City move one step closer to history after vanquishing ALW semifinal demons
Just three games stand between Melbourne City and a historic treble after the three-time defending premiers defeated Melbourne Victory to move into another A-League Women grand final.
One of the ghosts that has haunted Melbourne City has been banished, a heartbreaking defeat and the phantom offside that led to it in last season’s semifinal exorcised by a 2-0 aggregate triumph over Melbourne Victory that secured them the chance to host next week’s decider at AAMI Park. Michael Matricciani’s side has now earned the right to battle other demons, starting with the championship-shaped hole in their resume and then followed just days later by the pursuit of an Asian crown that eluded them a year ago. A historic treble potentially awaits.
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?”
JDL Media is committed to keeping its reporting on Australian football away from paywalls.
If you’re in a position to, please consider supporting this coverage at Ko-Fi.
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.
JDL Media is committed to keeping its reporting on Australian football away from paywalls.
If you’re in a position to, please consider supporting this coverage at Ko-Fi.
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.”