A-League 2024/25 A-League Women Thread

[stax on the mull]

3-0 to Perth Glory at home to Western United on Friday Night. Again another team in contention for the Top 6 losing to a side lower on the ladder. Western United went down to 10 players for the last 20 minutes plus extra time and Perth scored 2 more goals in that period of play. Susan Phonsongkham played her first minutes for the season for Perth and took the penalty to make it 3-0 after a handball on the edge of the box.

 

[stax on the mull]

All pretty good contests this weekend where, apart from late in the Friday night game, both teams looked like they could win.

Wellington Phoenix made the move up in that battle for the last 3 places in the finals between 5 teams with the top 3 positions sewn up. Western Sydney were a goal ahead but Wellington at home created several chances throughout the game and eventually broke through.

Western United look the most vulnerable. Their leading goalscorer Kahli Johnson moving to play in Canada hurts them in the run home and even though they hang on to 4th spot they've played more games than the other teams looking to finish in the 4th 5th and 6th spots - and their goal difference is -8, equal highest goals scored against with 39.

Central Coast went down 0-1 to Adelaide away, and lost a player to a red card (after two yellows) for the last half hour but kept pushing for an equaliser late with 10 players.

Emily Gielnik moving up to 10 goals in the golden boot race with a quality flick back header from a corner to give Melbourne Victory a 2-0 lead and a win against Canberra United.

Newcastle Jets beat Sydney 1-0. The bottom 4 teams can make it mathematically and while the gap is narrowing between the bottom 4 and the teams 4th to 8th, there's no team going on a surge up with Wellington ending Western Sydney's 3 game winning streak today.

 

[giggler99]

Round 19 Fixture

Friday 14th March
Central Coast Mariners V Perth Glory 7:00pm ESDT, Industree Group Stadium
Western United V Canberra United 7:00pm ESDT, Ironbark Fields

Saturday 15th March
Western Sydney wanderers V Melbourne Victory 4:409pm ESDT CommBank Stadium
Sydney FC V Wellington Phoenix 5:00pm ESDT, Leichardt Oval

Sunday 16th March
Melbourne City V Adelaide United 4:00pm ESDT, Ctrl: Cyber Pitch
Brisbane Roar V Newcastle Jets 6:30pm ESDT, Perry Park

 

[stax on the mull]

3-3 Central Coast vs Perth Glory.
4-3 Western United beat Canberra.

These games were almost going in synch with the scores and lead changes at around the same time on the clock during both games. I only watched the last part of the Central Coast vs Perth Glory game where Perth equalised in 93rd minute through Tijan McKenna who has been in excellent form. She was a former Young Matilda but recently took the opportunity to represent Croatia through her parents heritage.

Couple of horrendous GK errors. One from the usually reliable Langman at Central Coast who let a long range free kick that didn't have a lot of power bounce through her fingers on the inside of the post for Glory's first goal. In the other game, Chloe Lincoln (Matildas 3rd choice keeper) adding to what seems to be her weekly tally of blunders by slipping when she went to cover the angle allowing the Canberra player a clear path to the middle of the goal.

Couple of goal of the week contenders too. Cath Zimmerman from Western United and Young Matilda Mary Stanic-Floody scoring within minutes of each other. Stanic-Floody has done similar maybe 3 or 4 times this season.

 

[stax on the mull]

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne Victory game has been postponed due to the weather conditions.

 

[stax on the mull]

Another late winner. 7 minutes of extra time at the end but the winner was scored after 97:20 seconds. Princess Ibini scored Sydney's winner just as I was bemoaning that she had done nothing since being subbed on. Wellington lost a player through two yellow cards in the 85th minute but kept pushing for a winner after leveling the scores.

Wellington Phoenix stay in 8th position where they could have jumped to 5th. 3 of their last 4 games are at home which still keeps them in it with a good chance for the finals. Sydney's win moves them off the bottom of the table jumping ahead of Western Sydney Wanderers with the WSW vs MV game postponed.

 

[stax on the mull]

Big round for goals with 28 being scored across the 5 matches.

4-3 today with Melbourne City defeating Adelaide at home to set an A League record for 19 games in a row undefeated.

Newcastle went to Brisbane and came from behind 1-0 and 2-1 down to win in extra time 2-3. With that win being their 3rd in a row they sneak closer to the final 6. Emma Dundas scoring the best goal the game.



Have to keep a watch on the leading goalscorer. Emily Gielnik remained on 10 with Melbourne Victory's game postponed. Holly McNamara is credited with scoring twice, although maybe it was 3 times?

