Above: Wellington Phoenix players celebrate after scoring against Melbourne Victory.Photo: via A-Leagues
Wellington Phoenix claimed a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory at Porirua Park this afternoon, with 17-year-old Pia Vlok scoring her first Ninja A-League goal to help the hosts secure their first ever win over Victory.
The match marked a notable reunion, as former Wellington defender Zoe McMeeken lined up against her old club for the first time since signing with Victory.
Phoenix also entered the match managing some early-season challenges in the squad, after having announced during the week that midfielders Tessa Middag and Alyssa Whinham have both sustained ACL injuries.
The match opened with early intent from both sides, and Melbourne Victory nearly struck first when Rachel Lowe unleashed a sharp effort on goal but Phoenix goalkeeper Victoria Esson reacted superbly, palming the strike away to keep the scores level.
Both teams pushed for an opener, but clear chances were limited until the 14th minute, when Phoenix’s Vlok tried her luck from the right-hand side of the box. Her shot, however, failed to find the target. Victory goalkeeper Courtney Newbon then produced an outstanding save of her own, denying Manaia Elliott’s powerful effort as Wellington began to build momentum.
The Phoenix maintained pressure throughout the half but struggled to convert their final chances. Play was briefly halted twice as Esson and teammate Emma Main went down with injuries, though both returned after receiving treatment.
Wellington then finally broke through in the 38th minute.
Elliott delivered a dangerous ball across the face of goal, finding Vlok who calmly slotted home the goal to put the hosts ahead.
Deep into stoppage time, the Phoenix came close to doubling their lead, but Victory’s defence scrambled to avert the danger before the play was ultimately ruled offside.
The second half began with Wellington immediately testing Victory’s defence again, as Main fired a shot on target only for Newbon to gather it safely. Victory responded by pressing hard in search of an equaliser. They earned a free kick in a dangerous position, which Alana Jančevski struck low, but Esson was equal to the task.
For the majority of the half, Victory appeared the stronger side, creating the better chances. The most notable attempt came in the 65th minute when defender Claudia Bunge unleashed a powerful strike, but it sailed just over the crossbar.
Well into extra time, Victory dominated possession and continued to push for a goal to level the scores and take home a point, but were unable to convert any of their opportunities.
Teams: WELLINGTON PHOENIX (3-4-1-2): Esson, Bott, Barry, Walker, Jale, Elliott, Van der Meer, Main, Wall, Nunn, Vlok. Substitutes: Danieli, McMillan, D. Brazendale, Ingham, L. Brazendale, Bartlett.
Above: Canberra United celebrate during their win over Perth Glory today. Photo: Canberra United.
Two goals in the opening eight minutes ensured that Canberra United earned their maiden win of the A-League Women season, condemning Perth Glory to a third successive defeat as a consequence.
Goals from Michelle Heyman and Emma Robers in that breakneck start put the capital city club well on the way before Bethany Gordon put the icing on the cake 12 minutes into the second half.
Canberra head coach Antoni Jagarinec gave an instant start to returning defender Liz Anton, with the New Zealand international facing her former club, replacing Kiara De Domizio in the back line. Bethany Gordon and Sienna Dale came into the starting line-up as well for Mary Stanic-Floody and Darcey Malone.
Perth Glory boss Stephen Peters made three changes to his starting line-up from last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Sydney FC. Charli Wainwright came into the midfield along with Bronte Trew, and Gabby Hollar was restored to the front line for defender Naomi Chinnama, midfielder Izzy Dalton, and attacker Sarah O’Donoghue.
Canberra hit the front with just three minutes on the clock, as a pass along the left flank ran perfectly for an unmarked Josie Aulicino to slide a low ball in for Heyman to sweep home at the back post.
Just eight minutes later, they doubled their advantage as Gordon’s free-kick from the left curled in to the back post, where Robers looped a high header over Alyssa Dall’Oste and in.
Perth looked to hit back and, shortly afterwards, earned a corner. Emma Tovar played a high ball into the back post, where Wainwright directed a header narrowly wide.
The home side continued to press and find gaps in the Glory defence to exploit. With just over 20 minutes on the clock, Heyman fed Sasha Grove along the right flank. She beat Onyi Zogg and played a low pass in for Sienna Dale to hit a shot that Dall’Oste held at the second attempt as Heyman slid in.
Rola Badawiya had a half chance after the half hour when Hollar profited from loose control from Hayley Taylor-Young to lay in a pass for the American striker, but Sally James held the shot comfortably as the hosts maintained their 2-0 lead into the break.
Canberra sealed the deal with a sensational third goal after 57 minutes that was so good that the visitors never had a chance to repel.
A superb barrage of one-touch passing in the centre of the park ended with Heyman laying back for Gordon to slam a shot into the net from 20 yards.
It could have got even better for Canberra if they had managed to force the ball over the line after a penalty box scramble, but Robers, Jazmin Wardlow, and Heyman all saw efforts blocked.
In the end, it was a comprehensive win for the capital city club, who will look to re-establish themselves in the top half of the table next weekend when Sydney FC visit.
Perth’s next face a third straight away trip – to Melbourne Victory next Sunday, which will be a fiendishly tough examination as they bid to shore up a defence that has conceded eight goals in their last three matches.
