did it for him today.”

For skipper Rebekah Stott, who was also a key part of the all-conquering City sides before the general change, Vidošić played a different role.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in early 2021, Vidošić helped the Kiwi return to football following her treatment, a process he described as being “the highlight of my coaching career.”

“Rado was so special for this club and for this team, especially,” Stott reflected post-game. “To have his input, and to have a lot of players who have been coached by him in the squad... he had a massive impact on us. We miss him a lot.”

Powered by a first-half brace from Holly McNamara and a second-half strike from Leticia McKenna, City eased to a fifth title in their history at AAMI Park on Saturday evening, with Makala Woods 52nd minute strike to bring it back to 3-1 ensuring that the Kiwi side wouldn’t fire a blank in their first-ever appearance in the decider.

For City, it sealed them a record-equalling fifth title, as well as matching Sydney FC’s overall trophy mark of ten, and gave them a jolt of momentum as they continue their pursuit of an unprecedented treble in an AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal with Tokyo Verdy Beleza on Wednesday evening.

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For the Phoenix, however, the disappointment of the result was only made possible by what had been a historically successful season preceding it: the club finishing second and reaching finals football for the first time under new coach Bev Priestman, all the while fielding the league’s best attack and best defence.

“It doesn’t define our season,” Priestman said post-game. “I think that’s the most important thing. We, the players and staff, have to hold our heads high. City have been here, they’ve lost some finals, and you bottle this up, and you come back stronger next year.”

With City able to jump on the Phoenix in the first-half and maneuver to a three-goal lead before her side could fire a shot in response, Priestman acknowledged that the sense of occasion may have played into a tepid opening, combined with a hangover from a 120-minute performance against Brisbane Roar in the prior week’s semifinal.

The victors, of course, were looking to exorcise the demons of back-to-back seasons in which they had won the Premiers’ Plate only to fail to lift the championship, falling 1-0 to Sydney FC in the 2024 final. But after Saturday, the coach was clear that this was a well of motivation that the Phoenix could now tap into, too.

“I’ve seen people be at their best when they’re hungry,” she said. “This leaves a little bit on us. And in many ways, it might help us next year to push to another level. I’ve got an ambitious club.

“I’m at my best in these moments; the hunger, the desire to push forward. I think everybody will channel that now. When we turn up in preseason, we’ll all know what could have been.

“What you learn about people in difficult moments is those who then grab it by the scruff of the neck and push forward. I’ve got a very dedicated, humble group of players who all wanted the best for the club that they put the shirt on. It wasn’t through a lack of effort; it was just on the day we weren’t at our best, and that’s finals football.

“[Defeats such as Saturday’s are] where you find another level in yourself. I had this occasion at this World Cup [a 4-0 loss to the Matildas at AAMI Park that eliminated Canada from the 2023 Women’s World Cup], but then after that, you go on a 15-game unbeaten run. Because you find another level in yourself, you ask yourself hard questions, and you push again.

“These are the moments that make players and make clubs, depending on how you respond. How you respond in life is the biggest thing. I’ve got no doubt that the dressing room will respond in the right way and push on, and we’re moving forward. People have got to come with us when we’re moving forward, and we’ll be better next season for this moment.”

Helping the Phoenix in their ambitions of going one better next season is that, heading into an offseason in which uncertainty over next year’s collective bargaining agreement will severely hamper the team’s ability to sign players, they have a large chunk of players already under contract.

One of the few sides in the competition that spend right up to the salary cap, the Phoenix already have 12 players inked to deals for the coming season, with the likes of Nepalese attacker Samba and CJ Bott set to bolster the squad when they return from an ACL injury and pregnancy, respectively.

“The players coming back, it’s nice to know that,” said Priestman. “They can, they can bottle this up, and then you inject a little bit of energy or maybe some added quality into the group. We’ve got that ability to do that.

“At this moment in time, [we don’t] have a lot to recruit. We’ve, we’ve got quite a lot of players on contract. I think every single player, if they had the choice tonight, will be back next season. There’s a real, true love in the [dressing] room; it’s a tight-knit group.

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“The group have a great time every single day, and they push each other, and I think every player has got better this season from each other pushing each other. So I hope to see a lot back, but there will be some new players coming in and injecting something different as well.”

And the success of the Phoenix this season, Priestman anticipates, will help with that.

“You sign one player, and everyone comes knocking on your door,” she said. “The biggest thing I’ve seen is Australian players [are] wanting to come and play in Wellington. I think that is rare. There’s some interest from Australian players to come and play at this club, and I would say that that’s been difficult previously for this team.

“That speaks volumes as well to what this club is providing for a player who maybe wants to go on and play for the national team or go on to bigger and better things, which again I’m super proud to work for this club.”

With their fifth title, City has now drawn level with Sydney FC for the most in league history, with their ten overall trophies also matching the Sky Blues. At the conclusion of their first decade in the A-League Women, however, no club can approach City’s claim of winning an average of one trophy a season.

On an individual level, a group built for a new era of the A-League Women, emphasising the development of new stars rather than their recruitment, has added a signature championship that has eluded them, while their skipper, Rebekah Stott, now has a sixth A-League Women title to her name — the most of any player in the league’s history. The Kiwi defender’s legacy, already unimpeachable, has become even more legendary.

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Alas, the champagne will need to be kept on ice for now. Rather than going home tonight, City’s players will attend a short function at AAMI Park before getting on a bus to a hotel by Melbourne Airport, one that will allow them to get something of a decent night’s sleep before they’re on a flight to Suwon at 7.30 tomorrow morning for their AFC Women’s Champions League clash with Tokyo Verdy Beleza on Wednesday evening. Win that, and they’ll get a chance to take on Naegohyang or Suwon in Saturday’s final to complete what would be the most successful treble in Australian football history.

How did they get here? With just under five minutes remaining in the opening stanza, City having had the best of the game to that point without landing a telling blow, McNamara found herself in space outside the penalty area and on a decent angle. The safe thing to do, the smart thing to do, would have been to look for Bryleeh Henry’s run to the back post, or Leah Davidson, who was making a run to the top of the six-yard box. But players of McNamara’s calibre don’t operate with the same kind of rules as most. So, instead, with an almost casual ease, she swivelled and lofted a perfectly weighted chip over the head of Victoria Esson to put her side ahead.

But she wasn’t done. Far from it. Moments later, Shelby McMahon was winning the ball in the midfield, turning one opponent and then, before she was converged upon, lacing a pass behind the Phoenix’s line for the striker’s perfectly-timed run. Subtlety wasn’t required here, and neither was it provided; McNamara simply marched into the penalty area and rifled a shot across Esson to make it two goals in three minutes.

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If this was to be McNamara’s last game in the A-League Women, and there’s been plenty of speculation that the time is now for her to move overseas and test herself at a higher level, then this was the kind of performance she would have wanted to sign off with. That, in fact, goes for several members of this City side, the likes of Laura Hughes, Leticia McKenna, Leah Davidson, and more, all anticipated to draw overseas interest either as free agents or in the transfer market.

Seemingly not having learned their lesson from the amount of time and space they afforded McNamara for her first, the Phoenix defence gave McKenna a moment of her own when they allowed her to get into the act in the 49th minute – watching on as the newly-capped Matilda looked up, found herself in space and lasered a left-footed effort into the top corner.

Makala Woods’ remarkable goalscoring exploits continued when she dragged one back for the visitors just three minutes later, sparking a period in which Bev Priestman’s side took control of the contest and created a series of really good chances. But when City wasn’t able to scramble the danger clear, then Malena Mieres proved up to the task of denying them. And eventually, the sting of this attempted comeback went out of the Phoenix, as City re-established themselves over the contest as time wore on.

Basing themselves out of the Home of the Matildas after jetting into Melbourne on Wednesday, the Phoenix quickly got to work shedding any hangover from their extra-time semifinal win over Brisbane last Sunday – their coach declaring that every member of the travelling squad was fit and ready for selection when she fronted media on Thursday afternoon.

Getting back amongst ‘her people’ after a year-long FIFA suspension – a ban which almost certainly was the only reason a coach of her calibre became available to the club – Priestman led the Wahinix to the best season in their short history in 2025-26, making finals for the first time after recording a second-placed finish, all the while fielding simultaneously the league’s most high-scoring attack and miserly defence.

This was managed despite Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari, Tessel Middag, and Alyssa Whinham all being lost to ACL injuries throughout the campaign, as well as skipper CJ Bott stepping back from her playing commitments seven games in after announcing her pregnancy. In their places, others have emerged; Makala Woods, signed as an injury-replacement player for Middag, scoring at a rate of a goal every other game, including the brace that defeated the Roar, while Mackenzie Barry, Grace Jale, 17-year-old Pia Vlok, and Brooke Nunn all named as starters in the PFA’s Team of the Season, with Victoria Esson and Marisa Van Der Meer on the bench.

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Taken together, it feels like the Phoenix have caught lightning in a bottle this season. And Priestman, who is very familiar with the soaring highs and the crushing lows that can accompany football, recognises the importance of capitalising on it.

“Yeah, big time. I’ve got no doubt what it means to [City], too, right? To do the premiership and then do this. So I won’t take away what I think they’ve got in front of them,” said Priestman. “But absolutely, we have to leave everything out there. No regrets.

“We’re in a moment where this dressing room, this group of staff, everyone will never be in the same room again. And you have to grab that, because there’s something special bubbling away there. I can see it. I can feel it on the bus. I’ve felt it all season. And when you have that, you just want to wrap that bubble up.

“I think this group of players now have to give it everything, because, well, you might never get this moment back. You might never, and I think in those moments, it’s the team that takes it, and we’ve got to take it.”

For City, the stakes of Saturday’s final are obvious. Though now having won three straight A-League Women premierships, a title has eluded this group over the past two seasons and, with several key members of their squad reaching the point where overseas moves beckon, Saturday could prove the last opportunity for them to seal their dominant era with a championship. At the same time, however, the morning after their clash with the ‘Nix will see them jump on a plane to South Korea for an AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal against Tokyo Verdy Beleza on Wednesday, with the winner of that game to then play either North Korean outfit Naegohyang Women’s FC or hosts Suwon FC in the final on Saturday.

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Not only would victory in that game secure City an Asian crown, but it would also earn them passage to the next FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and, combined with their appearance in last year’s final, go a long way towards pressing their claim to be one of Asia’s representatives at the first staging of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. In addition, with a minimum of USD $1.3m prize money going to the winners of the tournament, effectively all of City’s players would also stand to gain more than their entire annual A-League Women’s salaries in bonus fees with a win.

