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W League Grand Final Report

The Westfield W League Grand Final pitted together the two most successful sides over the past five seasons. Impetus editor Ben Gilby reports.

Melbourne City 1-0 Sydney FC

Melbourne City completed their unbeaten season by winning the W League Grand Final, albeit due to a highly fortuitous goal in a match that was played behind closed doors at their AAMI Stadium home.

It is the third time that these two sides have met in Grand Finals, with City continuing their unbeaten record in the decider against Sydney FC, adding this year’s title to the ones they earned over the Harbour City side in 2016 and 2018.

Rado Vidošić’s star-studded Melbourne City side started the game as red-hot favourites, with Newcastle Jets, ironically the W League wooden spoonists, the only side they failed to beat after playing out a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the season. City went on to win every game from that day forwards.

Sydney started on the front foot with Veronica Latsko making a purposeful run down the left before releasing a cross-shot which went narrowly wide.

In these early stages, it was clear that the New South Wales based underdogs had been sent out by coach Ante Juric to press Melbourne high and get in their faces. On eight minutes, Remy Siemsen danced down the right before cutting inside Emma Checker and firing a curling shot into the arms of Lydia Williams.

Two minutes later there was another opportunity for Sydney when Sofia Huerta’s free kick was headed out by Checker but only as far as Teresa Polias whose effort was wide.

It took thirteen minutes before Melbourne City fashioned their first chance when Catley strode through the midfield but couldn’t find Scottish striker Clare Emslie. Shortly afterwards, the favourites fired a warning shot when Emily van Egmond found Catley down the left, but the Australian international’s shot was over the bar.

On the quarter of an hour mark, City went ahead, but there was a huge slice of fortune about it. A wonderful one-two involving Catley and van Egmond ended with Catley hitting a shot from the left of the box which Aubrey Bledsoe looked to have gathered, but she allowed the ball to squirm out of her grasp and it agonisingly rolled over the line and into the net.

**Above:** Steph Catley celebrates her match winning goal for Melbourne City. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity
**Link to original photo:** https://twitter.com/MelbourneCity/status/1241880032739385346/photo/1

Buoyed by the goal, Melbourne pressed forward and Lauren Barnes crossed in from the left to van Egmond, but the Matildas star’s effort was held by Bledsoe.

Sydney almost gifted City another on thirty two minutes when experienced Australian international Allana Kennedy hit a pass straight to Melbourne striker Clare Emslie, but Bledsoe redeemed herself for the earlier mistake by making a magnificent save to prevent a certain goal. Sydney were on the ropes and two minutes later, they presented another gift to City when Kyah Simon profited and hit a screamer against the bar before Natalie Tobin cleared.

As the half came towards its conclusion, Sydney had strong claims for a penalty turned down. Huerta’s attempted cross cannoned back off the arm of Catley, but inexplicably, referee Rebecca Durcau turned the appeals down.

Three minutes before the interval, the Harbour City side had another great opportunity when Siemsen played in Huerta but Williams dived down to her right to save.

Melbourne City’s teenage star Ellie Carpenter conjured up the first opportunity of the second half when she went on a trademark sprint down the right before cutting inside and firing over.

Veronica Latsko fashioned a golden opportunity for Sydney on forty nine minutes as she lifted an effort over Williams, but the City keeper was able to get a touch to slow down the progress of the ball and allow Carpenter to scramble the danger away.

**Above:** Melbourne City and Australia goalkeeper Lydia Williams gets a hand to Veronica Latsko’s attempted lob which allowed Ellie Carpenter (21) to run back to clear the danger. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity.
**Link to original photo:** https://twitter.com/MelbourneCity/status/1241240182579331072/photo/2

That chance inspired the favourites to put their foot on the offensive pedal once more as a catalogue of opportunities were created.

First, Emslie released in-form Melbourne City and Australia striker Kyah Simon, but her shot was narrowly wide of the post. Then Carpenter took the ball from just outside her own box past any number of attempted Sydney tackles before driving past Lindsay Agnew and hitting an effort just past the post.

Carpenter was involved again six minutes later when another run down the right resulted in a cross which was played back to Emily van Egmond, but Bledsoe dived to save.

With ten minutes to go, Sydney created their final chance when Latsko drove down the left and combined with Huerta who squared a ball across the box to substitute Princess Ibini, but her side footed effort was pushed away by Williams.

The final two chances both fell to Melbourne City when new arrival Ally Watt sprinted down the right and fired a weak shot at Bledsoe. The Sydney keeper presented City with a golden opportunity to seal the win a minute into stoppage time when her clearance cannoned straight back off of substitute Milica Mijatovic and rolled just wide.

The final whistle was greeted by raucous cheers from the Melbourne City players and staff, but celebrations were slightly muted by the absence of any fans in the 30,000 seater stadium due to the coronavirus outbreak.

This victory was City’s fourth – a record – to add to their wins in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Sydney remain the second most successful side in the W League with three Grand Final wins – 2010, 2013 and 2019, having played in seven of the twelve title deciders in the league’s history.

Melbourne City deserved their title over the season as they have been a class apart. Steph Catley was by far the most impressive player in the Grand Final, with the 19 year-old Australian superstar Ellie Carpenter celebrating yet another magnificent season.

**Above:** Melbourne City Women lift the 2019/20 Westfield W League trophy. **Photo:** @MelbourneCity
**Link to original photo:** https://twitter.com/MelbourneCity/status/1241261781068075008/photo/1

Teams:

MELBOURNE CITY: Lydia Williams, Rebekah Stott, Emma Checker, Lauren Barnes, Ellie Carpenter, Aivi Luik, Yukari Kinga (Mijatovic: 67), Steph Catley, Kyah Simon (Watt: 85), Clare Emslie, Emily van Egmond. Subs: Melissa Barbieri (GK), Rhali Dobson, Tyla-Jay Vlajnic, Milica Mijatovic, Ally Watt.

Goal: Catley 15.

SYDNEY FC: Aubrey Bledsoe, Ally Green, Allana Kennedy, Ellie Brush, Lindsay Agnew, Natalie Tobin (Sayer: 73), Teresa Polias, Taylor Ray (Hawkesby: 85), Sofia Huerta, Remy Siemsen (Ibini: 62), Veronica Latsko. Subs: Trudy Burke (GK), Mackenzie Hawkesby, Angelique Hristodoulou, Amy Sayer, Princess Ibini.

Referee: Rebecca Durcau.

Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne.

Attendance: Behind closed doors due to Coronavirus.

Ashford Town Women: Hugely Talented and Hugely Hopeful for Further Success

Ashford Town (Middlesex) Women are a team who have enjoyed huge success since their formation in 2015 by Will Boye, and they are not about to rest on their laurels.

**Above:** Ashford Town (Middlesex) Women FC. Photo supplied by: Will Boye.

Impetus editor Ben Gilby spoke to founder and chairman Will Boye who revealed their story so far: “In the short space of time that the club has been in existence, we have won the Greater London Women’s Football League (GLWFL) Division Three (South), GLWFL Division Two (South) as well as being Capital Cup finalist in 2016 and being victorious in 2017 winning the Capital Cup and GLWFL Trophy. Further glory followed in the following season when the team achieved another back to back promotion from GLWFL Division One and winning the GLWFL Premier Division.”

Boye then went on to explain the club’s set up: “We are proud to be affiliated to Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC and to have Wristfitx wristbands as our club’s main sponsor. Our relationship with the men’s side (who play in the eighth tier of the pyramid) is good. There are always things to improve that will never change in football as the demands of the game get greater and greater. We are run entirely by volunteers, this club has gone from strength to strength looking to progress to the very highest level of the game as well as provide development opportunities for all. This has been achieved through the creation of an U10s, U14s, U18s and B Team Team which are now all part of the pathway to the senior Women’s First Team. Matthew Aumeeruddy (Assistant Coach) and I have been together since the club was newly formed.”

