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Chelsea’s invincible season: how Sonia Bompastor achieved it

By Emmanuel Faith (01/06/2025)

Above: Sonia Bompastor with her domestic treble. Photo: Chelsea Women website.

12 POINTS.

That was the difference between the first and second position in the WSL this season, the largest numerical point difference in the WSL era between the title winners and the runners-up.

This time last year, I wrote this detailed article analyzing Emma Hayes’ era, suggesting that Chelsea’s systems and structure would cope with the major transition to Sonia Bompastor.

12 months later they have won the league, their 6^th consecutive WSL title – and this time they did it with points to spare.

What is the secret to their dominance?

Let’s dive in.

Effective Recruitment

As highlighted in the article last year, one thing Chelsea has gotten right, is timely and effective recruitment – and a new coach has not upset that.

Chelsea don’t just buy players, they buy player the coach and the team need to raise the bar. Case in point, Sandy Baltimore.

The French winger was signed at the beginning of the season, and slotted into Bompastor’s formation by playing more defensively, especially after starting left-back Niamh Charles got injured.

Another pivotal signing was the Lionesses legend, multiple Champions Leagues-winner Lucy Bronze. Bronze’s initial recruitment led to divided opinions, but ended up being a great addition.

A quick glance at Chelsea’s rivals and you see an obvious gap. For instance, Chloe Kelly would have made a lot more impact for Arsenal domestically if she was signed in August 2024 instead of January 2025, and Kerolin’s goals would have definitely come in handy for an injury-laden attack of Manchester City’s squad earlier in the season.

Simply put, Chelsea’s ability to make proactive recruitment decisions executed with the speed of light distinguishes them and means they are constantly building, never sitting still.

**Above:** Maelys Mpome and Sandy Baltimore. **Photo:** Chelsea WFC.

Resilience and Adaptability

60 points. The total amount of points ever won in a single WSL season.

Fascinating, isn’t it? But this doesn’t tell the whole story.

Chelsea’s first half of the season and the second half, were almost in contrast. 60% of their WSL total tally (34 out of 56) came in the first half of the season.

In fact, they only won two matches (out of eleven) with more than one goal-difference in the last 11 matches, a really low number compared to the first eleven matches, where they won six matches with at least two goal-difference.

This paucity of goals was caused by different reasons, from incessant injuries to key players like Lauren James, Guro Reiten, Erin Cuthbert and even Mayra Ramirez which led to the continuous iteration of formation based on available players.

Despite these odds, Chelsea kept showing up and grinding out results, picking up the three points by any means necessary – a 91^st minute shot from Lauren James, a 93^rd winning header from Aggie-Beever Jones or a 65^th minute equalizer from Wieke Kaptein, this resilient adaptability kept the team going.

Heavy Rotation:

From giving youngsters the platform to shine, to rotating as many players as possible, a major trait the Lyon coach inherited from her predecessor is her ability to rotate players, without changing a lot to the spine of the game.

While there are players like Millie Bright and Hannah Hampton who started almost all the WSL games, there were a lot more fringe players who played crucial roles when asked.

For instance, you might not hear a lot about names like Maika Hamano, or Orian Jean Francoise, or Ashley Lawrence but they all played a part in picking up pivotal points at different timelines of the season.

The Canadian fullback Lawrence had two match-winning assists that got Chelsea a weighted six points.

**Above:** Ashley Lawrence celebrates with Chelsea. Photo: Chelsea Women on X.

Unlike Gareth Taylor who struggled with managing players like Chloe Kelly and Marc Skinner who struggled with managing Geyse, Bompastor has been able to manage her myriad of talents, keeping everyone averagely happy while giving them the room to show up and deliver for the team when required.

There are a lot more factors that contributed to Bompastor’s record-breaking season, like the versatility of team, beating their direct rivals twice to garner crucial points, but this season has only shown the rest of the park that a change in coach doesn’t automatically translate to a change in dominance.

It’s another season, and as the Blue army keeps marching, will they take it a notch higher and attain their European quest given their neighbor’s recent triumph?

Only time will tell.

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NPLW WA 2025 Round 10 Wrap

by Ben Gilby & Ella McShane (1/6/25)

Above: Jess Flannery heads Perth SC into the lead at UWA-Nedlands today. Photo: Rob Lizzi.

Subiaco 0-4 Perth RedStar

by Ella McShane

Perth RedStar’s imperious form continued as they chalked up their fifth win on the bounce with this latest success at Rosalie Park today.

An early RedStar corner threatened goal, saved from imminent danger by goalkeeper Monique Todd, the rebound maintained the threat for the visitors. Subiaco’s Danielle Suckling’s defending header sealed the deal on denying the visitors a lead.

Possession was in RedStar’s control, and they took the lead when, following a corner, Caitlin Doeglas’ controlled cross was capitalised on by Jay Coleman.

The half that followed deservingly went in the visitors’ favour, a control in possession and high press created difficulties for Subiaco’s defence. Sarah Carroll’s longball from outside the box found the feet of the dangerous Lauren Continibali for the forward to secure the visitors a 2-0 lead.

The continuous threat posed by RedStar made for a busy day at the office for Subiaco goalkeeper Todd. Her ability to pre-empt threats made for a commendable,e composed performance.

Tensions grew as the half progressed, and Subiaco’s Soyi Kim’s determination ultimately resulted in an abrasive foul which saw her booked after 43 minutes for a forceful run into RedStar’s Kaitlyn Bellanca.

The Perth winter dusk opened the second half, and the control immediately found its way into Red Star’s favourable half. Contrastingly, Subiaco asserted themselves with mildly cautionary long balls into the box on multiple occasions during the latter half.

RedStar did not take long to put Subiaco’s threats to bed, a striding ball from the midfield seamlessly delivered to an onside and open Doeglas on the left wing to slot it into the top left-hand corner of the net to see the visitors comfortably extend their lead 53 minutes in.