The Western Australians have had a tough set of games to open the season, with four of the first five games away from home, on top of this, but they are a team who are capable of scoring goals. However, in order to put chances away, their key midfield creatives need to be on point, and today that wasn’t the case often enough. It will have to be against Victory.
Above: Lauren Allan is embraced by teammates after her goal. Photo: A-League
Newcastle Jets have extended their unbeaten streak against the Western Sydney Wanderers, defeating the visitors 1-0 in their home opener at No.2 Sportground. The victory was a historical one for the Jets, as they had not gone three matches unbeaten to start their season in the club’s Ninja A-League history.
The match was an end-to-end battle from the start, with fairly even possession, and both sides were able to easily move the ball into their attacking end. The scene was set for a combative afternoon of football within the first five minutes. There was great defending for both the Wanderers and Jets, so no real chance could be found at the top of the game, despite the attacking strength across the pitch.
Ayres had the first real chance for the Jets, striking the ball from outside the box, straight to the hands of Khamis. Although the goal was missed, the Jets continued to dominate and created several chances in short succession, with Ayres at the forefront of the majority.
Play was paused for a short time as Ella Buchanan went down with a knee injury, following a clash with Lauren Allan. Although it looked quite concerning, Buchanan made her way back onto the pitch, but not before the Wandeers were forced to go with 10 players momentarily.
While the Wanderers’ 11th player was being assessed, the Jets took the opportunity to capitalise on their advantage and continued to get dangerously close to goal. Cass Davis made a clever cross to Ayres, who took a header from distance, which got close, but was saved by Khamis.
Kelli Brown got concerningly close to netting the Jets’ second, pressing Khamis. From some angles, it looked as though the ball went in. However, a touch from Khamis hit the ball out of the danger zone, as Brown took the strike just slightly too early to get past the Wanderers keeper.
Holly Caspers took a shot for the Wanderers, which was just wide of the goal, and was hit away by Jets keeper Anna Leat. The chance, however, gave the visitors a foot in the game that had thus far been dominated by the Jets.
Newcastle Jets opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, with a shot from Lauren Allan, in her 100th appearance for the Jets. The goal was off a corner that initially didn’t look like it would amount to a real chance. However, a well-timed run from Allan towards a Cass Davis pass allowed her to tap it in. It is Allan’s 4th goal against the Wanderers, and 22nd of her career.
As stoppage time approached, possession remained in favour of the Jets; however
The Wanderers managed to keep their attack alive after the opening goal and break down the Jets’ block, as it seemed increasingly likely that they would find an equaliser.
After 3 minutes of added time, there were no more goals to be found, leaving the Jets in the lead at the break.
There was a delay in play early in the half, as Alana Cerne went down with a foot injury, which seemed quite concerning. Cerne was taken off and replaced byYing Wang, who made her Western Sydney Wanderers debut.
There was even further disruption almost immediately after, when Tash Prior was taken down with a head injury, following a clash with Holly Caspers, who was also momentarily taken off. Both were cleared to re-enter the pitch shortly after.
Play remained fast-paced and aggressive, with chances at both ends, and possession was almost completely equal. Both sides came into the game in good form, both defensively and on the attack, which continued to make it difficult for anything to really come of these chances, making for a tiring, highly contentious meeting, but without a lot to show for the effort.
Newcastle had a good chance to double their lead as Ayres took a free kick in a dangerous area, but the ball was well defended by Wanderers, who immediately ran full force into a counterattack. Alyssa Ng-Saad made a great run towards the goal, as she searched for her first Ninja A-League goal and the Wanderers’ equaliser; however, it was intercepted.
Malina Ayres got dangerously close to doubling the Jets’ lead at the tail end of the match, striking the ball from distance. It looked as though it was certain to go in; however, it was slightly too high and hit the crossbar while simultaneously being hit away by Khamis.
The match did not slow down in the 6 minutes of added time, as Ayres took another outstanding shot towards the Wanderers’ goal; however, Khamis responded with an eraully showstopping save.
There was a string of excellent last-minute attempts, most of which came from the Jets; however, the Wanderers continued to fight back, as it looked like they may manage to take a point up until the last minute.
Claudia Cicco was taken off the pitch during extended stoppage time, leaving the Jets down a player after making all their subs earlier in the second half.
Despite their efforts, there were no more goals to be found, and Newcastle Jets took the win, as the score remained 1-0 at the whistle.
It was a historic win for the Newcastle Jets, as the hosts have never had a 3-game unbeaten streak in league history.
Round 5 will see Newcastle Jets remain at home to take on Brisbane Roar, while the Wanderers’ next match will be a Sydney derby on December 7th.
A 3-0 win over hosts Hó Chi Minh City WFC has secured Melbourne City a second straight home Quarter Final in the Asian Womens’ Champions League.
Melbourne City started the game with immediate impact, as star striker Holly McNamara scored their first goal for the evening before even the first minute of the game had elapsed.
McNamara pounced on a loose ball in the box, driving it into the roof of the netting after the host team failed to clear a cross.
Mere minutes later City would find their second goal, this time a long-ranged effort from Alexia Apostolakis, with this being her second goal scored in such a manner in the Group Stage of the competition.