So, unlike the Phoenix, City can’t play like there’s no tomorrow because they know there’s at least one, and they’ll hope for two huge games to go. For coach Michael Matricciani, though, his side is ready and has done the work to meet that challenge.

“To get to this point, the planning has happened all the way back in August last year,” he said. “[We mapped] out our fitness plan, how we periodize, and how we continue to stay fresh, but continue to improve the fitness and the sharpness of players.

JDL Media

Shelby McMahon, a prodigy for the big occasions

Some players will go their entire careers hoping to score a goal that will linger long in the memory. And, cruelly, most will never actually get to experience such a moment. Melbourne City prodigy Shelby McMahon, though, isn’t most footballers; given that the teenager has scored almost half a dozen such goals before her 18th birthday…

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a month ago · Joseph Lynch

“One of the benefits of having a four-week break [ahead of finals], even though you don’t like that with the international break and having the week off, meant we were able to deload some players that needed it and freshen them up, and then other players that needed a bit more work. We were able to do a sort of mini pre-season and play a couple of trial games. Then we had the two legs against Melbourne Victory, which were really hard, tough, 90-minute matches.

“All the work that we’ve done has led us to this point. Do we need to win [the grand final] in 90? We’d like to, but if it goes to 120, we’ve more than prepared for the players’ load for that.

“Then it is going to be difficult, because we do leave, we need to be at the airport at 5 am on Sunday, and then we don’t arrive in South Korea till about two or three o’clock in the morning the next day. So it’s going to be a tough trip to get the players up.

“But adrenaline in these types of matches means absolutely everything. So once we step on the pitch, then the adrenaline takes over, and you just don’t stop till the final whistle.”

Setting up behind Melbourne Victory’s attempt to head clear at the top of the box and stinging a wicked half-volleyed effort into the net, McMahon provided the pivotal strike in City’s 2-0 aggregate semifinal win over City’s derby foes on Saturday, combining with Leticia McKenna’s free kick from the first leg to put the tie to bed. Going some way towards exorcising the demons of a heartbreaking semifinal loss at Casey Fields a year ago by sending them through to the decider, the sweetly taken attempt and the stakes involved not only belied the 17-year-old’s tender age but also kept her side’s quest for a historic treble alive.

Not bad. And that’s even before one remembers that this goal was just the latest in a string of efforts in which McMahon has delivered on the biggest stage for City.

On the final day of the 2023-24 A-League Women season, the then-15-year-old popped up in the 89th-minute to score the goal that secured a 2-1 win over Perth Glory and, with it, the first of what would become three-straight premierships for City.

A year on, the now-16-year-old midfielder became the hero of her side’s AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final against Incheon Red Angels when she wound up from 25-yards out and thundered a 94th-minute effort into the top corner to deliver a 1-0 win. She then followed that up by putting her side up in the final against Wuhan Jiangda and, when the Chinese outfit forced penalties, slotted the first spot kick – forced to watch on as Zhao Yuxin sealed victory for the hosts five attempts later.

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The trend seems pretty obvious. When City needs a goal in the big games, McMahon is one of their better bets.

“I find the biggest game is the funnest,” the teenager says. “The pressure’s on. Our confidence comes from preparing, and we prepare for big games. So that’s just my mentality going in. I just love them; they’re my favourite games. So I guess come alive in them.

“There’s no point putting pressure on extra games, because if I play the way I want to, and we play as a team, then it’s just another game, and we’ve got to get the result either way. So that’s how I feel about it.”

This Saturday, of course, marks another big game; City hosting Wellington in the A-League Women grand final and, after two years of disappointment, looking to complete the A-League Women double – before their thoughts turn to a potential treble when they fly to Suwon for the final four of this year’s Champions League.

Given their age profile and the point they’re at in their careers, it’s anticipated, albeit not confirmed, that players such as Holly McNamara, Leah Davidson, and Laura Hughes will be playing their final A-League Women's games, with overseas opportunities beckoning either as free agents or in the transfer market. And in much the same way the door was opened for this cohort when City’s galacticos departed following the 2020 decider, this would ostensibly clear the way for the likes of McMahon, Alexia Apostolakis, and Dani Butrus to emerge as the new torchbearers.

The Queenslander – recruited to City from the Gold Coast Knights – has always been earmarked for big things at the club, right down to when then-coach Dario Vidošić excitedly remarked that she was the best trialist he’d ever seen shortly before she signed as an injury replacement player for McNamara in 2024. The youngest player in City history to log 50 games, she’s literally grown up at Casey Fields – training staff at one point needing to shut her down simply because she was growing so fast they needed to manage her physical loads – and represented Australia at both a U17 and U20 level along the way.

“As soon as she came down and was in our training environment, you could tell she was something special,” skipper Rebekah Stott remarks. “She’s just such a great character to have around the team. Her mindset is unbelievable. I think she has learnt a lot here at City, but she’s also got it. She’s got it. She’s unreal.”

“She’s unbelievable. You just watch a game like [the semifinal], a big game, and she comes out so solid, draws three people to the ball and gets through it to score a banger like that. She’s such an unbelievable player. I can’t speak highly enough of her.”

Indeed, to watch McMahon in action is to almost invite a level of hypocrisy.

On the one hand, it’s in no way fair to expect any young player, let alone one that’s not even 18, to become an international in the future. So many things, plenty of outside of their control, can alter the trajectory of a player’s career, and there’s literally no higher or more difficult peak for an Australian player to summit than representing the Matildas or Socceroos.

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Yet at the same time, when you see what the teenager has already accomplished in her career to date and how she carries herself on the field, and then pair that with the knowledge she’s still got plenty of potential to tap into, it’s hard not to envision her one day playing for the senior national team.

Fortunately, watching her on the pitch, she seems pretty unflappable. And her coach sees that off the park, too.

“A very good upbringing,” Michael Matricciani explains. “A lot of credit needs to go to her parents and the way they’ve brought her up as a top, humble [person], who understands what it takes to be a pro.

“From day one of pre-season, she has a sense of calmness and game understanding that, you know, is very rare in a 16-, 17-year-old. A lot of credit has to go to her parents, and the way she carries herself

“She’s a talented footballer. It’s sort of a bit of a common theme: her doing it in big games. And throughout the course of the year, she’s been outstanding, along with all our players. So, really proud of her.”

It was delivered, perhaps on cue, by Shelby McMahon. The prodigy has made a habit of scoring big-time goals in big-time games for City, and on this day, she was at it again; the 17-year-old seized on Taylor Ray’s attempt to head clear in the 34th and sent a scintillating half-volley home, securing a two-goal advantage that Victory was unable to overcome.

The three-time defending premiers will now host the winner of Wellington and Brisbane Roar’s semifinal at AAMI Park next Saturday afternoon — those two sides set to meet in New Zealand on Sunday afternoon, with the Queenslanders leading 2-1 after the first leg, before then immediately jetting off for Suwon for the final four of the AFC Women’s Champions League.

“It’s a normal week for us,” said skipper Rebekah Stott. “We still have the Asian Champions League after this. So we just put our heads down and work like we have the whole season. That’s one thing about this group, this season, is we’ve dealt with pressure, but we take every week the same, and it’s head down, focus, work. What can we do? How can we win the game?”

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Two years ago, City reached this hurdle, only to fall when Sydney FC came to town and, in something of a grand hurrah before their near two-decades of dominance came tumbling down, secured a smash-and-grab 1-0 win to see off the likes of Cortnee Vine in style. Now, the Melburnians can make amends for that result and, with it shaping as the final A-League Women game for a host of players that are expected to take the next step in their careers in the offseason, ensure that their current crop, which has gone so far to re-establish City atop the league’s mountaintop following the departure of its Galacticos to Europe in 2020, gets a title of their own.

“We’ll prepare as best as possible,” Matricciani said. “Our goal was to win all the trophies available. We’re one step closer now. I’ll look forward to having a good night’s sleep tonight and resting, and then enjoying Mother’s Day with my beautiful wife and kids, and then tomorrow, sit back and watch Wellington and Brisbane go at it.

“It’s business as usual, we’ll just be calm. The highs are never too high, the lows are never too low, and we just worry about ourselves and try to improve. And this week, we have four training sessions. Whoever we’re playing, we’ll analyse over the next 48 hours, we’ll dissect them, and we’ll make sure we’re tactically ready.

“But we want to enjoy this week as well. So we have a bit of a competition that’s going to get some winners this week, and there are a couple of prizes I put on for the players. So I think there’s going to be a bit of fun as well.”

Defeated coach Jeff Hopkins, meanwhile, was happier with his side’s performance in the second leg than he was in the first, but also sanguine about their inability to find that necessary moment of quality, that final pass or that final shot, that would have turned the tie on its head before McMahon’s opener or, failing that, ramped up the pressure as time ebbed away.

Nikki Flannery did come close to cutting the deficit late, but when she sent her effort over the crossbar, there was a decided feeling that Victory’s hopes of staging a comeback had followed it out of play. Alana Jancevski also hit the crossbar in added time, but at that point, even if she’d suck her effort below the woodwork, it would have likely been too little, too late.

It almost spoke to Victory’s season in a way, close to moments of doing something special, but left ruing what might have been after proving unable to find a way to go that final yard – in this case, perhaps wondering if a Flannery that hasn’t been dogged by injury has the form and rhythm to strike true with her attempt.

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But, on another day, it should also be noted that Victory could have easily found themselves handily dispatched inside 45 minutes. McMahon’s goal felt like it had been coming as, for the half-an-hour preceding it, Aideen Keane had been running riot on the left flank, taking advantage of her pace against Ray and getting past the makeshift right-back with regularity. She had thrice come close to either netting herself or finding a teammate and, if not for an ankle injury picked up just before halftime, probably would have been just as lethal in the second stanza – albeit she still has her moments in the second 45, too.

Eventually forced off in the 84th minute after a collision with defender Kayla Morrison in the box, the 24-year-old’s right ankle was heavily iced following the conclusion of the game, which can’t have been fun given the icy conditions at Casey Fields – but her coach was confident that she’d get the opportunity to add to what has been a breakout season in next week’s decider.

“She had a little bit of an ankle twist in the first half, but she’s a tough character,” Matricciani said. “A majority are [touch characters], and a few carry knocks in these parts of the season, so I’m sure she’ll be fine. The last one, she just got studded there, which, you know, is unfortunate.

