Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Melbourne City
by Emma Burke (3/5/25)
Above: Melbourne City’s Alexia Apostolakis (sky blue), who set up her side’s second goal, takes on Taren King of Central Coast Mariners today. Photo: Melbourne City.
A two-all draw between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne City at Industree Group Stadium has left both sides with everything to play for in the second leg of the A-League Women Semi-Finals.
It was the Mariners’ Brooke Nunn who kept the home team in the game, both opening and equalising the scoring.
The first of her two goals came through the work of Annalise Rasmussen, who nutmegged City Captain Rebekah Stott and was left with miles of space to run into.
Rasmussen then played the ball to Izzy Gomez on a run who’s cutback found Jade Pennock at the spot, but Pennock’s initial shot was blocked by keeper Malena Mieres. Mieres, who had not been able to hold onto the ball, parried it into the feet of Nunn who made no mistake from such close range.
City answered back in the form of a spectacular Leticia McKenna free kick. The dead ball, taken from at least 25 yards out, was struck perfectly to beat Sarah Langman in goal. This is the second week in a row that McKenna has scored in such astonishing fashion.
The visiting Melbourne City then took the lead minutes later through Bryleeh Henry, who ran onto a well-timed line-breaking through ball from Alexia Apostolakis.
Henry’s run saw her cut across the pitch from right to left to meet the ball right under the noses of Central Coast’s defensive line. Utilising all of her pace, Henry then beat out a trailing defender, stepped around Langman, who had come off her line to meet her, and completed the finish into an open net to put City up 2-1.
Following the break, Nunn scored her second of the afternoon, running onto a pass from Jade Pennock and beating Mieres for a second time.
Locked in a draw, both sides seemed happy to wait out the rest of the time remaining, with neither making a serious case for a third goal.
This means that both sides will play for their place in the Championship game next weekend in Melbourne in the second leg with all to play for.
Teams: CENTRAL COAST MARINERS (4-4-2): Langman, Martin, King, Nash, Rowe, Gomez, Galic, Krazula, Nunn, Rasmussen, Pennock. Substitutes: Hughes, Evans, Trimis, Fuller.
Scorers: Nunn 20’, 54’.
MELBOURNE CITY (5-3-2): Mieres, Roestbakken, Stott, Otto, Apostolakis, Vlajnic, Davidson, McKenna, Hughes, Henry, McMahon. Substitutes: McNamara, Murray, Pollicina.
Scorers: McKenna 29’, Henry 35’.
Referee: Georgia Ghirardello.
Attendance: 1,934.
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