The final goal of the game came just before half time, with McNamara hustling down the right side of the pitch playing a give-and-go with Leah Davidson, before making the selfless choice to cut the ball back to Shelby McMahon who had been following McNamara’s run.
The second half of the game saw hosts Hó Chi Minh City play much more aggressively, which in turn led them to have much more possession of the ball and create some chances on goal but City’s steadfast defence kept them from finding any joy in their attacking half.
City now look towards their Quarter Final game, with their opponent and full details of the match to be announced early in the new year, ahead of the fixture that will be held in March.
Above: NAC Breda celebrate their first top flight win. Photo: Caroline van Leusden.
Round eight of the Dutch top flight of women’s football saw a historic pair of wins for new club HERA United and promoted NAC Breda.
NAC Breda 2 – 1 Excelsior
Above: NAC v Excelsior. Photo: Gino van Outheusden/Pix4Profs
NAC Breda have had a historic Sunday victory against Excelsior – their first win since being promoted to the top flight. At home, in front of 2,200 supporters, they’ve put three points in their pocket and got themselves out of the relegation zone for now.
But it wasn’t easy for NAC, because they needed to come from behind. Excelsior, who’ve proven themselves as tougher opponents than last year, were expected to get a win at NAC. They certainly have the quality on the pitch and proved what they’re capable of in the first minutes.
Kathelyn Hendriks broke away down the flank, collecting a ball from the defence before getting her shot off. NAC’s Manoah van der Houwelingen was close by but couldn’t stop the play — her attempted clearance hesitated on her foot, helping the ball fall kindly for Hendriks. Hendriks pushed forward and squared it to the unmarked Naomi Hilhorst, who simply tapped it in to give Excelsior the lead.
But NAC Breda proved to have a real spirit about them this season. They’ve formed a team in over a year and were rushed to get ready with a big opportunity to play at the highest level. They’re not in it for just one year of experience at the top level and relegate to build from there – they want to stay.
Especially their attack has a lot going for it which was shown in their immediate response to the setback. Lynn Verhoef pulled a perfect ball behind the Excelsior defense to give a great opportunity for Brigitte Franken, who just pulled wide for the home-side.
The defense of NAC Breda is where they need to improve the most. Sarina Heijblom gave away the ball while trying to play out from the back. Her aim to recover the ball didn’t look bright either. NAC Breda got lucky with the hesitation from Excelsior’s Hendriks who wasn’t instinctive enough to make the right decision and extend their lead.
After the break neither team had many opportunities until late on. A big opportunity from a corner with Emily van der Vliet showed a first sign of the turn around for NAC Breda. Yentl van Gogh deserves all the credit in the world for the equalizer. The left-back picked up a missed header and played with a lot of technical skill herself in a position to give a great cross in front of goal. July Schneider tried to get it over the line, but Alieke de Wit tried to clear it of the goalline, to make it a poor own goal.
Excelsior did have a couple of chances to get them back in a winning position, but lacked a clinicallity. So did van Gogh’s second chance with a dangerous cross, but no NAC Breda player was there to hit it home. Franken punished poor defending from Hajar Balkhir. She stole the ball away from her in midfield and created her own opportunity via Kiki Heshof who anticipated Franken’s deeprun perfectly. Franken scored the winning 2-1 for NAC Breda, and wrote her name down in the history books.
ADO Den Haag 0 – 1 HERA United
Above: HERA v ADO. Photo: Ashton Tokromo.
HERA United won their first three points in the Eurojackpot Vrouwen Eredivisie. The squad from Amsterdam won thanks to a penalty taken by Janette van Belen. She wrote history for the first women’s-team-only football club in the Netherlands to secure a win in the Eredivisie.
ADO Den Haag and HERA United did not create a lot of opportunity, as if they were both scared to lose here. It was clear HERA United were trying to play a smart game to get corners and free kicks. In the 13th minute Vis was slightly touched while setting up an attack and fell eagerly to the ground to gain a free kick.
If they can’t win with attacking football, they have to be smarter. Van Beelen took the free kick and just hit the woodwork quite impressively. ADO Den Haag had the upper hand with danger coming from Iris Remmers and Bo Vonk. Just before the break, Anne van Egmond hit the woodwork as well, a rebound header was just hit over the bar.
After the break it all switched on for ADO den Haag, who seemed to have the upperhand in the game. In the 54th minute however, HERA’s Janette van Beelen aimed to get in the box to react to a cross in from her teammate, but got a slight touch by Vonk. van Beelen fell to the ground and the referee gave HERA a penalty. It was smart from the HERA forward, because she did what was needed to get a goal. She scored a strong penalty and got the lead for HERA United.
This secured HERA’s first win in the Eredivisie. After two draws and one win they’re now out of the relegation zone, which must make them happy. Yet, it’s absolutely one of the most cynical ways to write history. HERA United still need to improve a lot of their game play to attract fans and sponsors. With a lot of their players eager to go down with the slightest touch to get some free kick, it’s clear this was a tactical decision. I hope HERA United is able to focus on actually playing better football to raise the standard of the Eredivisie.
ADO Den Haag announced the departure of headcoach Martin Glotzbach, Sarina Wiegman’s husband, with just one point on the board. Another addition to the cynical taste this match has left in my mouth.
FC Utrecht 3 – 3 AZ Alkmaar
Above: Full time score. Photo: AZ.nl.
