Canberra United defeat Sydney FC and set up epic final round of ALW

Canberra United 1-0 Sydney FC

Emma Burke 27/3/24

Above: Canberra United celebrate their win over Sydney FC. Photo: Canberra United

Cheered on by a crowded McKellar Park featuring many home-made signs referring to Canberra United’s unstable future, Canberra have kept the entire league alive by defeating a travelling Sydney FC 1-0 in a thrilling replay of their Round 17 fixture that was ended due to lightning. 

The win secured by none other than Michelle Heyman, who scored 10 minutes after being substituted on for the second half, also saw her break another record in the league. 

Heyman now has the highest number of goal involvements in a single season with 22 contributions, 16 of which have been goals and a further six assists. This record was previously held by none other than Sam Kerr, and at this point, Heyman is running out of records to break.

Sydney FC had multiple opportunities to open the scoring, and then to tie the game up, but between errant shots and an incredible seven denials by Canberra’s keeper Chloe Lincoln, they just could not manage to find the back of the net.

This marks Lincoln’s second clean sheet in as many games and comes off the back of her impressive run with the Young Matildas where she started every game of their third place run at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in Uzbekistan and kept three clean sheets out of their five games.

Canberra’s win means that Sydney have been unable to secure the premiers’ plate, and will have to wait until this weekend’s final round to secure what would be their fourth plate in four years.

Sydney will have to beat Melbourne Victory in the Big Blue, as anything less than that, combined with a win for Melbourne City will leave City the League’s premiers. 

Canberra United (4-2-3-1): Lincoln, McKenzie, Clark, Murray, Grove, Nathan, Jackson, Whithall, Milivojevic, Clough, Bertolissio Substitutes: Majstorovic, Ilijoski, Christopherson, Flannery, Heyman 

Scorers: Heyman 56’

Sydney FC (4-1-4-1): Whyman, Lemon, McLean, Thompson, Tumeth, Chauvet, Ray, Hawkesby, Ibini, Vine, Tallon-Henniker Substitutes: Black, Connors, Hollman, Dos Santos, Caspers

Referee: Georgia Ghirardello