Canberra United 1-0 Wellington Phoenix
By Alice de Koster-Kitto 13/4/25
Above: Canberra United celebrate their winning goal. Photo: Canberra United
The penultimate round of the 2024/25 Ninja A-League season held great importance for both sides.
Visitors Wellington Phoenix required a win in order to maintain any hope of a top six finish.
Canberra United on the other hand, looked to maintain their place within the top sides, as taking the points home will be essential to not be overtaken by Brisbane Roar.
The vitality of this meeting was apparent from the first touch, with a sense of urgency overwhelming the pitch at both ends. Wellington took charge of possession at the very start, but Canberra’s determination and clever footwork made it difficult for them to maintain, causing quite an even, yet aggressive match up at the start.
A chance from Annalie Longo almost put Wellington in the lead in the seventh minute, however the ball bounced off the crossbar, following too high of a shot. Although the strike was ultimately missed, it left the nix slightly dominant, with the first goal now looking to come from the visitors.
The Nix had another great chance shortly after, with captain Annelie Longos’ pass, allowing Lara Wall to take a well-intended , yet too wide shot.
Canberra quickly fough back, when a run from Michelle Heyman almost caused disaster for Wellington. Although this shit was missed, th home side took the lead almost immediately following the strike, when Madison Ayson tucked the ball to the back of the net following a corner.
A scramble from the Pheonix defense prevented Canberra from extending their lead in the 31st minute, when the run of Hayley Taylor-Young looked to find the hosts a second goal of the afternoon. Although Taylor-Young got dangerously close, as she headed towards the box, it was a last minute interception that kept Wellington in the game.
As the first half came to a close, Canberra continued to capitalise on their home advantage, taking the dominance in both the midfield, and the attack, with a second goal seeming imminent, it became only a matter of if they would double their lead before or after the break.
There was no change in momentum at the top of the second half, with Canberra’s Maja Markovski making a dangerous strike from inside the box just a minute into play, unsettling an already shaken Wellington side.
It was the impeccable keeping of Sally James that kept Canberra United in the lead during the second half, as a shift in Wellingtons energy allowed them to find effective space, and finally capitalise on their opportunities, unnerving a confident Canberra side.
As stoppage time approached, the action did not slow down, with it becoming more unclear where a second goal would come from. Although Canberra remained technically dominant, the Nix response to a disappointing first half created quite an unpredictable and exciting final minutes, as the visitors took over possession.
With a string of extremely close chances at both ends, it seemed quite unlikely that the score would remain as is, however as the final whistle approached, it was beginning to look quite concerning for the Nix, as a win is crucial for their finals hopes.
The 84th minute saw Canberra get dangerously close to doubling their lead in the final minutes, when a set piece from Annalie Longo was almost finished by an Alivia Kelly tap in, but ultimately was scrambled out of the box.
As time ran out, the added seven minutes were as intense as ever, as the Nix pushed for the two goals needed to dominate this game. Despite their lead, the impetus within the Canberra side did not falter, with the hosts showing no signs of settling for a 1-0 win, as they searched for a second goal.
Despite efforts all around, Canberra was able to hold onto theory 1-0 victory, solidifying a place in the top six as finals approach.
The final round of the Ninja A-League season, ahead of finals, will see Wellington Phoenix head home to Porirua Park to face Western United. Although finals hopes have been diminished with this afternoon’s loss, the Nix will surely be looking to end their season with a home win, as they look to add a silver lining to a disappointing end to their campaign.
Meanwhile, Canberra United will head to CommBank Stadium to take on current 12th place holders Western Sydney Wanderers, where they will be the favourites to win this away fixture, in the lead up to what is set to be an exhilarating few weeks of finals.
Canberra United (4-4-2): James, Ayson, Stanic-Floody, Robers, Taylor-Young, Christopherson, Markovski, Keane, Heyman, Malone, Gordon. Substitutions: McKenzie, Murray, Dos Santos, Nathan, Majstorovic
Scorers: Ayson 25’
Wellington Phoenix (4-4-2): Vilao, Jaber, Barry, McCurcheon, Jale, Gergusson, Elliott, Brazendale, Longo, Main, Wall Substitutes: Neary, Kelly, Whinham, Tanaka, Ingham
Referee: Rachael Mitchenson
Attendance: 1,873.
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