FC Utrecht against AZ might be the game you had to watch last sunday. AZ were 3-0 up at one point, but capitulated as Utrecht rescued a draw.
AZ started really strong against Utrecht. They pressed high with a defender constantly stepping into the forward line. They made FC Utrecht look uneasy like they weren’t sure what to do against their high press. It almost looked like the players of Utrecht weren’t really focussed in the start of the game. Which has been a problem sometimes this season. They didn’t win duels or second balls.
The first goal came out of a situation like this, where Gera op den Kelder stepped in to win a ball from AZ’s Desiree van Lunteren, but lost. The rest of the defense was left to 17-year old Aline Werelts. Jet van Beyeren was smart to put the ball through the hole op den Kelder left in the defense to give Shanique Dessing a 1 v 1 with the goalkeeper. Dessing struck gold and put AZ ahead.
From the stands it looked like Dessing was offside, the line referee was too late to see it properly. But still a deserved goal, with a misstep from Utrecht and a clever punishment from AZ. Nikita Tromp almost immediately nearly got an equalizer, but Netty Booms tipped it over the bar.
Shortly after a big chance by Van Lunteren, it was again FC Utrechts backline exposed with a wild attempt from Werelts to step in when AZ attacked. Op den Kelder who was exposed in the back made the decision to defend directly Fieke Kroeze who got the ball. She again stood 1v1 with the keeper and AZ strikers like Kroese don’t miss in these situations. On the wet field midfielder Marthe Munsterman defended well to intercept the ball from AZ attacker Dessing and kicked the ball back to her Utrecht teammate Joni Paliama. The right back slipped while trying to turn and was defeated. Dessing beat the goalkeeper to but the ball in the far corner and made it 3-0.
With only 28 minutes on the clock Utrecht faced an uphill battle. But there were also still more than 60 minutes to play. FC Utrecht did what they’ve done before against PEC Zwolle and FC Twente. They came back! Towards the break Tromp pulled of a strong shot towards goal, but goalkeeper Netty Booms wasn’t able to catch it and kicked it away, but right at where op Den Kelder expected the ball to fall and scored one of the easier goals in the Eredivisie.
This must has given FC Utrecht a bit of a boost after the break. AZ started pretty sloppy in the second half while Utrecht looked more confident. Belgian keeper Femke Bastiaen made a couple of great saves, but the Netherlands’ Tromp was the leader of the pack with plenty of chances created for Utrecht. She hit the post in the 50th minute, thanks to great work from the substitutes who gave much more width and security in midfield.
AZ’s rightback made an error in the passing, trying to patiently build up with a low crosspass to the keeper, but the 17-year old Rochelity Dapp was there to intercept and put a second goal in the back of the net. The equalizer for FC Utrecht was a screamer from Tromp who took a free kick from 25 meter and spotted goalkeeper standing of her line, expecting an attempt to assist a header from Tromp – but she kicked it instead to nab the equaliser. Both teams deserved a point for each half of great performances and great goals. AZ remain seventh and Utrecht are sixth in the Eredivisie standings.
The first half was undoubtedly in favor of PEC Zwolle. With a really stable and well structured defense and midfield, Hannah Huizinga came in to a hattrick of scoring opportunities but lacked an overall clinicality. The striker has a lot of expectations on her shoulders to bear since Zoë Zuidberg ruptured her ACL a couple of weeks ago.
Despite Heerenveen’s attacking style of play, which can be very entertaining to watch, they don’t have enough defensive instinct in the squad. The players are not the most physical to clear the goal. It was mostly due to Zwolle’s lack of a good finish that they didn’t concede more.
PEC Zwolle are level in points with PSV and Feyenoord and currently at fifth in the table, but they’ve only faced FC Twente and FC Utrecht who were top of the table last season. Upcoming months are going to be tough for Zwolle. They’ll face Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV and AZ upcoming months. They won’t have a breather up until 24th of january against NAC Breda. So PEC now needs to show what they’re made of!
Ajax 2 – 1 PSV
A week before the other matches Ajax played PSV in the Johan Cruijf Arena. Last year they lost with 0-2, but now they managed to get a win hanks to a very remarkable goal, in a match that was crucial for Ajax’s title hopes. The match seemed destined to end 1–1, until PSV defender Myrthe Kemper-Moorrees clumsily put the ball into her own net in stoppage time.
The minimum of five added minutes had just expired in the Johan Cruijff ArenA when Ajax player Mirte van Koppen sent in a harmless cross. Kemper-Moorrees attempted to control the ball with her chest, but failed to do so.
The ball slowly rolled into her own goal, with goalkeeper Nicky Evrard unable to come to her teammate’s rescue. After the blunder, PSV – with Kemper-Moorrees still on the pitch – pushed forward in full attack, but there wasn’t enough time left to force an equaliser.
PSV thus ended the match with huge disappointment, despite having started well. Just a minute had been played when Chimera Ripa made it 0-1. Shortly before halftime, Danique Tolhoek scored the equaliser for Ajax.
With the victory, Ajax are still very much a title contenders for the league.
Above: Jill Roord scores. Photo: FC Twente website.