“She was telling the physio and the doc, I’m all good but I made the decision that it was probably best to get another fresh player on to run and not make it any worse.”

Pouncing on an error from Franco Lino to fire home in the 80th minute, second-half substitute Patrick Wood lifted the Sky Blues to a smash-and-grab 1-0 triumph over their bitter Big Blue foes on Saturday evening, setting up a two-legged semifinal with premiers the Newcastle Jets.

It ended a Victory season that showed moments of promise, but that, ultimately, was weighed down by an early-season run that saw them win just one of their opening seven games, repeatedly let down by an inability to convert control of games into goals, and multiple failures to hold onto leads.

Initially appointed as caretaker following Patrick Kisnorbo’s surprise move to Yokohama on the eve of the Christmas Derby in 2024 – Kisnorbo coming back to haunt his old side at the helm of Sydney in the elimination final – Diles signed a full-time contract midway through that season, which saw him through to the end of a 2025-26 campaign that has now ended.

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The coach has previously indicated that he wants to return to Victory next season and reiterated on Saturday that he felt he was the right person to lead the club into 2026-27.

“I do. I definitely do,” said Diles. “I’m really proud of everything I’ve achieved so far. It comes with a lot of hard work, a lot of expectation, and a lot of pressure.

“I’m very proud of everything I’ve done to date and moving forward. I think there’s so much more in me, a lot of growth in me, as well, as a person, as a coach. The offseason is going to be a good opportunity to do some personal development, some reflection, recharge batteries and make sure I improve as well.

“We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.

“We’ve got our awards night on Monday night, which is going to be a little bit sour, but we’ll fulfil our commitments for this season and address everything; we need to speak with the playing group. We’ll look beyond that once our commitments are finished.”

Skipper Roderick Miranda, for his part, said that 44-year-old mentor, who is in his first head coaching role at Victory, had plenty to offer the club moving forward.

“Of course,” he said. “We had glimpses during the season that things can go really well. Maybe early in the season, [we were] still waiting for the right players to fit, trying to figure out the best way of playing.

“His record in finals has been good tonight. Tonight, we deserve to win. He’s still young, still in his first year and a half, but he has a brilliant future ahead of him.”

Regardless of what Victory opts to do with Diles moving forward, it’s safe to assume that everyone at the club will be hoping that Mata will decide to return for another go-around in navy blue.

After a difficult stint with Western Sydney in 2024-25, the Spanish maestro emerged as a leading contender for the Johnny Warren Medal after moving to AAMI Park, winning multiple games off his own boot as he led the league in assists with 13, contributing to an A-League-leading 18 goal contributions.

The World Cup winner had previously batted away questions on his future by citing the ongoing nature of Victory’s season, but now, with their campaign at an end, has a decision to make.

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“I was hoping we’d give him more game time so he can keep thinking about it,” said Diles. “Now he’s going to start thinking about it as of tonight, unfortunately.

“[We’ve had] no discussions with Juan. He knows how we feel, he knows how the club feels, and we know what his intentions are at the moment, in terms of giving himself time and space to come up with whatever decision he sees fit.

“Whether that’s his last game or not, I don’t know. I hope it’s not, not just for our sake as a club, but for his sake, because I think he’s still got a lot to offer.

“But, again, that’s something that’s a discussion and a thought process that he’ll go through now that the commitments are finished for this season. And we’ll wait and see how we how it comes back from that.”

And while Miranda probably won’t go buying Mata wagyu steaks like Auckland skipper Hiroki Sakai did for his teammates – although he is willing to learn how to make paella – he too is hopeful he will be able to continue to call the Spaniard a colleague.

“First of all, I hope that he keeps playing. Second, I hope it’s with us,” Miranda said. “Because I think he still has something, not to prove -- he has nothing to prove to anybody -- but he still has something that he can show us.

“For the fans, for everybody who loves football, he should keep playing for us.

“But in the end, it’s his own decision. I know this year was really important for him. He felt really happy with us on the pitch after the pitch.

“And, in the end, it will be his decision.

“But if you would ask me, I’d just put a paper in front of him and say sign and put whatever he wants.”

Defeating Canberra United after a long, international-break-enforced layoff, Victory’s women secured yet another trip to the final four of the women’s top flight this week, now set to host City in the first leg of their two-legged affair in the earlier kickoff on Saturday afternoon.

Well established as two of the league’s best programs – Victory can level Brisbane and Canberra on five trophies with a title in this year’s playoffs – it’s the first playoff meeting between the two since Victory’s penalty shootout win at Casey Fields in the 2022-23 semifinal, in which Casey Dumont’s heroics capped off one of the best individual games in league history.

“These games are always big games,” said coach Jeff Hopkins, who has qualified for more than 50% of the A-League Women’s grand finals while coaching in it. “Looking at our game, games against City are always something special for us. I’m sure the same goes for them as well.

“We’re really looking forward to the game coming, really. We had to wait three weeks for Canberra, but this weekend seems to have come around very, really quickly. The girls have enjoyed the week, they’re looking forward to a game and the challenge that comes with playing this Melbourne City side.”

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Saturday’s subsequent kickoff will see Arthur Diles’ men face perennial rivals Sydney FC in an all-or-nothing elimination final, with the winner moving on to face either the Newcastle Jets or Adelaide United in a two-legged semifinal the following week.

It will be the ninth meeting between the two hated foes in the playoffs, with both sides coming into the clash with three previous finals wins and a draw back in the second-leg of their 2010 semifinal.

The last knockout meeting between the two isn’t one that Victory fans will look back on with any kind of fondness, though: Kevin Muscat’s historically successful tenure as coach ended when the Sky Blues put six past the Victorians on the way to a thumping win at Jubilee Oval, with only Ola Toivonen’s 91st-minute consolation ensuring the Melburnians weren’t completely blanked.

“I’d like to think so,” Diles said of it being one of the biggest days for the club in recent years. “And I’d like to think that that puts even more bums on seats. Because, yes, you’ve got our game, which will be a fantastic spectacle. And then you got the women playing before us in a double-header, which they deserve to see that place full as well.

“We’re looking forward to a fantastic crowd for both games. And yeah, we’re looking forward to having a great weekend for Melbourne Victory.”

Beyond the spice that always accompanies a Big Blue, Saturday carries an extra level of venom for the Victory faithful in representing not just the first time that Patrick Kisnorbo will return to AAMI Park since his shock departure on the eve of the 2024 Christmas Derby, but that he’s doing so while serving as interim Sydney boss.

Victory’s players, however, have consistently played down any notion that a reunion with the coach helps add to their motivation, insisting that it was a narrative for the press and social media. And Diles, who was elevated from his assistant role to the main chair when Kisnorbo departed, struck a similar tone.

“If we have to use that motivation as a squad, then something’s wrong for me,” he said. “Maybe that’s a better conversation for fans. You should ask fans that question. But in terms of the playing group and the coaching staff, his name hasn’t even come up.

“I’m not privy to conversations in change rooms. That’s a separate conversation, if that’s been had, that’s for the players to talk about. In the end, that was a long time ago. We’ve moved forward from that.

“Yes, I know it adds a bit of juice for this game and a bit of spite, but yeah, he’s someone that we’re friends with, and he’s a good guy. He’s a good coach. He’s got to worry about his team. I’m going to worry about my team, and may the best team win tomorrow.”

Saturday’s Melbourne Derby, meanwhile, also offers up a few chances at reunions, with Victory standout Rhianna Pollicina clashing with her former side for the first time in a finals context in the game.

After two meetings with her one-time employers during the regular season, however, the novelty isn’t quite at the same level for the diminutive attacker, who highlighted the opportunity of City not playing a game in a month due to the international break leading into a finals bye.

“We know they’re a quality side. They’re top of the table for a reason, and we’ve got to respect that,” she said. “Congratulations to them on winning another premiership. They’ve got quality all over the park, so we know we have to bring our A-game.

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“We know we have to start the game well; they haven’t played in a few weeks, so maybe in the first 20 minutes, we can get on top of the game and show that we’re ready to battle that out and get the victory. Obviously, going into that halftime and trying to have the upper edge, that’s definitely the game plan.

“But yeah, we just got to respect that they want to be playing with the ball, and they’re good with the ball, but yeah, we know that we can hurt them in ways that we showcased last week as well.”

Nonetheless, with an Asian Champions League campaign semifinal also awaiting them, City hasn’t been sitting around doing nothing during the international break, even if a bevy of senior and junior international call-ups further disrupted their training.

Michael Matricciani’s side played multiple games against City’s boys’ academy teams during their layoff – including one last week which mirrored an extra-time clash, and Matildas’ midfielder Leah Davidson was confident they would be adequately prepared.

“We’ve had four weeks now without a game, and it feels like forever,” she said. “But we’ve kept fit, we’ve kept the energy high, and we’ve played some practice matches against boys, and we’ve worked on things that we needed to work on.

“So I think this period has actually been really nice, and we’re coming into this game really confident, so it’s been really good, but everyone’s definitely ready to play a competitive match.”

Falling from third and a home final to sixth and a trip to New Zealand thanks to two late goals from Adelaide United’s Luka Jovanovic – the Reds’ win also moved them into second and pushed Auckland into third – City were without both Atkinson and Nabbout for that fixture, while Leckie was a second-half substitute.

Speaking from Auckland, however, City coach Aurelio Vidmar confirmed that Atkinson and Nabbout were “fine” and would be part of the considerations to start at Mt Smart Stadium, as would Leckie.

The winger-turned-holding midfielder has logged three appearances off the bench since returning from a lengthy layoff following groin surgery, slowly but surely increasing his minutes in each appearance.

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And while Vidmar wouldn’t be drawn on whether the 78-time Socceroo would be in his XI at Mt Smart Stadium, he was of the view that he was capable of doing so if deemed necessary.

“He’s definitely going to have more minutes than he has in the last couple of weeks,” said the City coach.

“He’s feeling much better because he’s been able to increase his game time, and that was always the plan. Whether he starts is another question. He’s looking quite well in training this week.

“We flew yesterday, and we’ll have a training session throughout the stadium, and then we’ll have a look.”

Teague, for his part, has travelled with the squad to Auckland but was described as being further back than his fellow returnees by Vidmar.

After starting all 13 of his appearances across the A-League Men and Asian Champions League Elite after landing on loan from Belgian outfit KV Mechelen, the midfielder hasn’t featured since coming off at halftime of City’s win over Western Sydney back on April 4.

“Teaguey hasn’t played for four weeks,” said Vidmar. “That’s a fair chunk of football to miss.”