Given the way that Ashford have flown up four divisions since formation, I asked Boye for what he believed was the key to such incredible success: “It’s simply been down to our togetherness, dedication and resilience. Just under half of the squad have been together since our existence in Division Three and a large majority have been dedicated to the club since Division Two. We have shown tenacity and resilience through difficult times to develop a mental strength to get through any challenges put our way. We work hard as a group on the training ground and constantly challenge ourselves to be better and this is in my opinion is what is key to our success and why new players want to join the football club and be part of the success journey that we’re on.”

**Above:** Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC’s Ashley Cheatley (in blue away kit) lays off the ball against Fulham. **Photo:** Ben Gilby.

Ashford Town now find themselves in the highly competitive top flight of the London & South-East League, just one step below the FA Women’s National League, with only one promotion spot available. The Middlesex side’s chairman views it as a tough league: “I would go as far as saying this is the most competitive this division has been for a number of years. There are four or five teams in this division who could win the league any other year with consistency behind them because the quality is most certainly there. It took us a while to get used to the division. We have been used to climbing the leagues and this has been a nice challenge for us as a squad. It will be a tall ask to win the division this season with the top two (Dulwich Hamlet and QPR) convincingly running away with things at the moment, however we do believe we possess the ability to mount a firm challenge next season.”

Ashford Town feel that that they are more than capable of making the jump up – but are more than aware that it’s not just about reaching the National Leagues, it’s also about staying there: “Reaching the National Leagues has been our goal since our formation. The coaching and management team have bought into this goal and each and every player at this football club have too. We do need to improve on and off the football pitch to make this a reality but I don’t believe we’re a million miles away from achieving this. For me it’s not just about achieving FA Women’s National League (WNL) status and saying “job done”, we want to achieve WNL status and effectively challenge at that level. If this means an extra season in the division we’re currently in to mature as a team and prepare us for what is to come then we’ll take on that challenge.”

I had the privilege of watching Ashford Town’s game at Fulham in their League Cup clash in December. It showed that ‘Tangerines’ side have some excellent players who are capable of some fantastically skilled football. I therefore asked Boye how the club develop their players and help instil then with such a high standard of play: “There is no question we possess unbelievable talent at this football club who can more than hold their own in the level above. We believe in our coaching philosophy at the football club and have developed this every year based on the new challenges that have come our way. For us as coaches, it’s about effectively studying our opposition and preparing our players for what they’re going to face in the game whilst developing our youth to the standard that will eventually have them playing football at the highest possible level (be it with Ashford or away from the football club). We have a philosophy which every player and coach are aware of, this has served us well over the seasons and it’s ever changing, as the challenges we face and the sport also are. This is what will make us successful as a football club and the individuals within it.”

Success breeds success, and a combination of Ashford climbing up the leagues rapidly and the increased media attention, Boye’s club are attracting more and more players as he reveals: “There has been a noticeable increase in players wanting to join the football club and this increases after the success we achieve year after year. We began with only a senior women’s team and have since added four more age categories to our club providing football now for over seventy girls and women.

**Above:** Ashford Town (Middlesex) attempt to halt a Fulham attack. **Photo:** Ben Gilby

The conversation then turned towards the challenges that Ashford Town face, and it was a familiar tale: “One of our biggest challenges is sponsorship. We currently compete with three or four teams in our division in which their budget is double or triple what we currently have. Many teams have access to 3G pitches which allows training to be free of charge and accessible to teams whenever they require. We don’t have this and spend year on year our budget to hire out pitches and that remains our biggest challenge. Discussions are in place for next season however I’m sure there are many other teams (men and women’s) we’ll be competing with.”

With Ashford Town aiming for the promised land of the FA Women’s National League, I asked the club chairman what he believes the keys are for a sustainable future for his club: “You need a team of players and staff who are all on the same page and all committed to success. Success comes in many different forms at various stages of a football journey so it’s important that the success targeted is realistic and we’re patient yet determined in achieving this.

**Above:** Ashford Town (Middlesex) Women have had plenty to celebrate since their formation. **Photo:** Ben Gilby.

W League Round-Up

The Westfield W League semi-finals in Australia saw two relatively straightforward victories which sets up a mouthwatering Grandf Final next weekend. Impetus editor Ben Gilby reports.

Melbourne City continued their unbeaten season with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers to reach their fourth Grand Final.

City were rampant in the first half. Aivi Luik hit an early effort wide and Kyah Simon headed over Ellie Carpenter’s cross.

Wanderers could not cope with the majestic skills of Carpenter, and it was the teenager’s rampage up the right, with not a black and red hooped shirt in sight that ended with the ball being comfortable side footed into the net by Scot Clare Emslie.

It was 2-0 after twenty-one minutes with Emslie the provider this time as her cross was met by the head of Kyah Simon who gave Abby Smith in the Wanderers goal no chance.

Matildas star Ellie Carpenter then danced her way up the right, leaving a host of Wanderers players trailing in her wake before thumping a shot off of the crossbar. What a goal it would have been.

With City absolutely dominant, the last thing the visitors needed was a goalkeeping howler. Sadly, under minimal pressure, Abby Smith pushed Emily van Egmond’s cross straight into Kyah Simon, who played an effort into Rebekah Stott who smashed her shot straight in for 3-0 at the break.

Western Sydney Wanderers mounted a game effort at the start of the second period when Courtney Vine was played in by Amy Harrison who curled the ball past Lydia Williams to give the visitors hope.

City responded in style when striker Kyah Simon controlled fellow Matilda Steph Catley’s cross beautifully before drawing Caitlin Cooper and smashing home the fourth.

The rout was completed in somewhat unfortunate circumstances. Wanderers’ 18 year-old midfielder Courtney Nevin was booked for fouling Stott. The resulting free-kick was played in by Catley and Nevin sliced her attempted clearance straight into the net.

The outcome, a 5-1 win sees the premiers into the Grand Final and, given their status as by far the best side in Australia this season, a third Grand Final victory is surely in the offing.

**Above:** The Melbourne City squad who beat Western Sydney Wanderers 5-1 in the semi-final on Sunday. **Photo from:** @MelbourneCity
**Original Photo:** https://twitter.com/MelbourneCity/status/1239087336983420928/photo/1

Sydney FC qualified for their third straight W League Grand Final after gaining an excellent 1-0 win away to regular season league runners-up Melbourne Victory in front of 704 spectators at Epping Stadium.

Victory had the better side in the first half and had a golden opportunity after eleven minutes when Natasha Dowie released Annalie Longo, but Aubrey Bledsoe saved well in the Sydney goal.

The home side were made to pay for that miss three minutes later when Veronica Latsko hit home Ally Green’s cross. It could have been 2-0 on seventeen minutes after Sofia Huerta’s shot from twenty yards was gathered by Victory keeper Casey Dumont.

Melbourne Victory ended the half well. Angela Beard’s cross was too high for Melina Ayres and the latter did manage to connect with another header but it was saved by Bledsoe.

The hosts pushed hard in the early stages of the second half, but once more they just could not make the breakthrough. First, Ayres played a delightful ball through to Amy Jackson whose effort from twenty yards was well saved by Aubrey Bledsoe.

Ayres had two further opportunities – one which went wide on the hour, and eight minutes later, she curled a shot narrowly wide.

Sydney’s efforts were few and far between, but towards the end, Remy Siemsen and Darian Jenkins wasted good chances.

Melbourne Victory would rue this defeat after working hard to earn a home semi-final with a good run to end of the season. It was a game they created more than enough chances to win. Sydney FC will now look to retain their title, but will face a seriously stiff examination by unbeaten Melbourne City who have already beaten them in two Grand Finals.