Confidently exploiting space, Subiaco’s Stella Zampogna was able to make a dangerously alarming run into the box. The shot was on target and beat Red Star goalkeeper Jessica Skinner; however, just as the ball reached the line, Emily Dunn swooped and saved the day. Dunn’s execution of the block was an eye rub away from being mistaken for Matilda Caitlin Foord’s now infamous intervention in last week’s UEFA Champions League Final when Barcelona looked certain to score.

The clock with mere minutes to spare, assumed a 0-3 win in Red Star’s favour. However, a last-minute cross from Doeglas found the feet of Renee Leota positioned inside the box at 90+1. Leota’s creative exploitation of the minimal space secured the deal on a 4-0 score line in the visitors’ favour.

Teams: SUBIACO: Todd, Burdett, Sucking, Rudd, Campos, Bailey, Papalia, Kim, Harvey, Tabain, Zampogna. Substitutes: McCulloch, Hughes, Robinson, Steele, Silver, Edwards, Jahn.

PERTH REDSTAR: Skinner, Woolley, Dunn, Teixeira, Doan, Monteiro, Coleman, Carroll, Bellanca, Doeglas, Continibali. Substitutes: Bennett, Ridley, Leota, Lornie, Gray, O’Donohoe, Devitt.

Scorers: Coleman, Continibali, Doeglas, Leota.

Balcatta Etna 6-0 Murdoch University Melville

by Ben Gilby

Abbey Meakins hit a first-half hat-trick as Balcatta Etna recorded their third straight victory today.

The home side hit the front on 11 minutes when Jamie-Lee Gale found Abbey Meakins on the right, and she cut in and unleashed a shot that curled into the far corner of the net.

Balcatta went 2-0 up with 23 minutes played when Gale squared a low pass for Liana Cook to turn into the net from close range.

Two minutes later, the home side increased their lead further when Zoee Spadano linked with Frankie Murray to feed Meakins, who was running in at the back post to hit her second.

Just before the break, Meakins completed her hat trick. A high cross into the box was punched forward by a diving Kaitlyn Mohan and fell perfectly for Meakins to control and then fire home.

Two minutes into the second half, Balcatta hit their fifth of the afternoon with a lovely move. Rachel Jarvis and Hocking combined well before Meakins then laid a pass through for Hocking to advance onto and roll into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.

The scoring was completed on 56 minutes as Spadano was involved in a one-two and got the ball back to slot into the far corner of the net.

Fremantle City 2-4 Football West Academy

by Ben Gilby

**Above:** Emily Garnett (second blue shirt from the right) celebrates one of her two goals for the Football West Academy at Fremantle City today. **Photo:** U18sNPL

Football West Academy (FWA) ended a three-game losing run with this success at Hilton Park today.

The teenage side hit the front with 23 minutes played as Emily Garnett profited from Freo’s attempt to play out from the back. Home keeper Megan Phillips laid a pass for Janice Kiama on the edge of the box. Kiama was surrounded by three FWA shirts, and Garnett was able to burst into the box and fire home.

The score remained that way until 11 minutes after the interval. Garnett was brought down on the edge of the box in a tangle with Kiama, who appeared to come off worse. Garnett fired the resulting penalty low into the right-hand corner of the net.

On the hour mark, matters seemed to have been settled as Lacey Heys was released with an excellently timed pass to roll a shot into the left-hand corner.

However, two sensational strikes from Fremantle in the space of two minutes brought the port city side back into this match.

First, Mikayla Lyons found Abbey Green around 30 yards out from goal, and the former Perth Glory A-League Women player let fly with a stunner that flew into the net. Then, Green fed Sophie Meaden, who lifted in a glorious strike from the edge of the box for her first goal of the season.

Freo were unable to find an equaliser, and, amidst initial confusion and drama, a minute into stoppage time at the end of the game, the Academy sealed their win with a fourth. Theodora Mouithys drove through the middle of the park and hit a powerful shot that crashed down off the underside of the bar and down adjacent to the right-hand post. After consultation between the referee and her assistant, the goal was awarded.

UWA Nedlands 1-2 Perth SC

by Ben Gilby

**Above:** Ella Lincoln (right) celebrates her winning goal for Perth SC at UWA-Nedlands today with Daisy McAllister coming in to join. **Photo:** Rob Lizzi.

The Azzurri were made to work extremely hard by a very well-disciplined home side, but they still ran out winners at the UWA Sports Park today to remain top of the NPLW WA ladder.

It was a match where patience was the virtue for the visitors. They dominated possession and territory, but clear-cut chances were few and far between.

Georgia Cassidy’s talent for the perfectly timed pass, both cross-field and forward into the path of the stride of runners, was much in evidence, and with 10 minutes played, from one such move, Daisy McAllister, fully recovered after being stretchered off last week, advanced but put her shot just wide.

UWA-Nedlands were looking to Emily Dinsdale to create along the left, but she was well marshalled and largely dealt with before coming close to putting a ball into the box.

The hosts had a chance when Matilda Boehm put the ball against her own bar. There was also a nice turn and pass from Andrea Preiato, who threaded a pass through, but the resulting shot was over the top.

Right on the break, Sam Mathers and Cassidy established a short corner routine on the right, and the ball was delivered in for Jess Flannery to nod home towards the back post to ensure that the Azzurri had some reward for their dominance of possession by going in ahead at the break.

Ten minutes into the second half, the home side levelled when they worked possession along the right before two passes inside allowed them to build centrally with a pass played in for Dinsdale to level the scores.

It would only take Perth five minutes to restore their advantage, as, on the hour mark, Sam Mathers played the ball into the mix for Lincoln to slot home from close range – a true poacher’s goal.

There would only be one further real chance of a goal, and that came on 74 minutes when Kim McCartney hit a typically spectacular free-kick that curled its way towards the top corner, but Sauer pushed it onto the bar and over – a magnificent save.