After being forced off in the loss to the Reds, veteran defender Samuel Souprayen has dodged a suspected MCL injury, but with Vidmar admitting the 37-year-old wasn’t able to walk properly until Friday, he wasn’t in contention to face the Kiwis.

Daniel Arzani, however, was much closer; the mercurial attacker overruled by medical staff over his availability, with it almost certain he’ll come back into the squad if City progresses to a semifinal against the Newcastle Jets next week.

“Daniel was pretty keen,” Vidmar said. “The medical advice suggested it’s probably, probably a week too soon, so if we get the right result then, obviously, there’s a different discussion next week.”

Though facing significant flight delays in getting into Auckland, as well as being forced to split their travelling party into two groups, City travelled a day early for Saturday’s fixture – in part to switch things up after suffering 3-0 defeats to Steve Corica’s side in their previous two trips to the City of Sails.

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Like attacker Andreas Kuen earlier in the week, Vidmar was keen to observe that City had moments in both those fixtures that could have swung the contest, but, even with an injury cloud over co-Golden Boot winner Sam Cosgrove and Auckland without a win since mid-March, acknowledged the task awaiting his side.

“There’s still an experienced side,” Vidmar said. “They’re well coached. Obviously, they’re a lot more consistent last year. This year, they’ve had a few hiccups, absolutely, but I think every team has. Then it’s about, you know, bringing it all together on the very important day -- that’s tomorrow.

“For us, for example, we were disappointed that we lost [to Adelaide] last week, but the focus changes very, very quickly. It’s a lot sharper, there’s more concentration [in finals]. Sometimes you can have a nice run and sort of, not intentionally pull the handbrake up, but think that everything’s just going to fall your way.

“But when it doesn’t fall your way, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves. You’ve got to continue working, you’ve got to keep grinding. That’s all part of it.

“In this game, we know for sure we have to be fully concentrated for 100 minutes. They’ll keep coming at us. We’ll try to do the same, keep putting them under pressure as much as we can, and the best team will win.”

Header Image: Melbourne City

Locking in a home-final with a 2-0 win over Western Sydney last Saturday, Victory will host their Big Blue rivals Sydney FC at AAMI Park in a crunch elimination final this weekend, with their crosstown foes Melbourne City travelling to face Auckland FC earlier in the day.

The lowest-seeded winner from those two games will move on to host premiers the Newcastle Jets in the first game of a two-legged semifinal the following week, while the highest-ranked winner will move on to face Adelaide United – who secured second-place and a week off with a dramatic late win over City last Sunday.

Beyond the do-or-die nature of the fixture, however, and the bragging rights that are always on the line whenever the two bitter foes meet, both Victory’s Nishan Velupillay and Sydney’s Paul Okon Jr will be doing all they can to impress Socceroo staff in their meeting – with the two players firmly in the mix to be part of the 26-player squad Popovic will name on June 1.

Across the Tasman, City skipper Aziz Behich is widely considered to be a likely selection for that squad, but goalkeeper Patrick Beach will be seeking a big end to the campaign to see off the threat from Joe Gauci and Harrison Devenish-Meares for the third goalkeeping role. The likes of Marcus Younis, Clayton Taylor, Nathaniel Atkinson and Max Burgess, meanwhile, will retain hope of staging a late push.

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“It’s huge, I think it’s a massive opportunity,” said Hamill. “Because there’s added pressure, there’s a lot more meaning to these games, in the sense that it’s win or go home this week.

“I’m sure Popa’s watching and analysing character, body language, along with all the other technical and tactical aspects.

“But I think it’s a huge occasion for these lads to push because come the World Cup, it’s even greater: the expectation and what’s required to succeed at the World Cup. So these games are perfect for players to put their case forward.”

Beyond the mental aspects, however, with leagues such as the Championship coming to an end this weekend, the prospect of getting at least an added fortnight of football after this week also brings tangible benefits.

“With the pressure side of it, in finals football, we’re looking to have a great crowd, so [it will be] in front of a huge number of fans,” said Jason Davidson, who played at the 2014 World Cup as well as previously playing under Popovic. “To see how you handle the pressure, I think Popa will definitely be looking at that.

“But you also have to take into consideration, the further you go in finals, the closer you get to a World Cup with match fitness as well. I think that’s another element that I’m sure he’ll be looking at. So the motivation is to make sure that you can get your team as far as possible, but there’s also a great opportunity to stay fit as close as possible.”

Adding further spice to Saturday’s meeting, it will also mark the first time that Victory has faced former-coach Patrick Kisnorbo since his shock exit from the club on the eve of the Christmas Derby in 2024 – departing seven league games into a three-year deal to take up am assistants role with J1 League side Yokohama F Marinos.

That role would become a head coaching one following the ouster of Steve Holland, but he himself would be axed after 55 days and two wins against eight defeats, making him available to take up the Sky Blues’ interim role following Ufuk Talay’s midseason resignation ahead of a move to the Wanderers.

Hamill, though, was of the view that the players wouldn’t take any added motivation from the reunion so much as caution, knowing what kind of teams the former title-winner at City was capable of producing.

“That was a while, quite a while ago. Now he was here once - that happens - you come across old coaches, old teammates, that happens in football,” Hamill said.

“I hope [media and fans] have fun with it. But for us, it’s kind of business as usual, and going about our business as we have done for the past 26 rounds.

“His teams in A-League history have been regularly at the top, championship-winning teams.

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“What we can take is that we know that he’s going to have a team that’s ready to fight with and without the ball.”

Victory’s fans, however, will likely have a less sanguine view of things. And Davidson, though also non-plussed about a Kisnorbo reunion given he wasn’t at the club last season, is hopeful that a packed-out AAMI Park proves a hostile 12th man on Saturday.

“I think our fans have shown that in the past; they’ve been unbelievable, especially on the big occasions,” he said. “I expect them to do the same thing this weekend. Our job is on the pitch, their job’s off the pitch, and hopefully, when you mirror that together, we can get a great result and go to the next round, keep going and be here at the end of May, hopefully with a trophy in hand.”

Able to claim a home final and a place in Asia next season with a win, City was instead left stunned on Sunday evening when Adelaide United’s Luka Jovanovic netted in the 79th and 98th minutes to steal a win for the Reds – a result that sent them down to six and condemned them to hit the road in the first week of the finals to face Auckland, who themselves fell to third with the result after drawing with Sydney FC earlier in the day.

Denied a penalty shout against Callan Elliot and then hit with a sucker-punch by Logan Rogerson just before halftime, the defending champions fell to a 3-0 defeat the last time they visited Aeoteroa back in February, with Jesse Randall and Guillermo May both netting in the second stanza to complete the result. That scoreline mirrored the margin of their first trip to the venue back in the 2024-25 season, when May, Nando Pijnaker, and Max Mata all fired in first-half goals for the eventual premiers.

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Aurelio Vidmar’s side did get their first win over their Kiwi rivals earlier this season when Max Caputo and Medin Memeti sparked a second-half fightback after Lachy Brook’s first-half strike, but their scoreless form across the Tasman nonetheless makes for grim reading for a side seeking back-to-back titles.

Kuen, though, feels that City are capable of bouncing back from their loss to the Reds and overturning their bitter history in the City of Sails.

“All over [against Adelaide], we didn’t perform like how we performed the previous weeks,” he said. “We were not happy with our performance at all, but overall, I think we still could have won this game with our bad performance. [We were] quite unlucky at the end of the game, how it ended. It’s important to look forward to what happens this weekend.

“[Auckland are] similar to the first season, [a] very compact team, very good structure against the ball, good players offensively, very good at counter-attacks, and very good at set pieces. Similar to last year, [they] didn’t change a lot. I think we know what we are facing on the weekend.

“It’s not an easy trip to go there. It’s a long travel and everything. They play well at their home ground. We need to bring our game as we did in the last game, the first half. I think we played really well in the first half. We were unlucky not to score the first goal, and also not to get a penalty there; then maybe the game would have gone a completely different way. But overall, I think we need to look at ourselves and to bring our A game this weekend.”

After crisscrossing Asia over the past season as they juggled Asian Champions League Elite and domestic commitments, however, Kuen was certain the prospect of needing to get their passports out ahead of a crunch elimination final shouldn’t be a factor.

“We’re used to long travel after this season; it’s nothing new for us,” he said. “We’re a good group together, and we have a lot of fun when we travel. That’s the most important part, that we have a good group. I’m looking forward to the travel and also to the game.”

Kuen has quietly become one of the league’s best creative players since landing Down Under, nabbing 16 goal involvements as well as creating the third-most chances in the Australian top-flight in 2025-26 after providing the eighth-most in a debut season hit by injury.

Initially landing in Australia on a two-year deal with an option for a third, the Austrian said that the triggers in his contract had yet to be hit. And while the veteran did take some initial time to adjust to life on the other side of the world away from friends and family, he wouldn’t close the door on extending his stay in Casey – even if his thoughts were centred on the task at hand.

“There’s nothing triggered yet,” Kuen said. “I’m not like saying no [to staying], but everything’s not in my hands; it’s also in the club’s hands. But I think it isn’t important to speak about the future now, because for me, what matters is what the next week brings.”

No matter what happens with his contract, though, he does plan to return home to Austria during the offseason, where he’ll eagerly watch his homeland compete in their first World Cup since 1998 when they run out against Jordan, defending world champions Argentina, and Algeria in Group J.

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City skipper Aziz Behich, who was named the club’s player of the season and the player’s player of the season at City’s end-of-season awards on Tuesday, is widely expected to be at that tournament in a playing capacity, representing the Socceroos. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach, likewise, is considered to be the frontrunner in a race for the third-choice role.

On loan attacker Marcus Younis, meanwhile, is doing all that he can to force his way into contention: scoring his seventh-goal since January in the loss to the Reds and, with Tony Popovic present in the stands, performing a ‘call-me’ sign in celebration.

“He’s a good character, a good boy,” Kuen said of Younis. “I like him on the pitch and off the pitch. He’s a good guy, very explosive on the pitch. Always goes one against one. I like these players who are direct in their playing style.

“He’s done really well since he came to us, helped us a lot with goals and assists. He performed really amazingly in ACLE and also in the A-League. I hope that he can go to the World Cup and wish him good luck for the future.”

Header Image: Melbourne City

Losing just once in their last ten matches, Victory’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle last week, combined with results elsewhere, not only saw the Jets seal a maiden A-League Men premiership but also locked themselves into finals football for the third straight season. Currently sitting sixth, they will enter the final day of the campaign as the only side in the playoff places without home final destiny in their hands, albeit a win over the bottom-placed Wanderers would force both Sydney and Adelaide to take three points in their games against Auckland and Melbourne City to deny them.