**Above:** Sydney FC celebrate a goal against Melbourne Victory on Saturday as they reached another Grand Final. **Photo from:** @SydneyFC
**Original Photo**: https://twitter.com/SydneyFC/status/1239408550440398849/photo/1

International Round-Up: Part III

In this, the final part of our review of the international matches played over the past ten days or so, we turn to the Olympic Games Final Qualifiers in Asia and the latest Women’s Euro 2021 Qualifying games. Impetus editor Ben Gilby reports:

Olympic Games Final Qualifiers: Asia First Leg:

Australia went a long way towards sealing their Olympic Games spot after sweeping aside Vietnam 5-0 in their first leg in front of an excellent crowd of 14,014 at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium.

Whilst the scoreline looks comprehensive at first glance, the truth was that it did not get anywhere close to emphasising the total dominance of the Matildas.

The first half saw Australia put in their best performance for some time with a slick, fast moving passing game causing their South East Asian opponents great problems. After ten minutes, the Matildas went ahead as she crept in unmarked behind the Vietnamese defence to head in Ellie Carpenter’s pin-point cross.

It was 2-0 after 27 minutes when Arsenal’s Caitlin Foord put in a cross which was nodded down by Emily van Egmond for Bristol City’s Chloe Logarzo to hit home.

Eleven minutes later, a fine piece of team play saw Chelsea’s Sam Kerr’s delightful back heel find Steph Catley to home town girl Emily van Egmond to add her recent fine run of goal scoring in international football to make it 3-0.

The second half saw Australia continue to dominate, but a combination of a clever Vietnamese offside trap (which caught their hosts out six times) and the Matildas being guilty of over-forcing matters led to the home side producing a far more disjointed showing.

It took until the 67^th minute for a fourth Australian goal to come. Steph Catley and Emily van Egmond played a delightful 1-2 in for defender Clare Polkinghorne to score. With ten minutes left, it was 5-0 when the Matildas were awarded a very soft penalty as Hayley Raso went down in the box. Sam Kerr stepped up and smashed home from the spot to go into second place in the all-time Matildas scoring list – six behind Lisa de Vanna having played 67 fewer games for her country.

**Above:** Australia celebrate Clare Polkinghorne’s goal in Newcastle as the Matildas built a 5-0 first leg lead. **Photo from:** @TheMatildas **Original Photo Source:** https://twitter.com/TheMatildas/status/1235909335722520577/photo/1

Second Leg:

Australia sealed their place in the Olympic Games with another dominant performance in Vietnam in a game played behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Matildas had 73% of the possession during the match and 625 passes compared to Vietnam’s 245. However, it was still a case of the side not quite hitting their peak in Cửa Ông.

Within five minutes, the Australians came close to taking the lead. Caitlin Foord drove in down the left to play in Sam Kerr, but her effort cannoned back off of the post.

Ten minutes later the Matildas were back in front. A great cross from Steph Catley on the left was met first time on the volley by Kerr. This fine strike was the Chelsea striker’s forty-second goal for her country – putting her clear in second place in Australia’s all-time top scorers’ chart.

On twenty-seven minutes it was 2-0 as Kerr found her way into the box and unselfishly squared the ball across the area for Everton’s Hayley Raso to comfortably side foot home.

Ten minutes before the break, there was yet another golden opportunity for the Matildas as Caitlin Foord was wrestled to the ground by Thị Tươi Phạm. Unusually it was Chloe Logarzo who stepped up to take the penalty. The Bristol City midfielder’s effort was excellently saved by Trần Thị Kim Thanh. It remained 2-0 at the break.

Thanh made another great save five minutes into the second half as she dived to the left to push away Allanna Kennedy’s free kick from outside of the area.

Kennedy was involved in the next significant action of the game five minutes later when her catastrophic attempt at a back pass fell nowhere near her goalkeeper Lydia Williams, allowing Huỳnh Như in to put in a beautiful long range lob over Williams. It was the first ever goal that Vietnam have scored against the Matildas in nine internationals dating back to 2008.

There was one final chance in the match, which fell to Sam Kerr with eighteen minutes late. She turned beautifully onto a ball in and hit a first time volley which was just wide.

In the end Australia were comfortable 2-1 winners in the night, and were victorious 7-1 on aggregate to progress to the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The other final qualifying tie between South Korea and China has been moved to April due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

**Above:** The Matildas celebrate qualifying for the Olympic Games after a 7-1 aggregate win over Vietnam. **Photo from**: @TheMatildas/@CaitlinFoord **Original Photo Source:** https://twitter.com/CaitlinFoord/status/1237768162789052421/photo/1

Euro 2021 Qualifiers

In Group A, Russia moved into second place on 6^th March with a comfortable 5-0 win over Kosovo in a match played in Wiesbaden, Germany.

An own goal in the opening minute from Fjolla Shala putting the Russians ahead set the tone for the match. Further strikes from Nelli Korovkina, Nadezhda Smirnova and Marina Fedorovna saw Russia give their qualifying hopes a major boost with a run of favourable fixtures ahead.

On 10^th March, Slovenia remained in third, but closed in on Russia – behind them on just goal difference after a 3-0 success in Kosovo. Goals from Pamela Begic, Nina Pradenic and Ana Milovic renewed their qualification hopes.

Group B saw Bosnia Herzegovina rekindle their slim play-off hopes with a vital 1-0 win over winless Israel thanks to Milena Nikovic’s 64^th minute strike on 5^th March.

On the same day, Malta earned their first win of the qualifying campaign courtesy of a 2-1 success over winless Georgia. The islanders took the lead thanks to Rachel Cushieri on 17 minutes. Hayley Bugeja doubled the advantage early in the second half. Georgian hopes were raised when Khatia Tchkonia got a goal back with fourteen minutes left, but it was too little too late.

Bosnia Herzegovina earned another victory on 10^th March – but it was far closer than they would have expected in Malta. Sofija Krajsumovic grabbed a hat-trick to put victory in sight, but two late Maltese goals from Emma Xuereb and Brenda Borg gave the Bosnians some worrying moments in the closing stages.

With no action in Group C over the past ten days, it is on to Group D where Poland comfortably dispatched Moldova 5-0 in front of 7,528 in Lubin. An Ewa Pajor hat-trick, plus goals from Aleksandra Sikora and Katarzyna Daleszcyzk set the Poles up for their trip to Azerbaijan four days later.

The outcome of that clash in Baku was another 5-0 success for the Poles which sent them to the top of the qualifying group on goal difference from Spain. Ewa Pajor grabbed another two goals as did Aleksandra Sikora. Agata Tarczynska completed the rout on the ninetieth minute mark.

Group E saw the two winless nations, Cyprus and Albania meet head-on in Larnaca. It was the Albanians who would be celebrating their maiden victory in the campaign, thanks to a 2-0 success. Megi Doci and Zelfie Bajramaj were on target.

There have been no games in Group F in this international window, but Serbia are back in second spot in Group G following a comprehensive 8-1 win over North Macedonia, albeit having played three games more than France who drop to third.

Allegra Poljak scored two goals in the opening eight minutes but to the Macedonian’s credit, Gentjana Rochi got one back on fourteen minutes. It remained 2-1 until the brink of half time when Tijana Filipovic struck the all-important third for the Serbs.

A spell of three goals in four minutes (Nevena Damjanovic, Filipovic adding her second, and one from Jelena Cankovic) saw Serbia surge to a 6-1 lead. Marija Radojicic and a second from Cankovic completed the rout.

Group H has not seen a ball kicked this time round, but in Group I, Republic of Ireland moved top of the group by a point from Germany, having played a game more following two wins in six days. Firstly, they recorded a 1-0 win over Greece at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Diane Caldwell’s goal just before half-time was enough. On the 11^th March, they returned from Macedonia with a comfortable 3-0 win. Diane Caldwell, Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan were on target.