Ladder

Perth SC P9 Pts 23 GD +21

Perth RedStar P10 Pts 22 GD +28

Football West Academy P10 Pts 21 GD +11

Balcatta Etna P8 Pts 16 GD +11

Subiaco P9 Pts 10 GD -3

Fremantle City P9 Pts 9 GD -4

UWA-Nedlands P10 Pts 6 GD -22

Murdoch University Melville P9 Pts 0 GD -44

Fixtures

SATURDAY: Football West Academy v Murdoch University Melville, Balcatta Etna v UWA-Nedlands. SUNDAY: Perth RedStar v Fremantle City, Perth SC v Subiaco.

**Above:** Lacey Heys (8) races through to put Football West Academy 3-0 up at Fremantle City today. **Photo:** U18sNPL.

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New Zealand go down to disappointing loss to Venezuela

New Zealand 1-3 Venezuela

by Jonathon Hagger (1/6/25)

Above: Football Ferns star Annalie Longo (10) battles away against Venezuela yesterday. Photo: RNZ.

New Zealand began their two-match series against Venezuela in Marbella with a performance that new boss Michael Mayne described as “nowhere near” where they need to be.

Backdrop

The New Zealand Football Ferns secured another international series against South American opposition with two matches against a lower-ranked Venezuela. The Ferns squad assembled players located all across the globe to test their mettle against a team that is preparing to play in the Copa América Femenina against teams like Brazil.

For the Ferns, this was the first match under their newly appointed coach, who had been promoted from an interim role. The appointment of Michael Mayne ushers in a new period of football for the Ferns following a lengthy recruitment process.

While Mayne has held the interim head coach role for some months, there is a marked difference between being a caretaker and being the manager in terms of responsibility and accountability for results.

The Ferns squad was an interesting mixture of veterans and players in development. The two bookend players in the squad, being new mum Betsy Hassett and Vic Esson, both 34 years of age, bring an impressive amount of experience. At the other end of the scale, the Ferns have a strong group of young players who are performing well for their respective clubs. Players such as Milly Clegg and Kate Taylor, while young in age, have played a lot of top-level football.

The Venezuelan team, for whom there is not too much written about formally, included players from very well known teams and competitions. Including – the NWSL, Spain, Brazil and US College teams. Of particular interest to Ferns supporters, was the inclusion of Mariana Speckmaier. Formerly of Wellington Phoenix and now playing for Melbourne City in the A-Leagues competition, Speckmaier is a goal scoring ace.

Formations

In the previous friendly matches between the Football Ferns and Costa Rica, coach Mayne switched the more traditional playing formation being 4-4-2 to a more attacking 3-4-3. The Ferns started the match with this same formation.

Venezuela started the match with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Coach Ricardo Belli played a balanced approach with a very strong midfield.

The first half

Venezuela started the match and applied pressure all over the pitch. The speed and physicality of the players opened up space across the entire width of the pitch, giving them lots of room to work with.

The pace of the match was dictated entirely by the South Americans. The pressure applied constantly on the Ferns, smothered their game plan, resulting in the New Zealanders attempting to play passes over the top to break through.

The first goal scoring opportunity came in the fifteenth minute to Ferns attacker, Milly Clegg, resulting from a turnover of possession just outside the Venezuelan goal area. The ball fell kindly at the feet of Clegg, who unleashed a shot on goal that was palmed away by the goalkeeper Caceras.

It would be the Venezuelan team that drew first blood with a goal in the 24^th minute. A defensive lapse by the New Zealand back four gifted Castellanos a shot on goal that bent beautifully to the left, just past the outstretched hand of the goalkeeper.

The vision of Ferns defender Kate Taylor created an opening for attack in the 29^th minute, as she launched a long ball deep into the opposition’s half. Grace Neville’s accurate cross to Milly Clegg was directed at the goal however, the reflexes of Caceras once again saved the day.

The Ferns levelled in the 37th minute, as a result of Venezuelan defenders not clearing the ball from deep in their half. A turnover of possession due to sloppy passing, provided Katie Kitching with two shots on target. The first was saved but not held by Caceras, and the rebound was knocked into the back of the net.

Not to be outdone, the Venezuelan immediately struck back in the 40th minute. Quality passing amongst the midfielders sliced through the Ferns’ defensive setup, leaving a number stranded in space. Defender Romero took a shot from wide outside the goal area on the right-hand side, steered the ball past three New Zealand defenders standing static, and found the left-hand side of the goal.

The second half

The majority of the second half was a tough battle with neither team making many mistakes or turnovers. It was an arm wrestle through and through.

Ferns midfielder and veteran player, Annalie Longo, was given the ball in positions to shoot on a few occasions, but the speculative shots ultimately came to nothing.

In the 77^th minute, Ferns defender Moore, gifted a free shot on goal after an errant pass that was seized upon by young talent, Herrera, but neither of the two attempts on goal went in.

The third goal for Venezuela was scored in the 85^th minute as a pinpoint accurate shot taken by teenager Chirinos flew narrowly above the glove of Ferns goalkeeper Victoria Esson, and squeezed underneath the crossbar and into the net. A superb individual effort.

The remaining minutes of the match were played in a conservative manner by both teams as the final result appeared to be done and dusted.

Analysis

Venezuela came into the match with a clear strategy – place fast, apply pressure, be physical. Their team bonded well and played with good chemistry. With 60% of possession, the score line was a very fair reflection of the match.

The Football Ferns didn’t appear to have a clear-cut strategy, and that was evidenced by the score line. The early pressure that was applied on the New Zealanders rattled them, and it took quite a while for the team to work their way into the match. Uncharacteristic defensive lapses cost goals and lost the Ferns the match.

The coaches of each team will be having very different conversations with their players ahead of game two. Venezuela will be looking to do more of the same, whereas the Ferns really need to find their chemistry, particularly in the midfield and on the wings, if they want to be competitive.

Teams: NEW ZEALAND (3-4-3): Esson, Moore, Taylor, Bunge, Jale, Foster, Hahn, Neville, Longo, Clegg, Kitching. Substitutes: Elliot, Stott, Hand, Hassett, Brown, Pijnenburg.