Victory’s one defeat across their past ten weeks, however, came a few weeks ago when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Wellington, part of a pattern of less-than-ideal performances they’ve dropped this season that also includes a home 1-0 loss to the Wanderers that snapped a four-game winning run, a 1-0 home loss to Central Coast at the start of February and a 1-0 defeat against Brisbane Roar back in round six that made it four defeats in their first six games.

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Win any of those fixtures, and they’re in the box seat for a home final. Win half of them, and they’d be looking at a week off in the first week of the finals and, should the Jets slip up against the Mariners this weekend, a chance to go top.

“That’s mentality,” Diles said of his side’s slip-ups. “That’s something that we’ve always had to keep growing with, and something that, at times, we haven’t dealt with as well as I would have liked.

“But in the end, [Saturday’s game against Western Sydney is] another game for us to grow as a team: mentally, physically and tactically. And that’s the most important thing; that we always turn up to make sure we play the best football that we can. That should correlate with a result at the end of it.

“And if we’ve fallen short with our football, there still should be ways that we can win games, because you don’t always have to be pretty and win. We’ve seen that happen against us a few times, and we need to know that whatever it takes to win a game, we’re ready for it. Whether that’s through beautiful football that we want to play and dominant football, whether that’s through grinding out a match and fighting with the opponent -- you’ve got to do whatever it takes.

“That’s something that, mentally, this group, we’ve got to keep working on. And we’re always addressing it.”

After missing the past two weeks – draws against second-placed Auckland and top-of-the-table Newcastle – with a fractured elbow, Spanish superstar Juan Mata is expected to be available for the trip to face his former side, albeit Diles said that if he plays a role, it will almost certainly come off the bench.

Both Jing Reec and Josh Inserra remain absent, but the coach said that he will otherwise have a full squad to choose from – enthused about building off the back of a run of recent form with just that Nix-shaped blemish on it.

“We’ve had a great couple of months,” he said. “We’ve been in some really good form. We’ve had some very good results, and we’ve built confidence, we’ve built momentum.

“I’m really proud of the young players that we’ve given exposure to this year. And they don’t get enough recognition. The pressure that they’re under at this club, to perform at their level, first and foremost, to win games, because that’s expected, and play in front of a big crowd that they’re exposed to every week -- that shows growth.

“And it’s a testament to them for carrying this team a lot. Because this year, in almost every game, we’ve got anywhere between six and 10, U23s is in our squad. No one talks about that, but we know about that.”

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One of those young players is 21-year-old goalkeeper Jack Warshawsky, who has served as the first-choice goalkeeper since that aforementioned 1-0 loss to the Wanderers back in round 12 and who has been experiencing some of the downs associated with keeping week-in-and-week-out in senior football across the past fortnight – awarded, per FotMob, -0.82 goals prevented against Newcastle and -1.17 prevented against Auckland and conceding from the only two shots on target he faced in the latter fixture.

This has led some vocal contingents of the Victory fanbase to call for the return of Jack Duncan between the sticks – the veteran initially moving out of the lineup due to concussion, only for Diles to stick with Warshawsky after he returned – but the Victory boss was quick to shut down any talk of a change between the posts on Thursday.

“For me, [Warshawsky] hasn’t put a foot wrong,” said Diles. “Yes, there are maybe a couple of goals that you can slightly do better with. But that happens. There’s no blame game there. You’ve also got to remember some saves that he has pulled off in the last couple of games. In the game against Auckland, where we have to deal with almost 28 set pieces between long throws, corners, and free kicks, he’s come out catching and punching and doing ever so well.

“Even last week, he made a couple of top saves that kept us in the game. In the end, maybe he can do better with a long-range shot, but it has a lot of dip on that in the last second. That’s part of the game. He kept us in the game for many periods of that. He’s doing really well.”

With 25 games on their season now gone, the Jets are just one week away from claiming their first-ever A-League Men premiership. All they will need to do in the last week of the campaign is defeat their bitter F3 Derby rivals Central Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium, and they will get the chance to claim the Premiers’ Plate.

Their moment could, in fact, come even sooner if the Mariners do them a favour and defeat Auckland FC on Sunday afternoon; Steve Corica’s side now sitting four points adrift of the Novocastrians heading into the weekend. But even if that’s the case — Milligan certainly didn’t want to countenance it post-game — the Jets will be able to lift that first piece of league silverware since 2007-08 for the first time at home.

“We complain about everything; about the scheduling, about what days we’re playing,” Milligan smiled post-game. “But in all honesty, it couldn’t have been written any better for these lads. We’re a very, very different team from what we were in round one, when we played Mariners at their ground [a 3-2 defeat delivered by a 98th-minute Nicholas Duarte goal].

“We’ve taken some fantastic learnings from tonight. And it wasn’t something that I did; it was something that I noticed – the group got together in the middle of the park after the game. And that tells me a lot. It reconfirms to me just how determined this group is.”

No doubt helping to fashion this sense of a crescendo is that it all could have been very different. Staring down the barrel of a 2-1 defeat, a result that would have seen control of their premiership hopes slip from their grasp and into the lap of Auckland, Victory defender Sebastian Esposito needlessly clattered into Lachie Bayliss in the 87th minute and brought the Kiwi international crashing down to the turf, instantly leading Alex King to point to the penalty spot. Up stepped Eli Adams, a former Victory representative, no less, who had scored a 19th-minute effort to put the Novocastrians ahead, to convert and celebrate in front of the North Terrace, his fingers in his ears.

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And as much relief as the Jets might have been feeling at that point, they also would perhaps be feeling unlucky not to be taking all three soon after. Just over five minutes on, with all the game’s momentum at their backs and Esposito falling over himself and coughing the ball up in his own half, second-half substitute Xavier Bertoncello was played clean through on goal by Ben Gibson with a chance to win it, only for the 20-year-old to send his attempt to chip keeper Jack Warshawsky into the crossbar.

“It shows who we are, the character of this team, and what this team represents,” said Milligan. “The fact that we never take our foot off the throttle. These players, they’re driving that. And we’re creating opportunities late in that game from our football.

“That last opportunity that we created, there was some fantastic lead-up play, and then the decision for Gibbo to roll in Xavier, that’s not just them doing as they’re told. That’s them representing who we are and what they are.

“That’s brave for me. Because once it goes to 2-2, I don’t think there are too many teams out there that would then go and try to win the game in extra time. And that wasn’t information coming from me, that was just the DNA of this team now.”

That’s not to say that the Jets had it all their own way on Friday. In fact, based on the volume of chances created, Victory will, fairly, feel bereft not just to take a point from a game that was begging for them to score a third and kill off. To not claim a win that now sees their slim hopes of a top-two finish slip through their fingers, as well as their push for a home elimination final suffer a blow, as a result.

Switching to a back-five for the contest, Josh Rawlins and Franco Lino flanking a trio of Esposito, Roderick Miranda, and Jason Davidson, Victory was able to reliably able to find pockets of space on either flank on which to deliver balls into the Jets’ area: Rawlins picked out by Jordi Valadon on the right and teeing up Nduka to equalise in the 31st minute and then, just three minutes later, Lino getting picked out in space on the left by Davidson and whipping a ball across for the Japanese striker to turn home.

“I didn’t expect it; I didn’t expect to come to AAMI Park and play against the back five,” Milligan said. “When the team sheet came out, we thought it was a possibility, just with the personnel that they had starting.

“That’s something that we try to prepare for, but these players need to get a feel for this and an understanding. It’s happened in the last three games. So we can talk about it all we want, and we can tell them about what we think they can do, or how they should go about it. But until they experience this and learn for themselves -- again, this is part of who we are as a team -- when they start feeling it and making decisions live, out there for themselves, that’s when we start to see real growth in this team.”

Nduka now has five goal involvements in eleven appearances and probably should have had a hat-trick in the 73rd minute when he was picked out from the flank once more, this time by substitute Matthew Grimaldi. This time, however, he was unable to drag his arriving attempt back and inside the near post.

And this was just one of a string of opportunities and looks at goal that Victory created throughout the contest. Jets skipper Kosta Grozos, for instance, was able to get back just in time and clear a Jordi Valadon effort off the line in the 63rd minute, five minutes after James Delianov produced one of the saves of the season to deny a header from Nishan Velupillay – who had a lot of joy finding pockets of space outside the Jets’ penalty area while playing as a ten – after he was picked out by Keegan Jelacic.

“In the end, you’ve got to hold on,” said coach Arthur Diles. “And when I say hold on, you got to see out the match, not hold on in terms of taking a backward step. But you need to do enough to see out a match and try and get another goal. And we didn’t. And in the end, we get bitten in the backside.”

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The point, regardless of the rather anticlimactic way it was sourced, does effectively seal Victory a place in the playoffs – now six points clear of seventh-placed Macarthur with a goal difference of +9, compared to the Bulls’ -9. It also ensures that Diles’ unit has faced off with the league’s top two over the past fortnight and come away without defeat – albeit having shipped equalisers after the 80th minute in both games.

“I think we deserved more out of these two games than we got,” said Diles. “But in the end, the performance is something I’ve got to focus on, and the performance was good [against the Jets] for a lot of that game. So that’s a pleasing sign. That’s something we want to do. We want to play well, as well, not just pick up points. But the points, in the end, should correlate with a good performance. And when you don’t get the three points, when you feel like you probably can, that’s disappointing, it’s hard to take, but we’ll go again.

“Qualifying for finals is actually not an achievement of this club. It’s an expectation. I’d like to sit here and say well done that we made finals, but that’s not enough. To back up against first and second in consecutive weeks and show that we’re just as good. That’s the part that’s pleasing, in a way, and disappointing, in a way, because they’re a little bit too far away from us [on the table]. And we’ve shown that we’re a quality team that should be up there, and we want to be up there.

“There have been moments where we’ve fallen short, and that stopped us from being there. But there’s one more game to go. We want to finish as high as we can. That’s all we can do; work hard this week, get ready for Western Sydney Wanderers. We know we’re a quality side. We know we can match it with the best. But we want to be the best and, at the moment, we’re just a little bit off that.”

Arresting a tailslide that threatened to condemn them to a finals absence for the first time since 2013–14 – when they were still called Melbourne Heart – City has taken 13 from a possible 15 points on offer across their past five games, setting themselves up as the form side in the competition and placing themselves sixth on the table heading into the season’s penultimate round.