**Above:** Republic of Ireland celebrate two wins in a row. **Photo from:** @FAIreland **Original Photo Source:** https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1237845755487911937/photo/1

International Round-Up: Part II

Today, Impetus editor Ben Gilby reviews all the action from the recently played Algarve Cup and Pinatar Cup plus a round-up of Wales’ friendly against Estonia at Wrexham.

Algarve Cup

Seven countries travelled to Portugalto join the hosts in the annual tournament which guarantees each side three matches. Sadly, due to the ever worsening global situation with the Coronavirus, the final between Italy and Germany was cancelled after the Italians chose to pull out to fly home immediately to avoid being stranded in Portugal after concerns flights would not enter Italy for a period.

The Quarter-Final stage opened with a fascinating looking clash between Denmark and Norway. Pernille Harder, linked with a move to the Barclays WSL struck first for the Danes after seven minutes. However, the Norwegians, in ruthless form since the World Cup, levelled just six minutes later thanks to Elise Hove Thorsnes, just back from a W League season with Canberra United. With the game heading towards a penalty shoot-out decider, up stepped Synne Sofie Jensen three minutes into stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win for Norway.

Another tight game was played out between Germany and Sweden in front of an appreciative crowd of 800. Svenje Anette Huth’s goal just after the half-hour mark was the only difference between the two sides.

New Zealand gained a superb victory against an ever improving Belgium side. Olivia Chance’s strike after 37 minutes gave the White Ferns the lead. Just as they were ready to celebrate an excellent win, Chloe Velde levelled for the Belgians at the death. The Kiwis did well to come back from the disappointment to take a dramatic penalty shoot-out 7-6 after Sarah Wijnants missed her spot-kick.

There was disappointment for the hosts when Portugal were edged out 2-1 by Italy. Diana Silva scored after 34 minutes to give the hosts the lead, but the side who troubled the Lionesses during a pre-Christmas friendly were pegged back by the Italians, who had a highly creditable World Cup. Elena Linari levelled and, cruelly, four minutes into stoppage time, up stepped Christiana Girelli to put the Italians into the semi-finals.

Semi-Finals:

After four incredibly close quarter-finals, both semis were one-sided.

As expected, Italy strode purposefully past game New Zealand 3-0 thanks to goals from goal machine Christiana Girelli and others from fellow stars Barbara Bonasea and Elisa Bartoli.

It was Germany’s 4-0 win over Norway which really caught the eye, as many felt this would be a tense and dramatic clash against two of Europe’s best sides. It was anything but close, as a spell of two goals in six minutes in the first quarter of the game that made the difference. Lea Schuller got the scoreboard moving before Johanna Elsig added the second. On the hour mark, Ingrid Engman’s own goal ended any faint hopes that the Norweigans had of making a comeback. Marina Hegering completed the rout with nineteen minutes to go.

Play-Off Rounds:

Stage one of the play-offs saw the quarter-final losers face off. World Cup bronze medallists Sweden went down to their second straight defeat in a cruel manner, to national rivals Denmark despite Lina Hurtig giving the Swedes an early lead. The Danes hit back with a goal from Stine Larsen after 56 minutes. Just as penalties looked like having to separate the sides, three minutes into stoppage time, up popped Nanna Christiansen to score the winner.

Belgium saw off hosts Portugal 1-0 thanks to Tine De Caigny’s 65th minute goal. The winners of these two matches now face each other for fifth and sixth place with the losers battling for seventh and eighth place.

Sweden took seventh place after a comfortable 2-0 win over Portugal who finish in last place. Goals from Eva Jakobsson and Fridolina Rolfo earned the Swedes their first win of the competition.

Denmark ensured fifth place with a comprehensive 4-0 thrashing of Belgium. The Danes grabbed two goals in the opening thirteen minutesthanks to strikes from Pernille Harder and Janni Thomsen. Further goals from Nanna Christiansen and Stine Pedersen either side of half-time completed the Danes’ success.

The third place play-off saw New Zealand give another of the big guns a scare when they took an early lead against Norway when Hannah Wilkinson scored for the White Ferns. Crucially for the Norwegians, they hit back within five minutes thanks to a goal from Synne Jensen. Caroline Graham Hansen’s strike with four minutes to go sealed Norway’s win.

Pinatar Cup:

A brand new four team tournament was held this week in Pinatar, a small town in South-Eastern Spain with all matches played at the 3,500 capacity Pinatar Arena on a round robin basis.

Matchday One:

The opening round of matches saw Iceland edge past an ever improving Northern Ireland thanks to a single goal courtesy of Dagny Byrnjarsdottir after 23 minutes. Northern Ireland will be proud of a magnificent performance and scoreline against a team ranked almost forty places above them in the FIFA list.

Tournament favourites Scotland saw off Ukraine comfortably 3-0. The Scots, with Erin Cuthbert rested for their opening encounter, were in total control throughout and West Ham United striker Martha Thomas grabbed the opener 22 minutes into her international debut after running onto a long ball through and slotting her strike in.

Eighteen minutes from the end, Thomas added a second after leaving a Ukrainian defender for dead, breaking through and hitting a shot straight into the net. With seventy-seven minutes on the clock, Claire Emslie, in fine form for Melbourne City, completed the rout by side-footing home the third.

Matchday Two:

Scotland ensured they would become the inaugural Pinatar Cup winners with a match to spare after a 1-0 win over Iceland. Despite the Scots having qualified for both the 2015 Euros and 2019 World Cup, the Icelanders are ranked four places higher in the FIFA list, but Shelly Kerr’s side made a mockery of that statistic with a dominant performance that deserved far more than one goal.

Christie Murray had an early effort saved by Siguroardottir before both Erin Cuthbert and Abbi Grant also coming close but it remained goalless at the break.

On 55 minutes, the Scots finally got their reward when Abbi Grant curled a shot into the left hand corner. Cuthbert, Emslie and Mitchell all rued further misses, but the Scots had done enough to win.

Ukraine recovered well from their opening day thrashing by Scotland to hand Northern Ireland a 4-0 defeat with all the goals coming in a twenty-two minute spell in the first half. A brace from Daryna Apanashchenko plus strikes from Nicole Kozlova and Olha Ovdiychuk ensured that Ukraine’s final group game with Iceland will decide second place.

Matchday Three:

That deciding game resulted in a 1-0 win for Iceland over the Ukraine thanks to a 34^th minute strike from Gunnhildur Jonsdottir, her tenth international goal. Whilst the Icelanders may have found goals hard to come by in the competition, they will be delighted to secure second spot in the table.

Scotland ended the competition with a 100% success rate, but once again Northern Ireland produced a display full of pride and determination which saw them belie their world ranking.

Despite Shelly Kerr’s side starting the strongest, it was the green shirted underdogs who took the lead thanks to a Rachel Furness header from a high cross. Furness had a great opportunity to double their advantage, but her header was cleared off of the line by Rachel Corsie. The Scots almost earned an instant equaliser when Chelsea star Erin Cuthbert played in Martha Thomas, but her effort went wide.

However, two goals in three minutes turned the game on its head. First, a sensational strike from Cuthbert from outside the box saw the scores level before Abbi Grant made the best of a defensive error to slot home.

Scotland had four further great opportunities in the second half to add to their lead, but to no avail. The Scots lifted the trophy to become the first ever Pinatar Cup winners. Northern Ireland may have finished bottom of the table, but they have a huge number of positives to take from a superb series of performances against nations ranked much higher than themselves.

Final Pinatar Cup Table	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Scotland	3	3	0	0	6	1	9
Iceland	3	2	0	1	2	1	6
Ukraine	3	1	0	2	4	4	3
Northern Ireland	3	0	0	3	1	7	0

Friendly:

In form Wales gained a comfortable 2-0 win over Estonia at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground on 6^th March.