Twente showed their prowess as the title holders as they found a last-minute victory thanks to Jill Roord, who got the winner in the final moments to keep the Tukkers at the head of the table. Never has her dad Renée Roord, the technical manager of FC Twente, lost his cool from the stands like this. He was rightfully buzzing for his club and daughter!
The last-minute win contrasted Twente and Feyenoord’s first half.The first half of the game offered little excitement. Feyenoord allowed Twente to have the ball and responded with a solid defensive block. The home side produced little more than two long-range shots saved by goalkeeper Jacintha Weimar and a header wide by Jaimy Ravensbergen.
On the rare occasions Feyenoord could think about attacking, Mao Itamura threatened with a powerful effort, while just before halftime Fleur Stoit failed to make proper contact with a cross from Zera Hulswit.
After the break, the match finally came to life. Charlotte Hulst was able to cross low from the right, insufficiently challenged by Justine Brandau, allowing Ravensbergen to smash the ball in at the near post: 1-0. That goal forced Feyenoord to abandon their defensive stance, and Jessica Torny’s side did just that.
The technical wonder Itamura struck the outside of the post with a shot that Ella Van Kerkhoven just failed to poke in. Hulswit had more luck with her cross: the ball sailed over goalkeeper Diede Lemey and into the Twente net, 1-1 in the 55th minute.
Twente had twice appealed for a penalty in vain when, in the 69th minute, they capitalised on a misunderstanding between Weimar and Esmee de Graaf. Neither intervened on a flicked-on ball by Ravensbergen, which rolled into the Rotterdam goal via the quickly reacting Sophie Proost: 2–1.
The deserved lead was nearly extended by a header from Roord, but once again Feyenoord refused to accept the situation. After a solo run from Itamura – who bypassed four defenders and even nutmegged one – the Japanese player fired at Lemey. In the rebound, substitute Kirsten van de Westeringh scored: 2-2.
In added time, a promising header from Roord landed in the hands of Weimar, but the goalkeeper stood no chance when the same Dutch international was completely left unmarked by the Feyenoord defence after a low cross from substitute Roos Ivens: 3-2, to the great disappointment of the Rotterdam camp. Over the season Feyenoord have shown they are vulnerable at the back in the final phase of the game – conceding late goals is something they have to iron out if they are to make a serious claim of title contender.
Above: Tameeka Yallop is back in the Matildas’ squad for the first time since injury earlier this year.Photo: Kris Goman.
The last Matildas’ squad for the 2025 calendar year has been named, with head coach Joe Montemurrio naming a squad of 24 to take on Trans Tasman rivals New Zealand in a two match series.
With the Asian Cup looming not too far away on the horizon, this squad is a largely settled squad, with not too many changes from the squad that took on Wales and England last window.
The biggest name to return to the squad is Tameeka Yallop, with the experienced Brisbane Roar star returning to the national team for the first time since injuring her hamstring late in the last A-League Women’s season.
Kahli Johnson is the other returning face, with the young forward returning to the squad for the first time since the series against Argentina earlier this year.
Yallop’s Roar team mate Chloe Lincoln has also made her return to the squad, with Cortnee Vine, Morgan Aquino and Jamilla Rankin being the three to make way for the returning trio.
Speaking to the media in Melbourne this morning, Montemurro noted that the squad that has been announced today is not the absolute final squad that he will pick for the Asian Cup, noting that there are some decisions still to be made.
“I still want to leave some door open to make sure that we don’t miss anything” Montemurro explained.
“I’ve had to balance that out because obviously some leagues are just starting like the A-League, so doesn’t discount the fact that if someone’s performing in the A-League and I feel that squad balance and their ability to come in and impact the squad, they’re definitely [in contention].”
There are plenty of players on the rim of contention, with Montemurro saying that “I’ve got about 20 that we are, we are sort of looking at.”
Montemurro noted that building depth and looking to the future in terms of integrating the current generation of Under 23s into the senior squad is
“One of the first things that I did when we came in was create a depth chart of, of our, of our tier of players. “an area which I really want to build and give more consistent international exposure to those players. That’s all they need. They just need international exposure, and I think we’ll start to see some players come through.”
Matildas Squad vs New Zealand – November/December 2025
Mackenzie Arnold
Ellie Carpenter
Steph Catley
Kyra Cooney-Cross
Caitlin Foord
Katrina Gorry
Charlotte Grant
Winonah Heatley
Michelle Heyman
Clare Hunt
Kahli Johnson
Alanna Kennedy
Sam Kerr
Chloe Lincoln
Holly McNamara
Teagan Micah
Courtney Nevin
Hayley Raso
Amy Sayer
Remy Siemsen
Kaitlyn Torpey
Emily Van Egmond
Clare Wheeler
Tameka Yallop
Match Details: Matildas vs New Zealand – November/December 2025
Match 1 Date: Friday, 28 November 2025 Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT Venue: polytec Stadium, Gosford Broadcast: Paramount+
Match 2 Date: Tuesday, 2 December 2025 Kick-off: 8pm ACDT Venue: Coopers Stadium, Adelaide Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
By Catherine MacKenzie and Gethin Thurlow(16/11/25)
Above: Manchester City celebrate their third goal. Photo: Naomi Baker/WSL Football.
Manchester City secured a comprehensive victory over Manchester United, strengthening their position at the top of the WSL table.