Scorer: Kitching 38’.

VENEZUELA (4-2-3-1): Caceres, Romero, Herrera, Gimenez, Carrasco, Rodriguez, Garcia, Viso, Castellanos, Speckmaier, Grarecuco. Substitutes: Apostol, Chirinos, Herrera, Altuve, Olivieri, Rodriguez.

Scorers: Castellanos 25’, Romero 40’, Chirinos 80’.

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Suffolk Cup Final: Bungay defeated, but positive

AFC Sudbury 5 – 1 Bungay Town

By Darrell Allen (31/05/2025)

Above: Bungay Town in a team huddle ahead of kick-off at Portman Road. Photo: Ben Cunningham.

A cup final against a team three leagues above them was never going to be easy, but there were positives to take from Bungay Town’s performance in a 5-1 loss to AFC Sudbury.

Overcoming adversity, the season saw Bungay retain the Norfolk Women and Girls League Division One title as well as winning the Norfolk Women and Girls League Cup. The Suffolk Cup final ended in defeat for Bungay, however there were positives to be found, especially considering their opponents, AFC Sudbury, play at a level three leagues above them.

Bungay set up with five at the back with the intention of keeping AFC Sudbury out for as long as possible. Unfortunately, that plan went quickly out of the window as Sudbury were in front inside 120 seconds through Maisie Goodwin.

**Above**: Bungay goalkeeper Chloe Pearce had a very busy evening at Portman Road. **Photo**: Ben Cunningham.

A second was added within 20 minutes through Pheoebe Guiver, a third on the half hour mark from Megan Edwards and fourth from Emily Newcomb. Bungay were understandably disappointed to be in this position – with three of the four goals being deflections.

Plan A out of the window, the cup had gone but that wasn’t going to stop Bungay Town enjoying their evening and on the stroke of half time, Hazel Saddington brought the crowd alive by playing in Beth Turner. The Sudbury keeper did well to stop Beth finding the net.

This chance gave Bungay renewed confidence and belief that further opportunities could come and the team came out second half and played full of belief. The attitude was nothing to lose and everything to gain as Bungay began to get joy passing the ball around well and creating opportunities.

The seventh-tier side finally got their reward for a remarkable second half performance when Selina Rowland played a wonderful ball down the left to Hazel Saddington to run on to and slot the ball into the net on 76 minutes.

It was an iconic moment for Saddington, a Norwich City fan to score at Portman Road, the home of Ipswich Town. The celebrations that followed were the best of the night as Bungay got the moment they so desperately wanted and deserved in the game. AFC Sudbury manager Luke Mallett was disappointed to concede:

He said: “I think in the first half we showed up and we played good football and we moved it around. They were resilient and kept a low block and had lots of numbers back, but we kept the ball moving and although we could have been a little more clinical, I was really happy with the first-half.”

The remaining 14 minutes and stoppage time saw little action of note as Bungay did well to restrict Sudbury to any further goals and can take a huge positive drawing the second half 1-1.

A special mention has to go Bungay Town goalkeeper Chloe Pearce and the defence who were outstanding all evening, in particular Fran Heaney who received the Player of the Match award for Bungay Town.

At the conclusion of the game Bungay went over to Cobbold Stand where their supporters were housed and appreciation was shared between players and supporters for what was a magnificent occasion for the club and superb performance from the team.

Bungay finished the night with huge plaudits on an evening where they done themselves proud against opposition from three levels higher and scored at Portman Road.

In a season of huge success and so many reasons to be proud, this was a fitting conclusion and memories for life for all the players and staff who were involved on Tuesday night.

TEAMS: AFC SUDBURY: Amelia Carter, Sophie Jeffrey, Leonnie Beazant, Eleanor Rossiter, Aliyat Lambe, Alex Penny, Maisie Goodwin, Jessica Allen, Megan Edwards, Phoebe Guiver, Lina Nagib. Substitutes: Maddison Carpenter, Lily-Jo Hinton, Kaste Edwards, Emily Newcomb, Jade Barrett.

BUNGAY TOWN: Chloe Pearce, Grace Storey, Charnelle Riggall, Ruby Roos, Abi Bell, Lauren Purling, Beth Turner, Mia Rose, Hazel Saddington, Fran Heaney, Selina Rowland. Substitutes: Maddie Flatman, Lila Eden, Sofia Serghiou, Molly Webb, Brooke Osborne.

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“I’ve Got the Taste of Trophies”-Steph Catley Eyes More Silverware After Historic Win

Isabelle Campbell 31/05/25

Above: Steph Catley (right) celebrates the Champions League. Photo: Arsenal Football Club

Returning home after Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph, Steph Catley is still processing the scale of what she and her teammates achieved. The moment that saw three Matildas achieve European glory.

“It’s been a big few days, biggest of my life, my career, I would say,” said Catley in a media conference. “Something I’ve dreamed of my entire career, it’s the pinnacle of football and being able to do it alongside my two Aussies and just being part of Arsenal and being that club in England to do it again, it’s very, very special.

“And then, to come back here and celebrate with the Tillies and all the girls has been really lovely.”

Back in camp with the national team, the shift from celebrating to preparing for matches has come quickly. Catley, finding out from the media that interim coach Tom Sermanni shared his plans to start the Arsenal trio in Canberra on Monday night.

“Did he just? Okay, he hasn’t told me that,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, I feel good. Obviously, we have had a big couple of days it’s obviously a long way to travel and we only travelled a few days ago.”

“But I’ll be ready and the girls will be ready. It’s the end of the season, so it’s not like we’re unfit or not ready to play. We’re definitely ready to play.”

“It’d be nice to get back on the field again. I’m not a very good sub. I don’t like sitting on the bench. I get a bit antsy. So I’m happy to play.”

The emotions of the win haven’t faded, and for Catley, they may not for quite some time.