Five points clear of seventh-placed Macarthur after the Bulls fell to defeat against Perth Glory last Sunday, it ensures that a win against either the Roar at Lang Park on Saturday evening or at home against Adelaide the following week will be enough to lock in a 12th straight appearance in the postseason.

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Points, however, aren’t handed out based on form. And although the Roar sit second-bottom on the table heading into the weekend – still at risk of falling to last should they lose their last two games and Western Sydney pick up two wins – Vidmar wouldn’t countenance overlooking the challenge the Queenslanders represent.

“For us, it’s about not being complacent; that was the key message this week,” said the coach. “We’ve had a really good run, three wins on the bounce, it’s been excellent. The group’s reasonably healthy and happy, and the mentality is good.

“But we face a very difficult team at Suncorp Stadium; it’s always difficult there. And although they’re positioned lower in the table, they’re one of those teams, like West Sydney, [where their] position on the table doesn’t reflect their performances.

“It’s going to be a fight. It’s going to be a scrap, and we still have work to do. We need one more win to cement ourselves in the six, and if you get two wins, it gives you a better chance of putting yourself higher up on the table. So I still think anything could happen.”

Indeed, while much of the recent focus surrounding City has been on their attempts to even get into the finals at all, their strong recent form has now put them in a position wherein the prospect of hosting an elimination final isn’t an absurd proposition.

Just two points separate the defending champions from third-placed Sydney FC heading into the campaign’s final fortnight and, while next week’s meeting with the Reds is the only time City themselves will get a chance to take points off the teams ahead of them, the Sky Blues and fifth-placed Melbourne Victory will need to face second-placed Auckland and first-placed Newcastle, respectively, before season’s end.

And with Victory, Adelaide, and City possessing the three best home records in the league, the potential benefits from avoiding a road trip in the first week of the finals are obvious.

“We’ve really set a target or goals... Do we want x amount of points from the next games?” Vidmar said. “For us, we’re trying to win every game. As soon as you start setting targets, you reach the target, and then you start setting a new one. We want to get into the six… but once you get in there, it’s like, you don’t pull the handbrake up and say, ‘Okay, well, now we’ve done that.’ I don’t want us to reset ourselves every time.

“Our messaging is always clear that we’re going to every game trying to win it. So that hasn’t changed, and it doesn’t matter which coach is here in the future; it’s going to be the same thing here. You’re going to go out into the pitch with your strongest possible team, trying to perform well and to win.”

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City will take a largely settled squad with them to face the Roar, with the only injury cloud hovering over them following their 2-0 win over Wellington on Sunday a potential hamstring issue for Daniel Arzani, who will be assessed on Friday morning before the final decision on his availability is made.

Ryan Teague, meanwhile, will miss another game with a knee complaint, a malady that required a cortisone injection earlier in the week but which is still giving the midfielder some issues.

After making his first appearance since last Halloween in the win over the Phoenix, converted midfielder Mat Leckie was described as pulling up well by Vidmar, with the intention for the Socceroo to continue to build his minutes against the Roar.

“We’re trying to get as many minutes as possible into Lecks,” the City coach said. “He’s been able to train well again this week, and he’ll come away with us.

“Depending on how the game’s going, we want him to play a lot of minutes, but we’re slowly building him up to what we can see as a starting position. I don’t know when that’s going to be, but if we can get him 20 plus minutes again this week, I think then we’re slowly progressing his game time, which is going to be important.”

Image: Melbourne City

Seeking to bounce back from an abject 1-0 loss to Wellington the previous weekend, Victory flew across the Tasman and took a point of second-placed Auckland last Saturday; returning to Australia rueful not to take all three points after twice conceding from set pieces in the 2-2 draw.

With two rounds remaining on the season, the result leaves the Victorians sitting fifth on the A-League Men table, just a point back of third-placed Sydney FC, who vaulted above them after a Sydney Derby win, but also just a point clear of sixth-placed Melbourne City and not yet safe from seventh-placed Macarthur, who are five points adrift.

A win against either the table-topping Newcastle Jets on Friday evening – Diles described facing the league’s top-two in back-to-back weeks so close to finals as an important acid test for his side last week – or bottom-placed Western Sydney the following week would be enough to secure them a finals spot. Two wins, meanwhile, would likely be enough to lock in a home elimination final.

I’ve said it before, it’s been a unique season this year; a lot of ups and downs for everybody,” said Diles. “In the end, it put us in this position that we’re in, where you’re one point off third, and you know you’re still not mathematically in the finals, either. So it’s something that you always have to be aware of.

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“But [you] just keep working, stick to your process, keep working hard and knowing that you don’t look too far behind, but you want to look ahead, and you want to look up the top and be as close to there as you can at the pointy end of the season.

“And that it’s now on us. Everything’s in our hands. We’re in control of our own situation, and that’s a good position to be.”

While he won’t feature against the Jets at AAMI Park on Friday, Victory do appear set to be bolstered for their trip to Western Sydney and any subsequent finals campaign by the return of Mata, who suffered a fractured elbow that required surgery in the defeat to Wellington.

“He’s been training,” Diles said. “He joined the team this week. So he’s back on a training paddock, which is fantastic.

“From that medical point of view, I’m not 100% certain as to what the plan is [for protecting the elbow during games], but he’s not training with anything. He’s just bandaged up, and there’s no brace. He’s recovered really, really well. He’s running, he’s joining in with the team at training. So he’s probably ahead of where we thought

“A [Western Sydney return is] what we’re hoping for, if anything changes in the next three or four days, that could shift. But at this point, we’ve pencilled that in as his match where he returns, and hopefully, we tick every box and get him there.”

Elsewhere in the Victory attack, Socceroo striker Nishan Velupillay grabbed his second goal since he was called back into the national team for the March international window against Auckland, adding to the assist that he grabbed when he was introduced as a second-half substitute against Curaçao.

After a multitude of injury issues spilled over from the pre-season and kept him out until late November, the attacker feels that he’s overcome both the physical and mental gremlins that came with this period and, ahead of two crucial weeks, is eager to do more.

“I think it’s pretty clear that if we win both our games, we’ll end up in the six and potentially higher,” Velupillay said. “We know what we have to do. And whilst we’re aware [of] below us, we’re not too concerned with anyone else. We’re trying to just focus on our own game.

“It’s one thing to physically get over an injury, but also mentally and emotionally get over it as well. So I think I’m past that now, which is good. I’ve recovered and am trying to contribute more to the team and help in any way possible. It’s always good to score and assist, but I’m looking to do it more often.”

Velupillay’s assist carried on what has become something of a habit for the 24-year-old in green and gold, wherein his call-ups for the national team are met with scepticism, only for him to pop up with some form of key contribution – his international record now standing at four goal involvements in six games.

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Thanks to his injury issues, March’s call-up marked the first time he’d been in camp since 12 months prior – when he scored against Indonesia and China – and beyond the chance to represent Australia, the environment fostered by Tony Popovic is something he feels has carried over to clubland.

“It’s always a privilege to be back there,” he said. “It was a bit wild between last year and this year. I was happy to be there. Two good results as well, which is always positive. Really privileged to be in that position.

“[Carry over is] probably a byproduct of being in that environment. I don’t try to focus on it too much, but being in that high-level environment, you’re always gonna benefit from that. It’s not something I focus on, but if it can give me any added boost, then I’m happy about that.”

Of course, beyond pursuing a playoff berth, Velupillay is also one of those players who would be considered as ‘on the bubble’ for a place in Popovic’s final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It’s the first time he’s experienced the cut and thrust, the nervousness and potential heartbreak, of the build-up to the world’s biggest sporting event, but, for now at least, he’s not feeling overwhelmed by the process.

“There’s a pressure there that you just have to accept,” Velupillay said. “It’s gonna be there. The higher you play, the more people expect of you. If that comes with the job, then I’m fine with that. This is why we play football, and I’m happy to be in this position. But [I’m] more excited for the challenge than worried about it.”

Playing their third game in the span of eight days, goals from Aziz Behich and Marcus Younis helped move City to a solid 2-0 win that all but ended Wellington Phoenix’s A-League Men playoff hopes at AAMI Park.

Coming just days after they dealt a near-fatal blow to Central Coast’s playoff aspirations and sent Western Sydney further tumbling towards a wooden spoon, Sunday’s result made it three straight wins for Vidmar’s side, contributing to four wins across a five-game unbeaten run in league play.

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The three points strengthening their hold on sixth-place – City will end the evening four points clear of seventh-placed Macarthur if the Bulls lose to Perth Glory in the later kickoff – Sunday’s win also made it three straight in which they scored multiple goals, representing a stark contrast to the inability to kill teams off that has haunted their campaign this season.

“We’ve had some challenges this year; the team was never as stable as it is now,” said Vidmar. “We’re always making one or two changes, but in the past, we’ve made many.

“With the [January] introduction of Teaguey [Ryan Teague], Delly [Harrison Delbridge], Daniel [Arzani], and Marcus [Younis], it takes a little bit of time to get that flow.

“Cohesion is everything, and to get cohesion, you need time on the park and time together. We’ve been having that over the last six or so weeks, in the last couple of months, definitely. So, it’s pleasing.”

With Teague expected to return to training this week and push to feature in some capacity for City’s trip to face Brisbane next Saturday, the defending champions are finding fitness, as well as form, as the season winds down.

The win over the Phoenix featured Socceroo goalkeeper Patrick Beach back between the sticks after missing the past two games through an injury picked up on international duty, while Mat Leckie returned to the pitch for the first time since Halloween after undergoing hip surgery in December.

Introduced as an 83rd minute substitute, the 35-year-old was deployed in a deep-lying midfield role upon his entrance – the same role he played at the start of the season and as best afield in last year’s grand final – and now has two more weeks of football, plus potential finals, to press his case for inclusion in Tony Popovic’s squad for the World Cup.

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“We’ve been discussing over the last couple of days what’s going to be the best thing for him,” said Vidmar. “It also depended on how the game was panning out. We always thought 15-20 minutes was probably going to be the right amount of time for him.

“We were mindful that we didn’t stretch it out too much for him. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but he looked fine when it was on the pitch.

“We certainly tested him when he was in a transition moment, where he had to sprint back 30-35 meters - if anything was going to happen, it was probably going to be that moment!

“I think he’s done a top-up [run] now on the pitch, so, touch wood, everything’s fine.”