Chelsea star Sophie Ingle came close when two volleys were saved by Karina Kork in the Estonian goal. Despite the Welsh dominance, which also saw Kayleigh Green go close, it remained goalless at the break.

The deadlock was finally broken when Ingle’s cross resulted in Ffion Morgan’s header being parried by Kork, but Megan Wynn followed up to score. Not long afterwards, Angharad James’ great run ended in a pullback which was hit straight in by Nadia Lawrence.

In tomorrow’s final part of the International Round-Up, we review the Olympic Games Final Qualifier for the Asian Zone and all the latest Women’s Euro 2021 qualifying action.

International Round-Up: Part I

Impetus editor Ben Gilby brings us the first of three reports over the coming days from the international programme which took place over the past ten days or so. Today, we focus on the SheBelieves Cup.

SheBelieves Cup

Matchday One:

The 2020 competition got underway in Orlando with an excellent 3-1 victory for Spain against Japan.

The Spanish took just eight minutes to get their opening goal. Marta Cardona worked her way down the right wing to put a ball into Jennifer Hermoso. Her effort eventually found its way into the net by Alexia Putellas.

Japan had a great chance to level six minutes later when Yuika Sagasawa had an effort saved by Lola Gollardo in the Spanish goal. After Spain wasted several opportunities to go further ahead, Japan punished them with an equaliser on the brink of half time. Riza Shimizu’s cross which was brilliantly volleyed in by Mana Iwabuchi.

After the break, Spain re-established their lead thanks to Lucia Garcia who rounded Yamashita in the Japanese goal and placed the ball into the empty net.

With twelve minutes left, the result was assured when Garcia again took the ball around Yamashita to complete a 3-1 victory in front of just over 7,700 spectators.

The second game of the double header saw World champions United States comfortably defeat the reigning SheBelieves Cup holders England in front of a boisterous crowd of 16,531.

The USA dominated the opening exchanges with the Lionesses not helping themselves when almost running into trouble on several occasions when trying to clear danger by playing out from the back.

Carly Telford made some excellent saves during America’s period of domination, with Millie Bright putting in important tackles and marshalling the defence well.

Crucially, England emerged unscathed on the scoresheet during the opening twenty minutes, but struggled to create many chances of their own. Although impressive off the ball, Ellen White was largely anonymous as an attacking threat.

England started well in the second half, forcing a corner. Yet eight minutes into the period, the USA took the lead thanks to a beautiful curling shot from Christen Press, who escaped from Steph Houghton’s laudable attempt to stop her and then capitalised on being allowed to run through by a Lioness defence who were way too slow in first spotting and then stopping the danger.

Three minutes later, it was 2-0, and again poor England defending was to blame. This time both Steph Houghton and Millie Bright were culpable as Lindsey Horan lofted a ball comfortably over the top with Carli Lloyd having way too much time to take the ball and slot it past Telford.

Immediately afterwards, Georgia Stanway played in Nikita Parris whose first touch was desperately disappointing and allowed Alyssa Naeher to easily smother. Jordan Nobbs put in a promising cameo which underlined the opinion of those who were surprised that she did not start the match. USA were comfortable in the remainder of the match. The Lionesses will be confident of victories in their remaining matches with Japan and Spain – but they would need to produce improved performances.

Matchday Two:

England played better in their second match against Japan, but despite the 1-0 win in New Jersey, it was a performance that still raised far too many questions about the progress of the Lionesses since the World Cup.

Phil Neville made several changes, notably Jordan Nobbs returning to midfield, with the FAWSL’s top English born top scorer Beth England coming in to lead the attack along with Everton’s Chloe Kelly.

With 19 year-old Lauren Hemp keeping her place in the team, it was the sort of youthful line-up that many have been calling for. After just three minutes, England came close. A fantastic run through from Hemp saw the first of several Japanese defensive howlers and the Norfolk born youngster got a shot away which was pushed wide for a corner.

Japan replied with a chance on nine minutes when Ellie Roebuck dived well to push behind Sugita’s effort.

Four minutes later, Beth England was played in by Chloe Kelly, but her shot was snaffled up by Ikeda. Truth be told, the Chelsea striker should have scored.

The Japanese succeeded in slowing the pace of the game significantly, and with the Lionesses seemingly reluctant to press and get into the faces of their opponents – tactics that were so successful for the Spanish in their opening match – the match degenerated to the sort of pace you would expect to see in a pre-season friendly, with a lack of urgency.

It took until just after the half hour mark for another chance to be fashioned when a magnificent break from Jordan Nobbs ended with a cheeky back-heel to Kelly. The Everton star played Beth England in beautifully but Ikeda saved well with her feet and Georgia Stanway blazed the follow-up over the bar.

Japan had the final effort of the first half when Mina Tanaka ran through and hit a shot from the right hand side of the box which Roebuck did well to push aside. Not surprisingly it was 0-0 at the break.

The pace didn’t pick up much after the break as the game became increasingly bogged down with little in the way of efforts on goal. Phil Neville rang the changes and brought on the old guard. Nikita Parris’ arrival brought some much needed pace down the wing. Within seconds of coming on, her run found Nobbs who crossed to Ellen White (on for Beth England), but her effort missed.

With seven minutes to go, another Japanese defensive calamity saw third sub Toni Duggan win the ball and put in a perfect cross to White who, with a trademark first time effort, rolled the ball into the net. England had won in front of 15,574 fans, but they are still far from convincing given the talent of the players available to them.

The Lionesses’ win kept them in the running to retain their SheBelieves title, but the United States late winner over Spain means it will be an uphill task.

Julie Ertz’s goal with three minutes remaining sees the hosts have one hand on the trophy and only a highly unlikely failure to beat Japan in the final game would bring about England’s slim hopes of winning.

Spain, so impressive in their opening 3-1 win over Japan will be absolutely devastated not to have earned a point from the game in which they had more possession than the World champions.

Carli Lloyd, playing in her home New Jersey territory had two excellent chances in the first half, but Sandra Panos in the Spanish goal did well to deny her both times.

Early in the second half, Rose Lavelle was unlucky with an effort that went narrowly over the bar and Sam Mewis’ effort looked bound for the top corner before Panos got across to claw it away.

Three minutes from the end came the decisive moment. After Lynn Williams was fouled, Christen Press’ free-kick found the head of Ertz to score the winner to the delight of a sell-out crowd of 26,500.

Matchday Three:

The United States guaranteed they would win the SheBelieves Cup after a 3-1 win over Japan, who will be desperately disappointed with their form in the tournament.

It took only seven minutes for the USA to take the lead in Texas. Lindsey Horan was fouled on the edge of the area. Megan Rapinoe’s free-kick curled over the wall and into the net. Rapinoe played a major part in the second goal some twenty minutes later. The American star played in Christen Press who put in a magnificent chip over Japanese keeper Ayaka Yamashita.

The Olympic hosts came out strongly in the opening period of the second half. Mana Iwabuchi’s drive was well held by Adrianna French in the USA goal. However, Iwabuchi had better luck in the fifty-eighth minute when her shot squeezed into the goal.

Japan pressed well for an equaliser which never came. The decisive movement came in the 83^rd minute when Mallory Pugh’s corner found Lindsey Horan who added a third to the delight of the full house of 19,096.

Defending champions England concluded their hugely disappointing campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Spain – a result which condemned the Lionesses to third place in the tournament.

The Spanish, who finish second in the final table had a sensational tournament, and Alexia Putellas’ header after she was given the freedom of the penalty area with seven minutes left condemned England to a seventh loss in eleven games.

It was another much changed line-up for the Lionesses, with Steph Houghton on the bench, Beth England seemingly having picked up a slight injury on a bumpy training pitch and Lauren Hemp unwell. Carly Telford returned in goal with Ellie Roebuck returning to the bench.