“It’s a massive high. I don’t know that we’ve necessarily come down. I think it’ll stay with us for a long time.”

“The recovery’s been interesting because, straight on a plane to Australia isn’t the easiest way to go about it. But it’s something that I don’t think I’ll come down from for a very long time.”

Now, with an Asian Cup on home soil fast approaching, Catley said the experience of winning the Champions League has only heightened her ambition to bring silverware home in the green and gold.

“I think it just gives you a little taste of what’s possible, being at a club like Arsenal, I always believed we were capable of doing it, but actually doing it is a whole other thing.”

“And especially when you’re coming up against a team like Barcelona, sometimes it feels quite far away. But to actually do it, it just makes me sort of think of my career and think about the things that I really want to achieve.”

“And winning silverware with the Matildas has always been top of my list.”

She’s determined to bring that success into the national team setup following what she admits to have been a tough few years.

“I’ve got the taste of trophies and that would mean a lot to me if we were able to do that. I think it’s good for at least the three of us to have the taste of that and to be able to lead that success and that hunt for success for our team.”

Catley’s leadership and recent success have already had an impact on the national camp. Debutant and goalscorer Kahli Johnson spoke on how much of a boost it was to have the Arsenal girls return fresh from victory.

“You see a player like Kahli [Johnson] come in tonight and she looks like she’s been in our team for a few years. We’re still finding gems like that and I think coming into a major tournament, that’s the most important thing you can do, try to have a bit of depth there and some competition.”

“If we can inspire any girls at any level in this country to go out and want to be a Matilda, then that is our main job and that’s what we want to be doing.”

Exactly a year before Arsenal’s historic win in Lisbon, the team had been in Melbourne playing a relaxed postseason friendly. Catley looked back on the stark contrast between those two moments.

“It’s pretty amazing. It’s two very different scenarios. We were looking at photos from that tour before playing the game and how different the situations were, that we were in our postseason, just having a great time in Melbourne compared to being in Lisbon, about to play the Champions League.”

From a relaxed postseason friendly in Melbourne to lifting the Champions League trophy in Lisbon, Steph Catley has experienced a remarkable journey over the past year.

This victory has only strengthened her desire to achieve more, both with Arsenal and the Matildas. For Catley, the Champions League win is a milestone, but not the final destination.

Beever-Jones bags hat-trick as Lionesses put six past Portugal

England 6–0 Portugal

by Ava-Marianne Elliott (30/5/25)

Above: England celebrate last night. Photo: Christine Oughton for Impetus.

Under the lights at Wembley, England were ruthless. The Lionesses comfortably saw off visitors Portugal in a win that saw them retain second-place in their Nations League group, setting them up nicely for their away trip to group leaders, Spain, on Tuesday.

This coming summer is a busy one for the Lionesses. The time left on the clock until kick-off in Zurich is quickly passing. Just 36 days remain until England play their opening game of the tournament, facing France at Stadion Letzigrund. The Lionesses will hope to come out roaring and set the tone for their campaign in the early stages as the reigning European Champions.

There was a huge pressure on Wiegman’s side to deliver a result, as this fixture came just three days after Mary Earps’ shock departure. The loss of the keeper sent shock waves through the fan base, the decision to retire from the international stage with immediate effect coming a month before Switzerland, but this win was more the convincing.

The impact of Aggie Beever-Jones

With Alessia Russo out with a calf-injury, England needed to opt for another option in the nine role, and Aggie Beever-Jones more than stepped up. The 21-year-old ran riot at Wembley, consistently outsmarting the Portugal defence and achieving a hat-trick in just 33 minutes. The forward continues to shine brighter with every passing game,

Aggie Beever-Jones etched her name into the history books with that performance. The 21-year-old forward was a relentless burden for Portugal, constantly creating the right space at the right moment to achieve a hat-trick in just 33 minutes. Whilst the rest of the squad were flawless, Beever-Jones was on a completely different level.

With usual starter Alessia Russo out of commission with a calf injury, Sarina Wiegman opted for a front three of Beth Mead, Beever-Jones and Lauren Hemp. The trio worked impeccably, with Hemp and Mead’s work down the channels proving to be a huge problem that Portugal just weren’t able to match. With Beever-Jones leading the line, the excess of 48,000 fans were certainly in for a masterclass.

There was a huge uproar from the stands when she opened the scoring in just the third minute, outsmarting the opposition backline and finding herself the perfect pocket of space to send a shot past Inês Pereira and into the bottom left-corner.

Her second goal was the third of the half. The Portugal defence were trailing, and a brilliant cross from Lucy Bronze allowed Beever-Jones to send a well-executed header into the back of the net.

Beever-Jones’ third came in the 33rd minute, where she successfully bagged a hat-trick on her Wembley debut, making her just the second England women’s player to do so. Captain Leah Williamson’s incredible vision for a long pass found the Chelsea starlet, who took a couple of touches to bypass the defence before rocketing a third into the net.

After that performance, it feels as if she’s cemented her place at EURO 2025.

Impact substitutions

This time six months ago, Chloe Kelly’s space in Switzerland was hugely in doubt. The winger was struggling to gain any game time at Manchester City under Gareth Taylor, and seriously considered taking a break from the football scene. Flash forward to the present, Kelly is back at Wembley, scoring just five minutes after coming off the bench.

The ball started with Alex Greenwood, who had only just made a return to the squad after injury and came off the bench in a triple change alongside Kelly and Maya Le Tissier. The City centre-back made a clever pass that found Mead out on the wing, who had been left to work with too much space. Re-energised and raring to go, Kelly was able to get on the end of Mead’s cross for a great header, making it six for England.

Another positive change for England was made in the 75th minute, when Keira Walsh made way for a Georgia Stanway return. Stanway has been sidelined since late January with an injury to her lateral collateral ligament in her knee, under-going surgery and leaving a question mark over her head for this summer. Her return bolsters the midfield selection, giving England another strong option for the Euros.