Goals from Rebecca Knaak, Khadija Shaw, and a sublime strike from Lauren Hemp -making her first start since recovering from an ankle injury – secured all three points for City before half-time. United failed to produce a shot on target on an afternoon to forget for the Red Devils.
City’s win extends their lead to four points, although Chelsea are hot on their heels only three points behind. United, now seven points behind, face a challenging turnaround as they prepare to meet Wolfsburg midweek in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Heading into the game, City were buoyed by having no European football (and therefore a week between games), and the returns of many of last year’s injuries.
United came into the game with fatigue following their midweek win over PSG – which followed a league loss against Aston Villa.
The action
Andrée Jeglertz made one change to the Manchester City side that beat Everton 2-1 last time out. Lauren Hemp made her first start since recovering from her September injury, replacing Iman Beney, who moved to the bench. With Alex Greenwood absent, Kerstin Casparij wore the captain’s armband.
Manchester United made four changes to the side that beat Paris St. Germain midweek. Safia Middleton-Patel retained her place in goal with Phallon Tullis-Joyce still injured. Ella Toone and Elisabeth Terland returned to the starting lineup, replacing Fridolina Rolfö and Simi Awujo. Gabby George moved to the bench with Dominique Janssen back from suspension, and Leah Galton was preferred to Melvine Malard.
From kickoff, City made their intentions clear. They were putting bodies forward and balls into the box from the outset, with chances arriving minutes into the match, the best of which coming as Lauren Hemp met Aoba Fujino’s cross at the back post, but Jayde Riviere blocked her effort on goal.
Another early chance saw City hit the woodwork: Vivianne Miedema outmuscled Julia Zigiotti on the edge of the box, but her low drive struck the front post and went behind. This was swiftly followed by Hemp setting up Japan international Yui Hasegawa, but her shot was blocked by Anna Sandberg.
United’s first meaningful attack nearly produced the opener when Jayde Riviere broke forward and delivered a low cross toward Leah Galton, but stand-in captain Kerstin Casparij intervened to turn it behind, and the resulting corner came to nothing.
The opener came as Hemp curled a wonderful corner into the back post for Shaw to nod back across, and Rebecca Knaak had the easiest of tasks guiding a header into the top corner.
After conceding, United started to string more passes together and had a flurry of half-chances, none of which ended up on target. The City defensive line held well and forward Elisabeth Terland received almost no service; despite running to be in the right places to receive the ball, that ball rarely came.
It was City who scored the game’s next goal, notching their second through a Casparij cross into Shaw, and their third came minutes later. United tried to build from the back, but they were sloppy and lost possession deep in their own half. That sloppiness was punished ruthlessly as the ball ended up with Hemp on the left wing, who expertly lashed a shot into the top corner.
With City three goals to the good before half-time, it was a long road back for United. The home side understandably eased their press, giving United more time on the ball in dangerous areas. However, the second half proceeded without incident as United failed to register even one shot on target.
Manchester City fan POV: City showed “just how good this team is”
This felt like a massive derby. While it’s a big occasion anyway, recently there always seems to be something extra on the line for Manchester derbies – in the last one, United qualified for the UWCL after getting a point. Today was really about setting narratives for the season. Win today and we would be seven points clear of them, and four points clear at the top of the table.
In terms of the game itself, Lauren Hemp was back in the starting lineup and working her usual magic, skipping past Riviere and putting in two inch-perfect crosses in within five minutes. Her skill, speed and intelligence are so good to watch and when she’s on it there’s no better sight in football.
Bunny Shaw and Kerstin Casperij linking up for a classic full back-striker goal is always fun to see, while Rebecca Knaak scoring in a third Manchester derby quickly moves her towards cult hero status.
After struggling to score and perform overall the last few weeks, I was concerned this game would prove that one that ended the run and halted the momentum that Andrée [Jeglertz, head coach] has built up, but it proved to be the opposite. Smashing our biggest rivals (and a pretty strong defensive team) around like that in one half moves the winning run to eight games and shows just how good this team is.
Chelsea will be relentless all season, and while by no means do I expect the title to be coming North; after a dreadful 24/25 season, Manchester City are back.
Manchester United fan POV: United MUST add to squad in January
A fair number of United fans thought this might happen. The toll of the midweek toil against PSG would always be felt when you have a squad that is light on depth all over the pitch, particularly against a team rejuvenated by the return of a world class player like Lauren Hemp.
There was also the fact that last time out, we beat them to European football; and the time before that, Ella Toone scored a hattrick as we comprehensively beat City at the Etihad.
Head coach Marc Skinner made four changes to the side that won in midweek. Toone and Elisabeth Terland came in from the start, but were under immediate pressure and pinned back in their own half with little room to make an impact. That Toone continued playing despite receiving a heavy knock that left her needing lengthy treatment was concerning and indicative of the need to strengthen.
Skinner alluded to this following the match, talking about the fatigue of a short turnaround: “We won’t use it as an excuse. We had an advantage on City last year in that sense,” he said.
“We have to design a squad and have an impact in the winter transfer window to support the players, who are giving everything. It wasn’t a lack of commitment.
I felt the players gave as much as they could, they just switched off. That can be tiredness and fatigue but we can’t accept that, and we have to fix that.”