 

[stax on the mull]

 

[giggler99]

Round 20 Fixture

Friday 21st March
Melbourne Victory V Newcastle Jets 7:00pm ESDT, home of the Matildas

Saturday 22nd March
Wellington Phoenix V Central Coast Mariners, 2:00pm ESDT, Parirua Park
Canberra United V Sydney FC, 4:00pm ESDT, McKellar Park
Perth Glory V Western Sydney Wanderers 8:00pm ESDT, Sam Kerr Football Centre

Sunday 23rd March
Adelaide United V Brisbane Roar, 4:30pm ESDT, Coopers Stadium

Played on 5th February
Melbourne City 5 V 1 Western United

 

[stax on the mull]

4-3 win to Melbourne Victory over Newcastle Jets in the Friday night game.

Melbourne Victory led 3-0 in around the first 20 minutes (a goal came in the first minute) and Newcastle pegged a couple back close to half time and then equalised in extra time with only a couple of the alloted 5 minutes left.

Melbourne Victory then scored a controversial winner with the 2nd last kick with the final whistle being blown by the ref after the next kick off.

Could have been a foul. The goalscorer Kayla Morrison knocks over the player before she kicks it into the net. Only real vision is in the first seconds of this clip. Note the time on the clock. There were two corners taken in a row and this was the 2nd corner taken after the 5 minutes for extra time was up and there wasn't really any time wasted after Newcastle scored their goal in extra time.




Emily Gielnik scored the first 2 goals of the game to move to 12 for the season, 2 ahead of Melbourne City's Holly McNamara on 10 goals.

 

[stax on the mull]

The game from Rd 18 that was cancelled during the cyclone alert is on in the middle of next week too.

Wed 26th March
Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City Perry Park Brisbane 7:00pm AEST


Melbourne City are supposed to hosting a team from Chinese Taipei called Taichung Blue Whale in the Asian Champions comp this weekend but not sure of the time or venue. (Probably check their social media page).

 

[stax on the mull]

Good result for Central Coast winning 2-0 away in NZ on Saturday against the Wellington Phoenix - one of the teams that was vying for their spot in the Top 6. Isabel Gomez who was named in the Matildas squad at the end of last year but was injured in the next A-League game scored the sealer for Central Coast. She has been playing with a heavily bandaged knee since coming back, and in the 2nd half she collapsed on the ground just running to a position, so I expect she's playing with injury since she's come back to hopefully play the last few matches and give herself another chance for a Matildas call up.



Adelaide United defeated Brisbane Roar at home on Sunday coming from 0-1 down to score 3 times in the 2nd half. Two goals from their sub Fiona Worts takes her tally to 9 for the season which is equal 3rd with Tameka Yallop (who didn't line up for Brisbane).

Perth Glory with their 1-0 extra time win on Saturday evening at home against Western Sydney Wanderers suddenly put themselves in contention on 22 points - 3pts behind Brisbane with 3 games to go. Perth are getting close to their full squad back with the return from injury of Georgia Cassidy and Grace Johnston this week and Susan Phonsongkham and Kelli Brown in recent weeks, and even though they haven't looked like it all year they have still have 2 games at home (the last being against Melbourne City) and their only away game is vs Sydney. Two wins and a draw gets them to 29pts which might if enough for 6th spot - if other results fall their way.

Brisbane do have an extra game (4 games left to play, whereas their main rivals have 3 games left) but have only taken 1pt in their last 5 with a draw and 4 losses - mostly against teams at the bottom of the ladder - losing to Sydney, Western Sydney and Newcastle. They have to play undefeated league leaders Melbourne City at home on Wednesday then back up with an away game to Central Coast on Sunday.

Sydney dealt a blow to Canberra United's final chances by defeating them away 0-1.

The Top 3 teams have well and truly qualified, it's just a matter of what number of points are required to make the last 3 spots in the Top 6.

As per the points table there's another 9pts available for the teams that have played 20 games and 12pts available for teams that have played 19 games, so bottom team Western Sydney Wanderers can get to 27 points with 4 wins but it's unlikely to be enough.

My guess is 30pts might be the bar to jump for the last 3 finals places.

 

[stax on the mull]

The game from Rd 18 that was cancelled during the cyclone alert is on in the middle of next week too.

Wed 26th March
Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City Perry Park Brisbane 7:00pm AEST


Melbourne City are supposed to hosting a team from Chinese Taipei called Taichung Blue Whale in the Asian Champions comp this weekend but not sure of the time or venue. (Probably check their social media page).

Brisbane continue their slump with 5 losses and a draw out of their last 6 as they went down 0-4 to the ladder leaders while Melbourne City maintain their unbeaten run for the season and put them 5pts clear of 2nd place Melbourne Victory who have played one less game.

Quite a dour game played in persistent light rain with both teams backing up from Sunday games. A scrambled goal from a corner early in the first half was the difference for most of the game until Melbourne City scored their 2nd in the 70th minute via Holly McNamara's 11th goal of the season -now one behind Emily Gielnik in the golden boot race. A simple strike on target hit with power but pleasing from a Matildas point of view because it was a left footer.

Two better quality goals to finish via substitute Bryleeh Henry just before the 90 and a header by Mariana Speckmaier in the last minute of injury time gives Melbourne City a plus 10 goal difference at the Top of the table.