***Above****: Beth Mead strikes at goal.* ***Photo****: Christine Oughton for Impetus.*

The rest of the action

Jess Carter was another figure in that England lineup that performed particularly well tonight. Featuring at left-back, Carter was crucial going forwards and in build-up sequences, pushing the team forwards. She also linked up well with Hemp on that left-hand side, overall instrumental, but especially in those first half goals.

England’s two other goals came from Bronze and Mead. The pair both had a faultless run, with Bronze pouncing on a blocked hit from Carter to secure the Lionesses second goal of the evening.

Mead was a creative and incredibly sharp figure amongst the squad, driving the attack. Her performance was capped with a well-taken goal, her movement to find the right position and pinpoint strike securing England’s fourth. She was the driving force behind the attacking momentum, pushing Portugal’s defence into error and working to ensure they couldn’t recover from the quick deficit.

Teams: ENGLAND (4-3-3): Hampton, Bronze, Carter, Walsh, Williamson, Morgan, Mead, Clinton, Beever-Jones, Park, Hemp. Substitutes: Charles, Keating, Le Tissier (57’), Greenwood (57’), Stanway (75’), Kelly (57’), Kearns, Parris, Kirby (67’), Moorhouse, Wubben-Moy, Agyemang.

PORTUGAL (3-5-2): Pereira, Amado, Jacinto, Norton, Borges, T. Pinto, F. Pinto, Dolores Silva (c), Costa, Diana Silva, Capeta Substitutes: Morais, Cota-Yarde, Fonseca, Lopes, Ribeiro, J. Silva (46’), Faria (69’), Mendes (86’), Correira (69’) Dias, Encarnacao, De Freitas Martins Lino.

REFEREE: Frida Klarlund

Attendance: 48,531.

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Republic of Ireland keep hopes alive with comeback victory

Türkiye 1-2 Republic of Ireland

By Alyce Collett (5/30/25)

Above: Kyra Carusa on the ball in the UEFA Nations League game tonight. Image: Ireland Football Twitter.

The Republic of Ireland are breathing a massive sigh of relief right now after coming from behind to defeat Türkiye 2-1 and keep their albeit faint hopes of topping their UEFA Nations League group alive.

The Irish were off their game for much of the match and looking like a shell of the side that went to the World Cup a mere two years ago, and were for much of the second half staring down the barrel of a defeat thanks to a Kader Hancar goal early in the half.

However, a Busem Seker own goal and a wonderful strike from Emily Murphy turned the tide of the match and gave Ireland the full three points late in the game.

There was plenty of end to end action early in proceedings. The Irish again dominated possession, but it was a far more open game than the reverse fixture had been in February, with Türkiye not deploying the low block they had at Tallaght. Both sides certainly had their opportunities to score, but could only record a small number of actually realistic chances on goal.

The Irish spent enough time in attack, but their problem was that the last pass into the box was struggling to find its target inside the box.

Momentum continued to swing between the two sides as the half progressed and the defending from both sides was not pretty at times, but it was impressively solid and neither side managed to score a goal in the first half.

The half time stats told a frustrating story for the away side and its fans. The Irish dominated possession, and had three more shots on target than Türkiye had, but just could not finish in front of goal.

Türkiye did not take long to put Ireland on the back foot in the second half, only taking three minutes to score the first goal of the game. Some strong passing from Türkiye and disorganisation behind the ball saw Hancar able to score into the bottom corner and passed an outstretched Courtney Brosnan.

This just rattled an already rattled Irish side even further, with the passing from the visitors poor and far below their usual standard.

A telling move came at the hour mark when Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward made a triple substitution, really trying to rejig her attack and see if the trajectory of the match could be changed.

**Above:** Murphy celebrates her winning goal. **Image:** Ireland Football Twitter.

However not even fresh faces or even playing some players in different roles could change the script for the Republic of Ireland, as Selda Akgöz and her defensive cohort stepped up their defensive pressure and really did not give the Irish any look ins. The defence was well supported by the likes of Meryem Cennet Çal, who had impressed all game in midfield.

Just as serious questions were starting to be raised in the Irish camp, the visitors finally managed to get a goal after Seker accidentally headed a Megan Campbell long throw back over Akgöz and into her own goal.

The Republic of Ireland kept attacking as the half progressed, but as the minutes ticked down it was not clear if a match winner would be found.

Fortunately for the Irish they found themselves a winner in the 89^th minute, when Murphy pounced on a wayward Sejde Abrahamsson header to smash a shot right into the back of the net.

Türkiye kept pushing late and had a couple of close chances, but ultimately could not equalise.

Teams: TÜRKIYE (4-2-3-1): Akgoz, Seker, Hiz, Abrahamsson, Civelek, Topcu, Cal, Pekel, Tukoglu, Cin, Hancar. Substitutes: Kucukbirinci, Karagenc, Karatas, Karabulut, Caglar, Ozturk, Houssein, Tag, Icinozbebek, Keskin, Sakar, Sahin.

Scorer: Hancar 49’

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (4-3-3): Brosnan, McCabe, Patten, Stapeleton, Mannion, O’Sullivan, Sheva, Connolly, Lucy Quinn, Barrett, Larkin. Substitutes: Campbell, Louise Quinn, Toland, Littlejohn, Healy, Moloney, Hayes, Carusa, Noonan, Murphy, Mustaki, Whitehouse.

Scorers: Seker (OG) 79’, Murphy 89’.

Referee: Kristina Georgieva (BUL).

Attendance: 760.

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Johnson debut goal drives Matildas to Argentina win

Australia 2-0 Argentina

by Isabelle Campbell at Marvel Stadium for Impetus (30/5/25).

Above: Kahli Johnson celebrates her debut goal for Australia. Photo: Football Australia.

The Matildas put on an outstanding display of attacking mindset in a 2-0 win over Argentina at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. With several senior players unavailable, the fixture allowed fringe players to make their names known to the nation.