Manchester City are away at Nottingham Forest in the Women’s League Cup group stages next Saturday. Their next WSL game is at Leicester on Sunday, 7 December.
Manchester United return to Champions League action when they travel to Wolfsburg on Wednesday, and are back in the WSL against West Ham at home in early December.
TEAMS: MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Yamashita, Rose, Shaw, Miedema, Hemp, Ouahabi, Casparij, Blindkilde Brown, Fujino, Hasegawa, Knaak. Substitutes: Keating, Clinton (for Shaw 82′), Coombs, Wienroither, Lohmann (for Blinkilde Brown 74′), Beney (for Hemp 74′), Prior, Thomas, Oldroyd.
Above: Chelsea forward Alyssa Thompson strikes her goal. Photo: ChelseaFCW on X.
Liverpool held reigning WSL champions Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at St. Helen’s stadium thanks to Beata Olsson’s goal.
Chelsea made the trip to Merseyside to face a winless Liverpool in the hope of continuing their unbeaten run. The hosts had yet to win a game under new manager Gareth Taylor, and the pressure on his side had been building.
With England’s Hannah Hampton missing through injury, Livia Peng came into goal for the Blues, making her Women’s Super League debut. Australian star striker Sam Kerr was rested for the occasion.
The action
Erin Cuthbert had an early chance but could not take advantage and dragged her effort wide. It did not take long for the visitors to take the lead, however, with Alyssa Thompson’s third goal of the season. Wieke Kaptein ran straight through the Liverpool defence before playing the ball wide to Thompson, who curled a perfect finish with the inside of her right foot past Faye Kirby.
It was not all Chelsea, however, as Grace Fisk struck a half-volley, but it went wide of the target.
Thompson then came close to giving Chelsea a second. She found space in a similar position to where she had scored earlier, but this time the Liverpool defence marked her well and cleared the danger. Lily Woodham then outran Chelsea captain Millie Bright and threaded the ball through to Beata Olsson, who calmly slotted it past Peng to become the first Liverpool player to score in three consecutive WSL games since Rachel Furness in February 2020.
Equal at 1-1, there were subsequent chances on both sides. Cat Macario had a perfect opportunity to restore Chelsea’s lead when Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s shot bounced off Lily Woodham and fell to her. She took a touch to settle but sent the ball wide from ten yards.
At the other end, Ceri Holland had an attempt on goal, but it was deflected for a Liverpool corner. The set piece was swung in from the right, where Nathalie Björn met it with a header, but the ball went over the bar, much to Faye Kirby’s relief.
Introduced after half-time, Aggie Beever-Jones put the ball in the net after receiving a pass from Erin Cuthbert, but the flag went up for offside. The young Lioness then had another chance after Kirby left the net open, but her strike went wide. Woodham almost gave Liverpool the lead with an angled pass across goal, but fortunately for Peng, it went narrowly off target.
The result proved to be a fantastic boost for Liverpool and a major step forward for Gareth Taylor. However, for Chelsea, the result is less pleasing: it means two dropped points, giving Manchester City a more comfortable three-point cushion at the top of the table.
Liverpool pack the box
Whilst much will be made of Chelsea’s inability to get the win in the end, it is worth noting that Liverpool were excellent defensively, and set up in a way that was increasingly difficult to penetrate.
For the last ten minutes, all eleven Liverpool players packed into their own penalty area, happy to hold on to the draw whilst breaking forward whenever possible. Chelsea had a number of chances in the last minutes of the game, but these all went begging as they were blocked by a tangle of red-clad legs.
Combined with the Blues’ forwards struggling for form – Beever-Jones has recently been suffering with a dead leg and missed their midweek European match, and Lauren James has only just returned from injury. Kerr’s minutes are being carefully managed, leaving the bulk of the responsibility to Macario – who was effectively dealt with by Liverpool.
Next weekend, Chelsea will look to return to form against a struggling Everton after the international break – but have a huge midweek test against FC Barcelona in the Champions League. Liverpool’s midweek opposition will provide a different kind of test, as they head to Sheffield to face Sheffield United in the League Cup. Their next WSL game sees them travel to London to face Arsenal in early December.
Liverpool “learning every day” – Woodham
Following the game, Liverpool’s Lily Woodham spoke to Sky Sports: “I think in the first half we showed more composure on the ball and in the second half it dropped off a little bit,” she reflected, adding that the team “knew, if we got a point today, it would put us in a great position for the next few weeks because we have some big games coming up before the Christmas break.”
She also highlighted new head coach Gareth Taylor: “He [Taylor] has been really good with us, we’re learning everyday, trying new things and we’re just going to stick to that and see from there.”
Goalscorer Olsson’s reflection was more tactical, focusing on the weaknesses they had identified in Chelsea’s defence (also to Sky Sports): “Lily [Woodham] did all the hard work and played the ball through to me. We knew we were quick up front and they were slow with their centre-backs.”
She was also quick to highlight that the result today was a team effort, not down to her own performance as an individual.
“Everything we do sets us up for these small moments so I’m really happy to score the goals but, I think I’m just in the position to receive really great balls and the whole team is behind it.”
Above: Olivia Price Photo: Western Sydney Wanderers official media
Brisbane Roar 0-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Olivia Price’s lone goal saw Western Sydney Wanderers defeat the previously unbeaten Brisbane Roar at Spencer Park in Brisbane.
