Melbourne Victory 4-3 Newcastle Jets
by Ben Gilby (21/3/25)
Above: Melbourne Victory’s Alana Jančevski shows her delight after putting her side 3-0 up. Photo: Melbourne Victory.
Melbourne Victory ran out dramatic late winners in a match against Newcastle Jets that at one point they led 3-0.
Kayla Morrison’s strike six minutes into stoppage time at the end of an incredible encounter at the Home of the Matildas earned the win after an incredible back-from-the-dead effort from the Jets looked to have earned an unlikely point.
The second-placed Victory were red hot out of the blocks, establishing a two-goal lead within the opening 11 minutes, with Emily Gielnik on the mark for both.
The Matildas striker grabbed her first after just 52 seconds when she was fed by Rachel Lowe’s looping pass over the Jets’ defence. Gielnik picked up possession out on the right flank, nodded the ball towards the box, and slammed a shot past Danielle Krzyzaniak as the Jets’ keeper rushed to narrow the angle.
She could have had a second just seven minutes in when a sublime pass from Alex Chidiac on the left found Gielnik in acres of space towards the 18-yard box on the other side of the pitch. She chested the ball down before firing narrowly wide of the far post.
However, her brace arrived on the 11-minute mark, and it was a goal that put her two clear at the top of the A-League Women scoring charts. Alana Murphy curled a corner in from the left and Gielnik’s back flick header propelled the ball in at the near post.
Ten minutes later, it appeared that Jeff Hopkins’ side had achieved a match-winning lead when they extended their lead to 3-0. Chidiac had possession centrally outside the box with her back to goal and squared a pass to Alana Jančevski on the left.
The former Perth Glory magician took a touch before firing a long-range shot that bounced just ahead of the six-yard box which seemed to catch out Krzyzaniak before flying in at the right-hand post.
It was one of those goals that this very special player can suddenly pick out from nothing.
Game over, you might think? Absolutely not, as a rapid-fire burst of two goals in as many minutes just before the interval brought Newcastle right back into it.
With 43 minutes played, Cass Davis’ corner on the left was headed back to her by the home defence. Her second attempt saw her put a high cross into the mix at the back post with Lauren Allan getting up highest to head home into the top right-hand corner.
Shortly afterwards, the Jets closed the gap further with a goal that hugely frustrated the Victory. There was absolutely no danger whatsoever as Murphy played a ball back for Claudia Bunge. The Football Fern’s attempted clearance came crashing back off Sophie Hoban and flew into the net. Game on.
Ten minutes into the second half, Victory had a chance to seemingly put matters out of reach once more as Sara D’Appolonia played the ball in from the right which eventually found Nikki Flannery. However, the former Canberra United attacker leaned back slightly as she made contact which caused the shot to fly over.
Then came the real drama.
With four minutes of stoppage time played at the end of 90 minutes, Hoban advanced through the middle for the Jets and threaded a sumptuous pass that bisected two Victory defenders on the edge of the box and rolled into the feet of substitute Sheridan Gallagher who cooly sidefooted past Courtney Newbon from around 10 yards to level the scores.
Less than a minute later, the drama reached its stunning climax. Jančevski played a corner in high from the left that was headed back for Morrison to pounce from three yards out near to the back post to turn the ball home.
A quite incredible game decided in a quite incredible way.
Teams: MELBOURNE VICTORY (4-1-4-1): Newbon, Pickett, Bunge, Morrison, Jančevski, Murphy, D’Appolonia, Gielnik, Chidiac, Flannery, Lowe. Substitutes: Candy, Furphy, O’Grady, Sakalis, Wilson.
Scorers: Gielnik 1’, 11’. Jančevski 22’, Morrison 90+6’.
NEWCASTLE JETS (4-2-3-1): Krzyzaniak, Cicco, Prior, Wilson, Baumann, Dundas, Davis, L. Allan, Hoban, Jackson, Copus-Brown. Substitutes: Adams, Breier, Collins, Gallagher, Robertson.
Scorers: Allan 43’, Hoban 45’, Gallagher 90+4.
Referee: Molly Godsell.
Attendance: 632.
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