The match marked a significant milestone for interim head coach Tom Sermanni, who led the national team for the 150th time. Having previously coached the Matildas from 1994 to 1997 and again from 2005 to 2012, Sermanni has returned to guide the squad through a period of transition and development.

With a mix of emerging talent and experienced players, the fixture provided a valuable opportunity to test new ideas and build team cohesion ahead of more competitive challenges.

Newest call-up to the national team, Kahli Johnson earned herself a spot in the starting XI, making her cap number 237 for the Matildas.

From the starting whistle, Australia kept the ball at their feet, getting themselves well into the final third and looking to open the scoring early on.

In just the sixth minute, Holly McNamara delivered a ball into the box, which managed to find the foot of debutant Johnson, but her effort was sent high over the crossbar.

The Australians continued to press with Jamilla Rankin also sending the ball into the area, though there were no teammates there to meet it, and Argentina’s goalkeeper, Abigail Chaves, pulled off a great stop.

McNamara was the next to step up, but she too was unable to bring the ball down low enough to affect the scoreline.

The Matildas dominated early proceedings, pinning Argentina inside their own half, but just failing to convert their chances into something tangible.

Argentina had their first chance on goal in the 15th minute when Florencia Bonsegundo managed to perfectly bring the ball down to her feet and get a shot off, although the attempt was not quite low enough to trouble Teagan Micah in goal.

**Above:** The Matildas side who started tonight’s win over Argentina in Melbourne. **Photo:** Football Australia.

Johnson continued to look confident on the ball and desperate to make a difference to the scoreline.

The breakthrough came in the 38th minute, and it was the debutant Johnson who made all the difference. Assisted by Charli Grant with a perfectly weighted cross, she found the back of the net with a powerful strike. First game, first goal, and a player to watch.

The two sides went in at half time with the Matildas looking to maintain the level of pressure and Argentina hoping to turn their luck around.

The whistle blew on the second half, and within minutes, Johnson again looked to exploit the gaps in Argentina’s defensive line, just missing the mark from the edge of the area.

Argentina found their rhythm throughout the second half and looked more comfortable on the ball, though they still failed to create any threat to the home side’s backline.

Still hungry for her own debut international goal, McNamara continued to look dangerous in the box, peppering the keeper with shot after shot.

A free kick outside the area was unable to further the Matildas’ lead, being sent just over the top by Alanna Kennedy.

Adding to the list of milestone moments, after nearly a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury, Amy Sayer made her long-awaited return to the national side and immediately looked to prove that time away hadn’t slowed her down.

Moments later, Kaitlyn Torpey made the net ripple for a second time, both in the game and in her own international career, making a run down the right-hand side and turning what appeared to be an attempt at a cross into a goal.

**Above:** Kaitlyn Torpey (right) celebrates her goal with Charli Grant, who had an outstanding night for The Matildas. **Photo:** Football Australia.

Fueled with confidence, the Australians pushed further forward, and it was Clare Wheeler who struck a goalbound effort next, but the Argentinian keeper managed to just get a hand in and knock it off course.

It wasn’t until the 80th minute that the South Americans registered their first shot on target, giving goalkeeper Micah her first action of the night.

Despite four minutes of added time, neither side was able to change the scoreline, and the Matildas walked away with a win that shows promise as we edge closer to another home soil competition.

With another friendly against Argentina still to come in Canberra on Monday night, Sermanni and his staff should be encouraged by the signs of growth and cohesion on display in Melbourne.

To view an EXCLUSIVE gallery of images from the game by Impetus’ Tilly McDonald, visit our Instagram page @ImpetusFootball.

Teams: AUSTRALIA (4-4-2) : Micah, Heatley, Hunt, Wheeler, Torpey, Van Egmond, Kennedy, McNamara, Grant, Johnson, Rankin. Substitutes: Nevin, Foord, Cooney-Cross, Aquino, Prior, Sayer, Davidson, Henry, Catley, Whyman, Gomez, Heyman.

Scorers: Johnson 38’, Torpey 69’.

ARGENTINA (4-4-2): Chaves, Stabile, Roggerone, Preininger, Cometti, Pereyra, Rodriguez, Braun, Bonsegundo, Dominguez, Giminez. Substitutes: M. Vargas, R. Nūnez, A. Vargas, K. Nūnez, Martin, Altgelt, Gramaglia, Gomez.

Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (THA).

Attendance: 43,020.

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Ireland Nations League Preview

Above: The Irish Women’s National Team in a training session. Photo: Ireland Football Twitter.

By Alyce Collett (5/29/25).

Like just about every international window these days, the upcoming international window is incredibly important for the Republic of Ireland.

Set to face Turkiye and Slovenia in the UEFA Women’s Nations League; the reverse fixtures from the February window, the Girls in Green are arguably the side in their League B group with the most on the line this window.

With where the side is at currently, the goal will be to top the group and get promoted straight back up to League A, the bare minimum being finishing second and qualifying for a promotion playoff. With the potential to have to face sides like Austria, Iceland, Portugal or Denmark in that play off, the Irish will be wanting to avoid that extra step.

However, to finish top of the group will not be easy. Mainly because of how badly things went against Slovenia last time, The Irish need to make up a goal difference of seven, so two wins this window will not be enough by itself. These wins need to be big, and big wins have not been a theme with the Irish team for a while.

Last time against the Turkish, the Irish really struggled to get past the low block the Turkish deployed. Although Kyra Carusa did eventually pop up and score what turned out to be the winner, it was far from convincing from the Irish.

Speed in attack is going to be crucial, and without Heather Payne bringing the pace out of defence, others are going to have to step up.

The key may be shaking up the forward line. Carusa has been the first choice striker for a while, but has only played five matches this National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season, and has not played more than 29 minutes in any of those matches. Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward needs to reward those in form and that have been playing more regularly, which is players like Saoirse Noonan, Amber Barrett, Abbie Larkin, Lucy Quinn, and Erin Healy.