England created some good opportunities in the opening period with both Nikita Parris and Ellen White having chances, but the familiar recent story of not scoring when they are in the ascendency would return to haunt them.

In the second half, Spain grew noticeably in confidence and Carly Telford earned her corn by keeping England in the game. First, Ainhoa Moraza glided past Houghton and Abbie McManus but the Chelsea keeper denied her.

Putellas’ winner came when she rose to powerfully head Jenni Hermoso’s corner into the goal to the delight of their supporters in the 10,507 Texas crowd.

It was a disappointing end to a disappointing tournament for England.

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
United States of America	3	3	0	0	6	1	9
Spain	3	2	0	1	4	2	6
England	3	1	0	2	3	3	3
Japan	3	0	0	3	2	7	0

Tomorrow: We round up all the action from both the Algarve Cup and Pinatar Cup competitions.

W League Round-Up

The final round of the regular Westfield W League season in Australia saw the line-up for the finals series and the wooden spoon destination decided. Impetus editor Ben Gilby reports.

Melbourne City ensured they ended the regular season undefeated by seeing off a game Brisbane Roar outfit 3-1 in front of a bumper crowd of 4,724 at AAMI Park.

Above: Melbourne City celebrate another win to head into the Finals with supreme confidence. **Photo** from: @MelbourneCity **Original Photo** can be found at: https://twitter.com/MelbourneCity/status/1234025034143825920/photo/1

In form Kyah Simon had a great opening chance for City, but her effort came back off of the post and into the grateful arms of her Matildas teammate Mackenzie Arnold.

It took until the 34^th minute for the first shot on target to be recorded, but it resulted in the Sky Blues taking the lead. Emma Checker combined with Ellie Carpenter, and the teenage right back put in a trademark inch perfect cross which was controlled by Milica Mijatovic on the edge of the box and curled home a delightful finish.

Despite Roar being out of the race for the finals, and thus having only pride to play for, they pressed the Premiers well and were rewarded with an equaliser on 49 minutes. City’s Lauren Barnes lost the ball, which was swooped on by Brisbane’s Indiah-Page Riley. She found Hollie Palmer who side footed home the first goal that Melbourne City had conceded since 8^th December!

Parity only lasted six minutes when a poor pass from the Queenslanders was intercepted by Yukari Kinga. The Japanese star found Ally Watt who controlled and lifted the ball into the net.

City completed their win with just over twenty minutes to go. Matilda’s international Steph Catley’s corner found Kinga on the edge of the box. Her low cross was turned in with ease by Watt for her second.

This win ensures Melbourne City end the regular season with eleven wins from their twelve games (ironically only bottom side Newcastle Jets prevented them from winning – by holding City to a 1-1 draw) and concession of just four goals.

Melbourne Victory guaranteed that they would finish in second place after an impressive 3-1 victory against a fading Sydney FC in front of an impressive crowd of 3,310 at Marvel Stadium.

The home side weathered an early Sydney storm with Alanna Kennedy, Veronica Latsko and Teresa Polias all missing opportunities. They were also denied a penalty when Victory and Matildas defender Jenna McCormick was adjudged to have handled outside of the area.

Victory fashioned their first opportunity when Aubrey Bledsoe denied Natasha Dowie by saving her header from Angela Beard’s cross.

Twenty-five minutes in and the Victorians took the lead. Amy Jackson hit a shot goal-wards which was deflected onto the post by Bledsoe, but Jackson followed up to hit it in.

Melbourne led into the break and doubled their advantage just four minutes into the second period thanks to a stunning goal from Darian Jenkins who hit a shot from the edge of the box.

With twelve minutes to go, Victory sealed the deal with a third when Jenkins sprinted away, leaving would-be Sydney tacklers trailing in her wake to smash home.

As the game entered stoppage time, the New South Wales side got on the scoreboard themselves when Natalie Tobin steered her effort in from outside the box, but it was way too little too late.

Sydney go into the finals on a disappointing run of form with only two wins since 13^th January which has resulted them having to spend their entire finals campaign on the road. Conversely, Melbourne Victory go in to a home semi-final on the back of four wins from their last five games meaning the all-important momentum is with them and their cross city rivals as the campaign enters its finale.

**Photo:** Melbourne Victory celebrate clinching second spot at the end of the regular season and a home semi-final. **Photo** from: @VictoryWLeague. **Original Photo** can be found at: https://twitter.com/victorywleague/status/1233663668652367872/photo/1

Western Sydney Wanderers ended their disastrous run of form ….just…and returned from Western Australia with a 3-2 win over Perth Glory to confirm their place in the finals.

However, the Black and Reds made heavy weather of it – blowing a 3-0 lead after 28 minutes – as the Glory came back hard in at the WML Stadium in Bunbury, 105 miles south of Perth, in front of 1,175 spectators.

Wanderers went into the match knowing that they needed to win, and then by as big a margin possible to ensure they qualify for their first ever spot in the finals. It took them just two minutes to take a step in that direction when Kyra Cooney-Cross’ corner was impacted by the wind, with Shannon May’s attempted clearance only going as far as Sam Staab whose shot across the box found the net.

It was another corner that led to Western Sydney’s second on eleven minutes. This time, Kristen Hamilton headed home Cooney-Cross’ flag kick.

Perth rallied and were unlucky when Celia Jimenez’s shot came back off the post, but on the 28^th minute Wanderers went 3-0 up, and it was yet another set piece that proved Glory’s undoing. Ella Mastrantonio’s free kick was, again headed in by Kristen Hamilton.

Into the second half, and the Western Australians grabbed a lifeline on the hour mark. Kim Carroll’s corner found Jiminez whose first effort was blocked, but came straight back to her to fire home.

Wanderers missed several chances to make the game safe, with Cortnee Vine, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sam Staab all going close.

A dramatic finale was set up with eight minutes left when Perth grabbed a second when Jimenez’s cross was headed home by Morgan Andrews.

Try as they might, Perth could not add an equaliser, and Western Sydney Wanderers ensured a berth in the finals with a 3-2 win.

**Above:** Western Sydney Wanderers’ Kristen Hamilton (left in Wanderers’ away kit) in action against Perth Glory, against whom she scored another two goals. **Photo** from: @WSWanderersFC **Original Photo** can be found at: https://twitter.com/wswanderersfc/status/1234282364169314309/photo/1

Adelaide United hosted Newcastle Jets at the Marden Sports Complex in a game which decided who would finish bottom of the W League for 2019/20.

The clash, played out in front of 832 spectators saw the South Australians on the front foot from the start, although it took them twenty-four minutes to transfer that pressure into a goal. It came when Jets defender Hannah Brewer took out Chelsie Dawber in the box. Reds captain Amber Brooks’ resulting spot kick found the net.

Back came Newcastle though, and they levelled twelve minutes later in some style. Libby Copus-Brown played in a free kick from the left flank towards the goal where United custodian Sarah Willacy’s weak attempted punch clear fell straight to Teigan Collister who lashed a first time volley straight into the net.

Adelaide troubled their visitors early in the second half and Mallory Weber went close with a curler. Several minutes later, the American had better luck. Charlotte Grant played in a beautiful cross which was nodded down by Dylan Holmes. Weber took control and hit the winner past Jets keeper Claire Coelho.

The 2-1 success for the South Australian side ensures they finish one off the bottom on goal difference from Newcastle Jets.

**Above:** Adelaide United celebrate their vital win over Newcastle Jets which saw them avoid the wooden spoon. **Photo** from: @AUFCWomen **Original Photo** can be found at: https://twitter.com/AUFCWomen/status/1234290788491657222/photo/2

Canberra United had the bye.