And regardless of how Leckie’s efforts to force his way into World Cup contention go, Vidmar is absolutely welcoming of the boost he’ll provide his side’s finals chances.

“He can play anywhere,” said the City coach. “He can play as a nine. He can play as a winger. He can play anywhere in the midfield. Someone of his ability and his status; we’ll always fit him in somewhere. But he’s got to feel comfortable and happy within himself, so that he can continue to get more minutes.

“We’ve probably had, during the course of the season, holes at the six or holes in the eight or ten positions. So he’s probably going to be somewhere in the midfield.”

Header Image: Melbourne City

It was a scrappy goal, the veteran cutting inside onto his right foot and not hitting it with all that much venom and fortunate enough that the deflection it took off Isaac Hughes completely wrongfooted keeper Josh Oluwayemi. And as neat as the build-up for that goal was, an extended period of possession in the final third eventually provided with a catalyst it needed by Nate Atkinson moving into the box with the ball; it was a lack of spectacular flash that was reflective of City’s performance.

The ideas were still there, but the execution wasn’t as smooth or decisive as it needed to be – not helped by the Phoenix presenting a more organised, and physical, defensive front than Central Coast and Western Sydney had in City’s two previous wins. Buoyed by a first win at AAMI Park in nine years the week prior, the Phoenix had a spell in the early stages of the second half without creating too much in the way of clear-cut opportunities, only for their resistance to be snuffed when Andreas Kuen sliced a pass behind their lines for Younis to run onto and, as the defence began their ultimately fruitless appeals for offside, slotted beyond Oluwayemi.

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After starring against the Wanderers, meanwhile, Younis’ one-game suspension picked up in that clash seemed to have broken his momentum to that point, struggling to impose himself on the game in the same way he had the previous Saturday before looking to loosen up after the goal: having a spectacular bicycle kick cleared off the line in the 84th minute. Across from him, after arguably being best afield in the win over the Mariners, Daniel Arzani couldn’t find the same rhythm to his game on this afternoon and cut an increasingly frustrated figure, too.

But with Sunday’s clash representing the third game that Aurelio Vidmar’s side has played in the last eight days, perhaps this was to be suspected. And with those three fixtures producing nine points, it’s doubtful that there will be too much consternation at Casey Fields over this in the days to come. This was a solid performance, one in which they came in against an opponent riding a three-game winning run of their own and playing for their finals lives and held them without a shot.

City will also take the positives of another strong performance from fullback duo Behich, another World Cup coming into increasing focus for the veteran, and Nathaniel Atkinson. The pair were continued standouts even when the side was struggling to do much in the way of anything, carrying significant responsibility to help their side progress up the pitch, and will inevitably play more roles in whatever success their side can source in the weeks ahead. Behich’s three goals now represent the equal second-most he’s ever scored in a single league season, trailing only his 2017/18 campaign with Bursaspor in Turkey, when he scored five.

Kuen continues to quietly serve as one of the league’s more dangerous attacking outlets; his thinning hair, pained running style, and presence in a squad with much larger personalities perhaps obfuscating that his vision, nous, and passing touch are some of the finest in the competition. The Austrian almost added a third in the 87th minute when he snuck in behind and was played in on goal, only for his deft outside the boot effort beyond a charging Oluwayemi to roll teasingly wide.

Lastly, while they didn’t end up playing much role in the final result, Vidmar will also be boosted by the return of Socceroo goalkeeper Patrick Beach, who ultimately didn’t need to make a save, and Socceroo attacker Mat Leckie – who made his return from hip surgery and logged his first minutes since last Halloween when he was introduced as a 83rd-minute substitute.

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So while it wasn’t a classic 2-0 win, it was an important one for City. Their season looking like it was slipping away from them a month ago, but City are now unbeaten in four league games and looking well on their way towards securing a playoff place. After seeing off fellow playoff aspirants Central Coast and Wellington in back-to-back games, Macarthur now loom as the only likely threat to their place in the top six with two games to go.

They now sit on 35 points, four clear of the Bulls ahead of their trip to face Perth Glory later on Sunday evening, five clear of the Phoenix and six ahead of the Mariners. Wins in either of their next two fixtures – away to Brisbane next Saturday and then at home to Adelaide to conclude the season – will render it impossible for the latter two foes to catch them, as it will be for Macarthur if they fall to defeat against the Glory out West.

While Adelaide possesses the league’s longest unbeaten run – now standing at eight games after their draw with table-toppers Newcastle on Saturday evening – no side has won more of their last five games than the defending champions.

After a turbulent, nearly two-year battle with repeated hamstring and other soft tissue injuries, Leckie underwent surgery on his right hip in early December, seeking to restore full movement to the joint and help address the cause of his repeated stints on the sideline at what was thought to be their source.

Now, just over 120 days on, the 35-year-old has progressed to the point in his rehabilitation where he, assuming he gets through City’s final training sessions, will be able to make his long-awaited return to the park for the Phoenix’s visit to AAMI Park on Sunday – victory in which would go a long way into securing the defending champions spot in the top six.

He’d join several reinforcements City are expected to welcome back for the contest, with Socceroo Patrick Beach and veteran defender Samuel Souprayen both looming as likely selections, in-form Olyroo Marcus Younis set to return from suspension, and another Socceroo in Ryan Teague shaping as a 50/50 proposition.

Speaking on Friday, however, Vidmar said that, ultimately, it would be up to Leckie to listen to his body and make the call on whether he was ready to return.

“It’s going to be a late decision,” Vidmar said. “He’ll train again today, train again tomorrow, and then we’ll just see how he is. He’s got to feel confident within himself, within his body, that if he does come into the squad, he can participate at any stage.

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“In a way, we’ve got to leave it to him. He’s the only one who can feel how his body’s feeling. He looks fine on the training track, but at the end, it’s got to be Mat himself who says I’m ready to go.”

Leckie’s addition would come at a crucial time for City, who have gone four games unbeaten to vault back into the playoff places just in time for a visit from a Phoenix side coming off a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park – their first win at the venue in nine years.

Sitting on 32 points, a win against Wellington, combined with a Sydney FC defeat in the Sydney Derby, would see Vidmar’s outfit move into fifth on the table and, should Macarthur fail to defeat Perth Glory in Western Australia, more than a game clear of seventh.

Lose, however, and City would fall behind the Phoenix on the table and, should the Bulls triumph out West too, crash down into eighth.

“Obviously, it’s been a long time since he played his last game,” said Vidmar. “Generally, he’s one of those guys who doesn’t need a hell of a lot of training; he’s generally pretty fit anyway. Of course, match rhythm is completely different, but he just always finds a way, finds an extra leg when he needs it, and that’s how he’s been for his entire career. If we can get him back in at any stage, whether this weekend or next week, it’ll absolutely be an added bonus for us.

We’re playing better football now… we’re sort of hitting our straps, if you want to say that, especially over the last couple of weeks, and we’re in a good frame of mind.

“We’ve had slower starts in the last couple of weeks, but we’ve managed to hang in there and then, and then really got on top of teams.

“We’re in good shape, good physical shape. I know this is our fourth game in two weeks. So you know, are we going to be at our freshest? Who knows, but we’ve been through this before. We know how to recover. We know how to back up.

“It’s an important game, as they all are, but it’s against a team that over the last three weeks, with Chris [Greenacre] taking over [as interim], they’re really disciplined, they’re very aggressive. They’re super quick on the counterattack. They’ve taken some nice results over the last couple of weeks.”

City fans, however, won’t be the only ones closely watching if Leckie returns to the pitch.

Injuries have restricted Leckie to just two international appearances since the 2022 FIFA World Cup – where he scored the famous goal to beat Denmark and send Australia through to the knockout stages – with his last appearance in Green and Gold coming under Graham Arnold, in a 5-0 win over Palestine in November of 2024.

Called up by Tony Popovic for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia last June, the 79-cap veteran sacrificed his place in the team – and his face – in dragging City over the line in last year’s Grand Final, withdrawing from the Socceroo squad soon after being named the Joe Marston medalist.

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If Leckie has enough runway to prove his form and fitness to play for the national team is up for debate – Vidmar admits that if he hasn’t returned by City’s trip to face Brisbane next week, a line can probably be drawn through him – and if there’s even room to force his way into Popovic’s attacking or midfield mix isn’t clear.

But Vidmar also observed that, even at his age, there are few players in Australia’s talent pool capable of reaching Leckie’s level when he’s at his best.

“At the end of the day, Popa is going to have to make a decision,” Vidmar, a former Socceroo as a player and former assistant and caretaker coach of the side, said. “Is a guy who’s out of rhythm going to be valuable? Someone of Leckie’s status and what he can do -- there’s definitely not one player in the league, when he’s on and when he’s fit, there is no player like him.

“But that’s a discussion and a decision for Popa to make. If he plays the next couple of games, he’s probably going to be considered, I would imagine. But whether he’s done enough to cement a place in a World Cup squad, again, I can’t make that decision for Popa.

“Popa’s going to have to make that decision, with his staff, about what’s in the best interest of the team. If he doesn’t come up in the next week or so, then he’s probably got no chance.

“But we’re hoping, and we’re pretty confident that if not this weekend, next weekend, he’s got to show himself.”

Header Image: Melbourne City

Five points, rather than two, now separate Victory from second-placed Auckland with three games remaining on the campaign, while the eight-point gap between themselves and the Jets means that Milligan’s side can ensure they won’t finish below the Victorians with just one more win. Rather than end the weekend in third, the defeat means that the Victorians have slipped below Adelaide United and into fourth, with just a single point separating them from Sydney FC. Heck, given the evidence put forth against the Kiwis, and given they still need to play the top two before the season is out, perhaps Victory needs to be looking over their shoulder at the Phoenix, who, after making it three wins on the bounce for the first time since January 2023, will end the weekend in seventh.

The end of daylight saving time overnight had given those transitioning from AEDT to AEST an extra hour of sleep heading into Sunday afternoon’s contest, but Victory appeared to be still sleepwalking; lethargically chasing at the shadows of a more purposeful, more energetic Phoenix outfit. Serenaded by boos from the North end at halftime, Victory should have greeted the whistle, they deserved to greet the whistle, in at least a one-goal deficit: the hustling and bustling Corban Piper hitting the woodwork and flashing a volley just wide of the post, while Ifeanyi Eze had an eighth-minute attempt cleared off the line by Sebastian Esposito.

“Not good enough,” Diles said post-game. “Didn’t see that one coming. Definitely not the result we wanted, but definitely not the performance we expected and we worked towards. So that’s something we have to address during the week.