Meanwhile in the last Slovenia game, the Irish were simply outclassed. That particular match left many Irish fans scratching their heads in concern, as there was just about nothing positive to take out of that game. Part of the blame can be partially laid at the fact that the team was still getting used to Ward and her system, but regardless if history repeats in any way at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday, the Irish can kiss their hopes of a top spot finish goodbye.

WILL KATIE MCCABE PLAY?

**Above:** McCabe arrives at camp after winning the Champions League. **Photo:** Ireland Football Twitter.

One of the big questions surrounding the Irish squad this window is the availability of captain Katie McCabe.

McCabe is coming off a long season with Arsenal and in particular a big weekend last weekend, winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

There is a noticeably negative difference in the Irish side when McCabe is not in it, so if she is not able to play for any section of the matches, others are really going to need to stand up.

THE NEWEST GIRL IN GREEN

The other big question surrounding the group is around the newest member of the group, Erin Healy.

Healy is an American born forward, who qualifies for the Republic of Ireland through her Monaghan born grand father. She is currently playing in Australia’s A-League Women’s for Adelaide United.

She plays a more central role, but is quick and is not afraid to take on defenders so is exactly the kind of player the Irish side needs, but the question will be is Ward willing to play someone who is so new to international football? Only time will tell.

The Republic of Ireland will take on Turkiye in Istanbul tomorrow night before returning to the Emerald Isle to take on Slovenia in Cork on Tuesday night. Both matches will be shown on RTE2, but fans outside the Republic may need a strong VPN to be able to tune into RTE’s coverage.

IRELAND WNT SQUAD – MAY/JUNE WINDOW VS TURKIYE AND SLOVENIA

Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan, Grace Moloney and Sophie Whitehouse.

Defenders: Jessie Stapleton, Aoife Mannion, Anna Patten, Caitlin Hayes, Louise Quinn, Chloe Mustaki, Megan Campbell and Katie McCabe.

Midfielders: Denise O’Sullivan, Ruesha Littlejohn, Megan Connolly, Tyler Toland, Marissa Sheva and Aoibheann Clancy.

Forwards: Kyra Carusa, Amber Barrett, Abbie Larkin, Lucy Quinn, Emily Murphy, Saoirse Noonan and Erin Healy.

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Sermanni demands better conditions for A-League Women’s players & coaches

by Isabelle Campbell (29/5/25)

Above: Tom Sermanni. Photo: Football Australia.

Just 24 hours after the A-League Women was named the ‘Best League in Asia’, Matildas interim head coach Tom Sermanni has launched a scathing critique of the competition, calling for urgent structural changes and greater investment in professionalism.

“We started the A-League Women, or the W-League, as it was in those days, in 2008. One of the two or three things that was important was to give more players opportunities to play against national team players and to get opportunities in the national team.”

“And at that time, our league was the forefront of women’s leagues, to be perfectly honest. It’s still very important, and coaches, staff and players are doing exceptionally well. But the league itself is in need of significant improvement in its professionalism.”

Sermanni singled out just three clubs, Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, and Wellington Phoenix, as being frontrunners in the league, saying, “The rest of the clubs are completely inadequately staffed. That’s a starting point.”

He also drew stark contrasts with brand new Canadian league, the Northern Super League, in just its maiden season, suggesting Australia is being outpaced in terms of salaries and infrastructure.

“Players get 35-week contracts now (in the A-League Women). A league has just started in Canada, football-wise, we’re well in advance of Canada, where the base salary is twice what our basic salary is, where there’s full-time staff, full-time players.

“And we are still trying to produce players when we have a space of three months where the club has got no contact, no control, no reference point for the players, to actually keep them and know what’s happening.

**Above:** Tom Sermanni at today’s media conference. **Image:** Football Australia.

“We really need to have, at A-League level, a real rethink.”

Tom Sermanni, Matildas interim head coach.

Sermanni said that despite the league existing for 17 years, progress has stalled.

“When we started the league, and the coaches came from our institute programs, we had full-time coaches and more full-time staff than we have now, 17 years in.”

“The A-League separated five years ago, and what we have done since then is we’ve got home and away, which is an improvement, but we are still grossly under-invested in the women’s game here.

“I don’t know if there’s a thought process going forward about where they want to take the league or what they want to do. But there’s a huge amount of work that actually needs to be done.”

“It’s even more irritating when you think how we had the most successful World Cup ever two years ago, and A-League Women are in the situation that they’re in now, it’s just not good enough.”

Matildas defender Charli Grant, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur after starting her career in the A-League with Adelaide United, echoed Sermanni’s concerns.

“I think seeing the resources there (at Tottenham) compared to Australia was very mind-blowing, to be honest. Seeing things like that does give that drive where you want Australia to be better and push for those facilities, those resources, because having them there every day at Tottenham, it helps you become a better player.

**Above:** Charli Grant speaking at the Matildas’ media conference in Melbourne today. **Image:** Football Australia.

“Having so many different people that you can go to for different areas of the game, and you can only imagine what that’d do for Australia if they were given the same resources.”

The financial gap is striking. While the NSL boasts a minimum salary of $56,000 AUD and a $1.8 million AUD salary cap, the A-League Women has a salary cap of just $600,000 AUD. In a recent survey, 59% of players cited low wages as the most likely reason they would leave the sport early. Over 60% of players work outside of football to support themselves financially.

Beau Busch, Chief Executive of Professional Footballers Australia, spoke on the issues Sermanni raised:

“The players are crystal clear: the ALW must relaunch as a fully professional competition by the 2026/27 season. We must capitalise on the momentum of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, elevate the match day experience, both in-stadium and on broadcast, and invest in stronger club environments.”

Beau Busch, Chief Executive, Professional Footballers Australia.

“Setting that as our target and achieving it will prevent us falling further behind as global standards continue to rise at pace.”

The future of the A-League Women rests on addressing these pressing concerns. With calls for greater investment and professionalism growing louder, the league now faces a critical moment to shape its next chapter.

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