There is now a short break for the Matildas two legged Olympic Final Qualifier tie with Vietnam before the finals begin on 14^th March. The fixtures can be found below:

Final Westfield W League Table 2019/20:

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	PD
Melbourne City	12	11	1	0	27	4	34	+ 23
Melbourne Victory	12	7	2	3	24	14	23	+ 10
Sydney FC	12	7	1	4	21	13	22	+ 8
Western Sydney Wanderers	12	7	1	4	24	20	22	+ 4
Brisbane Roar	12	5	2	5	22	19	17	+ 3
Canberra United	12	4	1	7	13	29	13	– 16
Perth Glory	12	3	2	7	19	24	11	– 5
Adelaide United	12	2	1	9	12	24	7	– 12
Newcastle Jets	12	2	1	9	12	27	7	– 15

Teams in bold qualified for the Finals play-offs.

Finals Series: Semi Final Fixtures: Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC (14th March), Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers (15^th March).

Middlesbrough Women: Building on Lionesses Boost

by Ben Gilby

Middlesbrough Women FC were formed in 1976 and were originally known as Cleveland Spartans. Among their early coaches were the legends of Middlesbrough’s men’s team Mark Proctor and David Hodgson.

This season, Boro have had the monumental boost of hosting the England v Brazil women’s match at the Riverside Stadium in front of a virtual sell out. The media coverage and general awareness that this generated in both the build up to the game, and on the day itself is something which the women’s side of the club believe helped hugely to grow the numbers both playing the game and watching the team. Of course, Boro had the additional boost of welcoming back the likes of Jordan Nobbs to the area for that Lionesses match. The North-East side have got thirty grassroots players with their Academy hosting around fifty players. The age range spanned between all of them is 8-16. Many of these players had the fantastic experience of attending the Lionesses game with Brazil in their own town, which allowed them to see the levels the women’s game can now reach up close.

**Above:** Tyler Dodds in action for Middlesbrough Women. **Photo:** Colin Lock

The first team play their football in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier which is an extremely strong division which currently has Sunderland on at the top at the time of writing. They are being closely pursued by Nottingham Forest and Burnley with Stoke City strong and powerful. Despite this, Middlesbrough can claim to be the only club to take points from Sunderland and also beat Nottingham Forest 5-2 on opening day.

What Middlesbrough women need to do now though is to work carefully to maintain that interest and increased profile that the recent international game gave them. For them, it’s all about getting out the message that you can come down to Boro and see the next Jordan Nobbs or Beth Mead. Allied to this is getting out regular, solid and consistent media coverage – something that the club are doing very well at.

Ben Gilby is extremely grateful for the assistance of Graham Falk in putting this article together.

W League Round-Up

The penultimate round of the regular season of the Westfield W League in Australia was full of goals and saw Melbourne City clinch the Premiers crown with a round to go. Impetus editor Ben Gilby reports.

Melbourne City lifted the Premiers trophy with a round to spare after a 4-0 demolition job away to Western Sydney Wanderers in front of 819 spectators at Marconi Stadium.

It was a second Premier title for City – the first came in 2016 – and comes as a reward for the team after they missed out on a place in the top four last season, thus missing the Finals.

**Above:** Melbourne City celebrate with the W League Premiers Shield. **Photo:** @melbournecity. Original Photo found at: https://twitter.com/MelbourneCity/status/1231379110573666304/photo/1

With ten wins and a single draw from their eleven games so far, there is no doubt that their high quality squad, containing Matildas stars Lydia Williams, Aivi Luik, Steph Catley, Emily van Egmond, Kyah Simon and Ellie Carpenter deserve the trophy, and they will go into the Finals campaign as red hot favourites to take out the Grand Final crown as well.

It took just twelve minutes for City to take the lead. Scottish international Clare Emslie was felled in the box by Alex Huynh. Emslie picked herself up, dusted herself down and smashed home the resulting spot kick.

The Sky Blues laid siege to the Wanderers goal thereafter as Emma Checker hit the bar, and Rebekah Scott’s effort being saved. However, a second had to come and, it arrived just before the half hour mark. Teenage starlet Ellie Carpenter went on a trademark run down the right and exchanged passes with Aivi Luik before curling a superb shot past Courtney Newbon in the Western Sydney goal.

Another young Australian, Kyra Cooney-Cross, who many are urging to be called up for the Matildas went close after hitting her effort wide after a great run.

Carpenter added her second and Melbourne City’s third just after the hour mark after another superb piece of play that Wanderers couldn’t deal with, and the 19 year-old curled her effort into the net once more.

The rout was completed with four minutes left when Ally Watt scored her first W League goal after converting Aivi Luik’s cross.

Melbourne City’s 4-0 win continued their staggering record of not conceding a W League goal since 8^th December – a staggering seven matches ago. They have only conceded three all season!

As for Wanderers, a third defeat in four leaves them casting an anxious glance over their shoulders as what looked to be a guaranteed first ever place in the Finals (indeed a potential Premiers crown was more than possible at one stage) is now under serious threat.

Second placed Sydney FC were rocked by Perth Glory at Wollongong as the Western Australians won their third game in a row.

Glory, who were beaten in last season’s Grand Final by the Harbour City side are having a transitional campaign in terms of playing personnel and had only a single point to show for their efforts until 23^rd January. Since then, the women in purple have been unstoppable.

As you would expect given the two sides’ league positions, it was the Sky Blues who started the game better, and Remy Siemsen and Veronica Latsko both going close within the opening six minutes.

Perth finally mustered their first shot on target after 34 minutes when Kim Carroll’s volley from the edge of the box fell into Aubrey Bledsoe’s arms.

The opening goal took 41 minutes to arrive, and when it did, it fell the way of the Western Australians and what a strike it was too. Morgan Andrews curled a stunning free-kick over the wall and into the top left hand corner from 25 yards in an exhibition of glorious skill.

Perth doubled their lead on 58 minutes after shocking defending from Sydney allowed Andrews to turn and fire home the second.

The Sky Blues rallied and created a number of excellent chances with visiting keeper Eliza Campbell denying Sofia Huerta and Mackenzie Hawkesby and defender Arianna Romero clearing off her own line.

Sydney finally scored in stoppage time at the end of the game when Huerta’s cross came off of Kim Carroll and into the net, but it was too little too late as Perth claimed a magnificent win.

**Above:** Perth Glory celebrate a famous win away to Sydney FC. **Photo:** @PerthGloryFC. **Original Photo** found at: https://twitter.com/PerthGloryFC/status/1231134948746121217/photo/1

Brisbane Roar’s final hopes remain alive – just – after a comprehensive 5-0 win over free-falling Canberra United at Lions Stadium in front of an impressive crowd of 2,893.

The capital city side were a regular part of the top four before Christmas, but an appalling run of form which has seen them lose four of their last five matches has meant that the Lime Green Machine are a pale reflection of the side they were.

Brisbane’s goals came in two batches of rapid fire. First, in a five minute spell from the 11^th minute mark and the other three all in the final ten minutes.

Ironically, it was Canberra who had the early chances as Hayley Taylor-Young and Leena Khamis going close. But after eleven minutes, the Queenslanders went ahead.

Rylee Baisden’s cross was controlled by Carson Pickett who then fired a beautiful finish into the top corner. Five minutes later it was 2-0 when another Baisden’s cross came off of the arm of defender Laura Hughes’ arm. Baisden fired the spot kick home.

Canberra hit back and needed Matildas’ keeper Mackenzie Arnold to deny Khamis twice and then Karly Roestbakken.

Brisbane regained the momentum in the final quarter and their efforts were rewarded with further goals.

Pickett grabbed her second and Roar’s third when she turned in Holly Palmer’s cross.

Shortly afterwards it was 4-0 with a delightful finish from Shea Connors for her first W League goal. It came from another Baisden ball in which was volleyed towards the right hand post when Connors stuck out a foot to volley it back the other way past Sham Khamis in the United goal.