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“There was no indication leading into this match that we’d start like that, or play the match like that. Definitely in the first half, we didn’t start well, and we were stretched at times, defensively. We weren’t good enough with the ball. We had cheap turnovers. It just wasn’t us. It was very hard to find our flow and our rhythm in that first half, and we didn’t. It was probably our worst half of football the year. That’s the most disappointing part, and the fact that we do that at home in such a big match is the part that’s really disappointing.”

That Esposito was even on the park to the clearance to deny Eze, given his subsequent removal with concussion symptoms around 15 minutes later, raises concerns on its own. The young defender had crashed to the turf, hitting his head in the process, moments before that goalline clearance and had appeared shaky ever since. Coming just days after Guillermo May was allowed to stay on the park for Auckland despite appearing to be knocked senseless against Adelaide, just how the A-League is handling concussions – IFAB’s new concussion substitutes were introduced this season, but they’re no good to anyone until they’re actually utilised – has become a sudden and unwelcome storyline heading into its last weeks.

“I haven’t looked into that yet. I’ll address that now, when I go back in. The medical staff did the job that they needed to do. And in the end, that was the decision. At the time, obviously, they thought he wasn’t [unable to continue], and he wasn’t making it known that he was. He would have ticked every box that needed to be ticked from a medical point of view. And in the end, as it went on, he started to feel a little bit worse for wear, and we reassessed him.”

Of the game itself, Victory could hardly string multiple passes together across the opening half, their longest stints in possession mostly delivered by Roderick Miranda standing on the ball. Keegan Jelacic’s 15th-minute attempt dragged wide of the post from atop the box serving as their only noteworthy attempt, Juan Mata was mostly kept quiet and emerged from the second half with his left arm heavily bandaged, while Nikos Vergos, having been largely anonymous, was hooked and replaced with Charles Nduka.

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Even though it ended without a shot, the stanza’s best chance arrived in the 31st minute, when Ramy Najjarine took the ball off Mata and kick-started a rapid move in transition that ultimately saw Eze whip a lethal-looking delivery across the face of goal looking for Piper, only for the ball to prove just beyond the reach of his desperate dive. Capitalising on their host’s turgidness in possession had proven a promising pathway to goal for the Kiwis, with Eze’s eighth-minute attempt kick-started by Piper forcing a turnover and a resulting overload in transition on the left side.

“I was delighted with the way that we played,” Phoenix interim boss Chris Greenacre said. “You have to be brave to come here and play; it’s an intimidating place. The fans are football crazy, and it’s really important that you’re really brave. I thought in the first half, we really put our foot on the ball, and we dominated possession and wanted to play how we wanted to play. That doesn’t happen very often here. So I was delighted with the way we started the game. Melbourne came into it in the second half a little bit more, but I was delighted we created some of the bigger moments within the game. Delighted with the three points, it hasn’t been a happy stomping ground for us.”

A wayward 64th-minute pass from Josh Rawlins induced Jordi Valadon to slide in and bring down Alex Rufer in a dangerous position outside the penalty area, with Paolo Retre bending an effort wide off the subsequent second-phase. Bill Tuiloma somehow worked himself into an open position atop the six-yard box to meet an 83rd-minute corner, only to drag it just wide of the post. Indeed, if the Nix had arrived with anything close to their shooting boots on Sunday, Victory would have been dispatched with relative ease well before Kartum’s winner.

But then, finally, in the last minute of regulation, the Phoenix broke through. They’d hardly been banging down the door for the preceding 44 minutes, Victory able to more reliably get the ball forward, only to run into a brick wall once they tried to navigate their foe’s penalty area. Still, when Eze found an open Kartum to provide the breakthrough, it felt like a deserved winner had been sourced.

Boos once again greeted the whistle at full-time, as Victory’s hopes of coming from the clouds in the premiership race disappeared alongside it and a visit to Auckland, without Esposito and potentially without Mata, who suffered a suspected hyperextended elbow in the first half, on tap. The Phoenix’s finals hopes, though, continued to rise from… well… the ashes.

“We’ve said from the word go that while it’s mathematically possible, we’re going to give everything we can to try and get into that top six,” said Greenacre. “I said to the players before the game, with some of the results that have gone around on Easter weekend, that no one’s going to do us any favours. It’s down to us to dig in and really put on a show. And I think we did that today.

“It’s a positive step [towards his hopes of shedding the interim tag]. I’m probably in the driving seat, I suppose, right now. But it’s about seeing progress on a daily basis, and I’m seeing that on a daily basis with all the players, all the group, even the players that haven’t been involved have been great in keeping the starting players honest. That shows the calibre of the people that we’ve recruited prior to me getting here.

“Am I the person to sit in this chair for the full time? I hope so. But I’ve been in football a long time, and until that happens, I’ve just got to focus on the day job, which I’m trying to do each day. I’m literally going day by day, and that seems to be working at the moment, so I’ll continue to do that.”

Here we had a Western Sydney native, one who joined their youth ranks at age 12 and with whom he made his professional debut at 17, whose father, Ray, was quite literally on the touchline serving as the club’s strength and conditioning coach. This is a lad that should bleed Western Sydney, who should never come close to another club while he’s in the A-League Men. But as he scored and registered two assists on this evening he didn’t do so in red and black but, instead, sky blue: spurring Melbourne City to a 3-0 win that keeps their finals push on track but adds further pain to his former side.

Younis only played 201 A-League Men minutes for the Wanderers before heading overseas, itself a tale of suspect utilisation, but he could have come back to Wanderland in January. After making a permanent move to Brøndby over the offseason, a lack of minutes in Hovedstaden had spurred him to explore a return Down Under and the Wanderers, undoubtedly, would have loved to have him. Instead, though, he signed for City, the same club that he’d made his debut against back in 2023, but whom, especially with the benefit of hindsight, provided him with a better platform.

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He’s now got nine goal involvements across all competitions since returning, with his play of a sufficient quality that, if it’s maintained, you wouldn’t be surprised to see him pushing for involvement in the Socceroos setup by the time next year’s Asian Cup rolls around.

“It was a good performance for Marcus,” City coach Aurelio Vidmar said. “He’s been really good for us since he’s been here. He’s powerful, he’s strong. He can take people on. He’s got a great cross. He’s got a very good shot on him. We’re pleased with the way he’s performing.”

With seven points from their last three games, he’s helped lift City to sit just two points adrift of the top six, and they’ll be able to leapfrog Macarthur for a spot in the playoff places if they win their game-in-hand against Central Coast on Tuesday evening. Saturday was a must-win for them in the finals race and, thanks to their lad from Western Sydney, as well as goals from Andreas Kuen and Albasan Rashani, they got it.

“I didn’t draw up all the first 15 minutes with all the transition moments that were killing us,” said Vidmar. “[But I’m] very pleased, at the end. A nice win. 3-0. Kept a clean sheet. It should give us a lot of confidence. It was always going to be a tough game. They’re very quick in the transition moments. We didn’t really handle that well in the first 15 minutes; they probably should have scored a goal, to be honest.

“Once we scored, we settled and then for the first time in a long time, we got the all-important second goal. Because that’s what’s been hurting us a little bit, not being able to get that second goal to really calm us down. We did that, and then early in the second half, we got the third and put it to bed.”

The Wanderers, conversely, sit twelfth on the table, the same number of losses they’ve now racked up this season, and are three points back of next-worst Perth Glory. They have just three games remaining to salvage something, anything, that they can use to build on next campaign as they welcome yet another new coach, the latest in a string of would-be saviours following the departure of Tony Popovic, in the form of Ufuk Talay.

The first of those games will come against Sydney FC in the latest iteration of the Sydney Derby but, with what was once was one of the league’s proudest fanbases recedes in the face of mediocrity becoming outright ineptitude – the Wanderers women’s team earlier on Saturday secured another wooden spoon – one wonders if the crowd in Parramatta next week could push for the lowest non-COVID turnout in the rivalry’s history.

“It’s well known that we need to have an overhaul,” said van Egmond, who presented a far less apoplectic figure than he was after their loss to Adelaide. “You’re in a position that you’re, you’re last on the table, you need to have a strong Western Sydney Wanderers, in regards to the landscape of Australian football. We’re in a really rich vein of football territory, as far as Sydney is concerned. So the amount of juniors that are playing there, the juniors that we want to be able to develop and bring through into the first grade squad, they’re things that are definitely on the list, and are paramount for the club.”

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Maybe this whole narrative, or at least Saturday’s, isn’t quite as morose if van Egmond can call upon Ryan Fraser, Kosta Barbarouses, Hiroshi Ibusuki, Brandon Borrello, and Jacob Farrell for the trip to Melbourne – all of whom he said post-game were late outs with injuries. All are chances to be back for the Derby bar the on-loan Farrell, who may be done for the season with a groin injury. The narrative is almost certainly different if Jai Rose, Angus Thurgate, or Dylan Scicluna convert their early looks on the goal of James Nieuwenhuizen, who was making his A-League Men debut after Patrick Beach tweaked his quad with the Socceroos. But alas.

They were the highlights of what was a good little early patch for the Wanderers and, given the turmoil that had gripped City in the week following reports of a dressing-down delivered to Daniel Arzani by senior members of the squad, could have kick-started a spiral for the hosts had they struck true.

“That’s the title of the tape, isn’t it?” said van Egmond. “ When you look at the beginning of the game, we started quite sprightly. We’ve had two or three really good chances, and then it goes down the other end, and we probably don’t defend it as well as we should. Both boxes were areas in which we were definitely less than what they were.”

Instead, Vidmar’s side was let off the hook. Then they started to grow into the game, with Arzani, who started, fluffing two good chances of his own to put City ahead. Then Kuen then pirroureted beautifully atop the penalty area after being found by Younis and drove an effort into the bottom corner of the net to put the defending champions ahead.

Two wicked deflections, the first to send an Arzani ball intended for Nathaniel Atkinson into his path and the second coming off Anthony Pantazopolos to completely wrongfoot Lawrence Thomas from his resulting shot, then allowed Younis to make it 2-0. His second assist was then delivered when he drove a cross to a waiting Rashani just after halftime, and, to cap off an eventful evening, he received his marching orders in the 67th minute after picking up a second yellow card.

He’ll now miss City’s must-win game against Central Coast on Tuesday, a game after which the loser will likely have a line drawn through their finals aspirations. Ryan Teague, who limped off at halftime, will also be under a cloud heading into the game, while Beach will miss once again.