Melbourne Victory 2-3 Melbourne City
by Emma Burke at AAMI Park for Impetus (9/11/24)
Above: Lourdes Bosch celebrates after scoring the equaliser for Melbourne City earlier today. Photo: Melbourne City.
Melbourne City have come from behind for the second week in a row to defeat Melbourne Victory 3-2 in a feisty Derby at AAMI Park.
City opened the scoring in the sixth minute through Mariana Speckmaier after Victory were caught ball-watching.
Victory won a penalty after Emily Gielnik was taken down in the box by Bryleeh Henry. Gielnik made no mistake from the spot and converted to tie up the score in the 20th minute.
A big scare came for City after Taylor Otto went down for an extended period clutching her knee. Otto was bowled over by Alanna Jančevski who received a yellow card for the challenge.
Victory pulled ahead just before the half, executing a training ground goal in perfect time. New signing Nikki Flannery’s cutback found Alanna Jančevski unmarked near the spot and her first-time shot was well weighted to beat the keeper at the near post.
Lourdes Bosch pulled one back for the away team, taking advantage of an uncharacteristically poor back pass from Claudia Bunge to keeper Courtney Newbon.
City’s game-winner came to Mariana Speckmaier late in the game, when substitute Leticia McKenna played an impressive ball over the top for her to run onto. Speckmaier beat her defender long enough to get the shot off and beat a diving Newbon.
Despite throwing everything they could at City’s defence, including Kayla Morrison into the attacking line, Victory could not find an equaliser.
“We finished the game pushing to try and get an equaliser… but we were our own worst enemy,” said Victory Head Coach, Jeff Hopkins after the whistle.
However, City’s Head Coach Michael Matricciani had only praise for his squad’s win, saying, “In the end we found the solution to unlock them to get the couple of goals in the second half, which were well deserved.”
Victory host Western United at the Home of the Matildas next Sunday for their round three fixture, while City welcome Central Coast Mariners to Casey Fields on Saturday.
Check out out Instagram feed – @ImpetusFootball – for Beck Hartley’s EXCLUSIVE photography for us from the game!
Teams: MELBOURNE VICTORY (4-3-3): Newbon, Wilson, Bunge, Goad, Murphy, Chidiac, Flannery, Gielnik, Morrison, Lowe, Jančevski. Substitutes: D’Appolonia, Sakalis, Meyers.
Scorers: Gielnik 20’ (pen), Jančevski 42’.
MELBOURNE CITY (3-5-2): Mieres, Otto, Harvey, Apostolakis, Pollicina, Huges, Roestbakken, Speckmaier, Davidson, Bosch, Henry. Substitutes: McKenna, Vlajnic, Murray.
Scorers: Speckmaier 6’, 86’, Bosch 64’.
Referee: Georgia Ghirardello.
Attendance: 3,850.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball : @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 