The rout was completed with Rylee Baisden rewarded for her fine efforts all afternoon after being found by Matildas’ international Katrina Gorry. Baisden went one on one with Khamis and slotted it home for 5-0.

**Above:** There was plenty to celebrate for Brisbane Roar at the weekend. **Photo:** @BrisbaneRoar. **Original Photo** found at: https://twitter.com/brisbaneroar/status/1231515297502420993/photo/1

Due to having the bye next weekend and not being able to make the Finals, this was Canberra’s final game of the campaign and it will be a case of what might have been for the Lime Green Machine.

As for the Roar, they need to defeat newly crowned Premiers Melbourne City in their final game and hope either Western Sydney Wanderers continue their end of season collapse against in form Perth Glory, or Melbourne Victory are beaten at home to Sydney.

Melbourne Victory now have one foot in the finals after a sensational 7-0 away win at struggling Newcastle Jets at the Number Two Sportsground in front of 1,321.

The Victorians, who racked up their largest ever winning margin in the process, made a quick fire start and were 2-0 up after just eight minutes thanks to New Zealand international Annalie Longo.

Her first came after three minutes when the White Ferns star was found by Matildas’ international Jenna McCormick to slot home her first W League goal.

Five minutes later, she grabbed her second after winning possession after a deflection off of Jets’ Libby Copus-Brown and netted.

It was 3-0 after the half hour mark with a classy finish from Natasha Dowie who ran onto Angela Beard’s ball and lofted it over the onrushing Jets keeper Claire Coelho.

Catastrophic defending from Newcastle gifted Melbourne Victory the fourth just before the break when a scramble in the area which saw the ball rebound off the woodwork twice, with both Coelho and her defence having ample time to clear, but they simply stood and watched as Darian Jenkins had the easiest task to roll the ball in.

Just before the hour, Jenkins was at it again after heading McCormick’s cross into the net.

When the Jets thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, it did on 69 minutes when Nikki Flannery’s cross was headed into her own net by Cassidy Davis.

Victory never took their foot off the pedal and they completed their tally when Melina Ayres headed in Grace Maher’s corner.

**Above:** Contrasting emotions at Newcastle as Melbourne Victory (in grey away kit) celebrate their 7-0 win with the Jets looking disconsolate. **Photo:** @VictoryWLeague **Original Photo** found at: https://twitter.com/victorywleague/status/1231479782455431169/photo/1

Adelaide United had the bye.

Latest Westfield W League Table:

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	PD
Melbourne City	11	10	1	0	24	3	31	+ 21
Sydney FC	11	7	1	3	20	10	22	+ 10
Melbourne Victory	11	6	2	3	21	13	20	+ 8
Western Sydney Wanderers	11	6	1	4	21	18	19	+ 3
Brisbane Roar	11	5	2	4	21	16	17	+ 5
Canberra United	12	4	1	7	13	29	13	– 16
Perth Glory	11	3	2	6	17	21	11	– 4
Newcastle Jets	11	2	1	8	11	25	7	– 14
Adelaide United	11	1	1	9	10	23	4	– 13

Teams in bold qualify for the Finals play-offs.

England Hits Stunner As Top Two Share Spoils

Manchester City 3-3 Chelsea

by Ben Gilby.

The Barclays Women’s Super League top two could not be separated after a dramatic afternoon at the Academy Stadium.

Chelsea could have gone ahead after just twenty-five seconds when Sam Kerr’s effort came off of Ellie Roebuck’s legs and Beth England couldn’t push the follow up over the line.

Ellen White then fashioned City’s first chance after being played in by Keira Walsh, but the visitors cleared for a corner.

Chelsea had another opportunity when Jonna Andersson combined with Beth England who played in Kerr but Roebuck denied the Western Australian star.

Canadian star Janine Beckie then played in an excellent cross but Caroline Weir sent her first time volley over the bar. The Scottish international missed another chance when her header from Jill Scott’s free-kick, following a foul by Magda Eriksson, flicked wide.

The WSL’s only unbeaten side had two great chances within two minutes when Sophie Ingle combined with Guro Reiten before Millie Bright rampaged through the middle and found England. Only a diving save from Roebuck denied the Chelsea hot-shot. From the resulting corner, the City defence flapped with Demi Stokes missing her kick, almost allowing Erin Cuthbert in, but the danger was eventually cleared.

Four minutes later though, it was City who went ahead. Scott found Beckie who played in a ball which was swept into the net by Ellen White in the six yard box, off of Berger’s legs. Replays suggested there was more than a hint of offside about White’s position, but the officials were not to be moved.

In adversity, it was Chelsea who rallied and had the best of the remainder of the first half. First, a beautiful through ball flummoxed Stokes again and Kerr was in, but Roebuck denied her. Four minutes later, England scampered down the left, cut inside and shot, earning a corner.

Six minutes before half-time, Emma Hayes’ side were level when Kerr’s cross was headed clear by a City defence under pressure from Cuthbert. The clearance went straight to Ji So-yun who fired it home first time for a great finish. The scores were level at the break.

The home side had the better of the opening exchanges of the second half, but the best opportunity of the period fell Chelsea’s way on 54 minutes when Reiten played England in, but Roebuck saved. Shortly afterwards, Houghton could only clear Reiten’s cross into the path of Beth England whose shot was pushed away for a corner.

The resulting set-piece was pushed out by Roebuck to England whose first shot hit the City keeper in the face, and second attempt was parried away by the young custodian.

On the hour mark, the Sky Blues made Chelsea pay for the missed opportunities when, from Lauren Hemp’s pass, Lioness Georgia Stanway thumped in a shot which beat Berger.

Chelsea responded well and only took eight minutes to level. Erin Cuthbert’s ball found Sam Kerr whose ball was headed out for a corner. The flag kick was eventually recycled and Jonna Andersson crossed back in, Beth England flicked on to Magda Eriksson who headed home from a central position in the box.

The drama continued as, from the resulting kick-off, City mounted an attack which ended with Sophie Ingle being adjudged to have fouled Caroline Weir. However, Ann-Katrin Berger made an excellent save from Stanway’s spot kick.

With just over fifteen minutes of regular time left, Chelsea looked to have punished the home side for the miss when Ramona Bachmann, on as a sub for Guro Reiten, found England who fired in a stunner from thirty yards into the bottom left hand corner.

It was a goal that would have deserved to win any game, but within two minutes, City were right back in it when Weir played Hemp. The Norfolk born star hit a left footed shot into the net to level the scores.

Shortly afterwards, Beckie found Hemp. This time the youngster, with her back to goal found Weir, whose effort missed.

Chelsea hit back when Cuthbert found England. The striker’s cross towards Kerr was cleared by Steph Houghton for a corner. Mjelde’s flag kick found Eriksson, but the Swede’s header failed to trouble Roebuck.

The game became disjointed after two long stoppages for injury, first Gemma Bonner with an ankle problem and then Ellie Roebuck who had to be strapped up and carried from the pitch. After around twelve minutes of stoppage time, it was all over.

City remain top from the Blues by a single point, but Chelsea’s game in hand at Everton ensures that the Londoners still have the title race in their own hands.

Teams:

MANCHESTER CITY: Roebuck, Bonner, Houghton, Scott, Stanway, Beckie, Hemp, White, Weir, Walsh. Subs: Benameur (GK for Roebuck), Coombs, Bremer (for White), Toland, Park, Wullaert, Fidalgo.

Scorers: White 22, Stanway 60, Hemp 76.

CHELSEA: Berger, Mjelde, Bright, Eriksson, Andersson, Ingle, Cuthbert, Ji, Reiten, England, Kerr. Subs: Telford (GK), Thorisdottir (for Ji), Carter, Blundell, Engman, Spence (for Kerr), Bachmann (for Reiten).

Scorers: Ji 39, Eriksson 68, England 74.

Referee: Rebecca Welsh.

Attendance: 3,542.