The Wanderers left it until almost the last minute of regular time to score the only goal of the afternoon, when a cross fed through by Danika Matos found the charging run of Ella Buchanan.
Buchanan’s initial shot was blocked but succeeded in luring out Brisbane keeper Chloe Lincoln. Buchanan then made the selfless choice to send the rebound across the face of goal where Olivia Price was able to put the ball over the line of an empty goal.
Brisbane had plenty of chances across the game to find the back of the net, including an early chance from Matildas’ forward Grace Kuilamu, whose strike forced Sham Khamis to nudge the ball wide of the goal with the tips of her outstretched fingers.
Various attempts from Captain Tameka Yallop, Dutch International Bente Jansen, and Zara Kruger all failed, either stopped by Khamis, sent wide, or blocked by the Wanderers’ backline.
The Wanderers’ tireless defence saw them not only secure their first win of the season, but also their first clean sheet in 27 games.
Brisbane will have the next week to recover and reset as they are next slated for a bye, while Western Sydney Wanderers will look to build some momentum when they take on Newcastle Jets in Round Four.
Above:Newcastle Jets’ Claudia Cicco (white shirt) battles for possession at Wellington Phoenix today. Photo: Ryan Imray for Impetus.
Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets have shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Porirua Park this afternoon. The result marks the first draw in the fixture’s history, and sets both sides on an unbeaten streak, with it being the Nix’s second draw of the season.
The first shot on goal came early for Wellington Phoenix, with a long-range strike from 17-year-old Pia Volk, who made her starting debut in the match. It was a string strike that set the Nix up for an excellent match ahead; however, the ball went just over the crossbar.
It was only moments after Volk’s strike, however, that the scoring was opened by Wellington, as the ball was slid in by Brooke Nunn, assisted by Volk. There was a good attempt at defence from Lauren Allan; however, she couldn’t get to the ball quite in time, and Wellington took the lead just five minutes into play.
The hosts continued to dominate, staying in the attacking end following their lead, as the Jets didn’t seem to fight back immediately, leaving Victoria Esson with little to do in goal.
Lara Wall skipped past the Jets’ defence in an attempt to pass the ball through just to the side of the box; however, she couldn’t find a teammate. The chance did, however, unnerve the Jets even further, as a second goal for the hosts seemed inevitable.
The Jets began to take a bit more of the possession as the first half went on, while Wellington continued to take the chances, as Newcastle still wasn’t able to get the ball in their attacking end.
The 23rd minute saw the visitors get a chance to equalise, earning a penalty kick as Mackenzie Barry conceded a foul against Lauren Allan, during the Jets’ first real venture into the attack.
Melina Ayres took the penalty, striking the ball as Esson dived the wrong way, and the ball hit the back of the net, putting the visitors back in the game.
Wellington had a huge opportunity to reclaim the lead when CJ Bott crossed the ball to Grace Jale, who attempted a strike, but the ball rebounded, and the score remained the same.
As the first half was coming to an end, the possession started to even out, and Newcastle had their first few chances; however, they still struggled to turn them into any real opportunities to take the lead.
The 39th minute saw Ayres make a run, attempting to strike just outside the box, but a lack of power and a save by Esson kept the score even. Shortly after, there was another strong attempt from Lauren Allan, who swung past the Nix defense, but ultimately, the ball was too wide.
After two minutes of added time, there were no further goals to be found, leaving the scoreline even at the break.
Wellington Phoenix got the second half underway, immediately taking possession. An early chance from CJ Bott could have seen the hosts take the lead, if not for one of several excellent saves by Anna Leat. Newcastle then saw a shot from Emma Dundas fly just over the bar.
There was some early drama in the box, as Brooke Nunn went for her second goal of the afternoon in a battle with Anna Leat, who blocked Nunn from being able to take the shot.
The Nix got dangerously close to taking the lead with an excellent shot from Alyssa Whinham. The strike, however powerful, could not make it past Anna Leat, who made an impressive save at the top corner of the box.
There was a significant delay in play as Alyssa Whinham went down injured after an awkward fall. Play continued after a few minutes, with Wellington down to 10 players while Whinham was undergoing medical assessment and subsequently had to leave the field.
Kelly Brown earned a free kick for Newcastle Jets, giving her side a great opportunity to take the lead, until the ball curved just outside the post.
The match sped up in the final minutes of play, with some dangerous balls at both ends, and the Jets taking over possession at the end. Despite the chaos of the clash, neither side was able to make anything of their opportunities, after 6 minutes of additional time, leaving the score even at the whistle.
Newcastle Jets will host Western Sydney Wanderers in round four, in their first home match of the season, while Wellington Phoenix will stay at home to host Melbourne Victory.
Check out our Instagram page – @ImpetusFootball for Ryan Imray’s EXCLUSIVE photo gallery from the game, along with Ryan Miller-Woods’ gallery from Sydney FC v Perth Glory, and Adrian Geremia at Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners.
WELLINGTON PHOENIX (4-4-2): Esson, van der Meer, Barry, Walker, Wall, Jale, Middang, Bott, Nunn, Whinham, Bhandari. Substitutes: Danieli, Elliott, McMillon, D. Brazendale, Ingham, L. Brazendale.
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