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Quickfire City Double Breaks Wellington's Resistance
by Jeremy Ruane
Two goals in as many minutes halfway through the second half saw Ninja A-League Women's leaders Melbourne City come from behind to down a stubborn Wellington Phoenix 2-1 in front of 421 fans at the ctrl:cyber Pitch on 28 December, thus maintaining their advantage at the top of the standings.
The home team made hard work of it, however, dominating possession but doing very little with it. They first threatened via a Tyla-Jay Vlajnic free-kick in the twelfth minute, a delivery which Carolina Vilao blocked at her near post.
Two minutes later, the offside flag was aloft as Kathryn Harvey hit the crossbar, while no one in blue was on hand to do justice to Laura Hughes' cross in the nineteenth minute, after she'd worked a slick one-two with Leticia McKenna which took her clear of the defence.
Wellington flexed their attacking muscles in the 21st minute through Maya McCutcheon, who had a monstrous game in the middle of the park. On this occasion she caught Taylor Otto in possession as she broke out of defence, but no one wearing black was in a position to do their team-mate's industry justice on this occasion.
That was also the case three minutes later, when Alyssa Whinham sent Grace Jale away down the right with a peach of a pass. In the absence of any attacking support, the Football Fern had to improvise, a driven cross-shot which careered past the far post.
On the half-hour, Whinham again caused City problems, this time pouncing on a stray pass some twenty-five yards from goal. What followed suggests she was surprised to have the opportunity, because neither a pass nor a shot but something in between was the end product on this particular occasion, spurning a good chance to break the deadlock.
Back came City via two more Vlajnic free-kicks, the first of which targeted Bryleeh Henry. Mackenzie Barry was the source of her frustration in the 32nd minute, while Vlajnic's delivery sixty seconds later flew beyond the striker to the far post, where Lara Wall's deft defending denied Lourdes Bosch the chance to open the scoring.
That honour came Wellington's way in the 38th minute. McCutcheon once more broke up City's bid to break out of defence, this time shutting down Hughes and feeding Whinham, whose shot gave goalkeeper Malena Mieres little cause for concern.
That complacency crept into her distribution, however, for she gifted the ball straight to Jale. And while Mieres was able to recover and parry the striker's attempt to score, she directed the ball straight to the feet of Olivia Fergusson, who, from six yards, and with an open goal in front of her, simply couldn't miss - 1-0 to the visitors, just as the heavens opened.
It was still precipitating profusely during the initial stages of the second spell, when Wellington looked to double their lead. Whinham's 48th minute twenty-five yarder lacked the power to trouble Mieres unduly - City again conceded possession cheaply inside their own half to create the opening - while five minutes later, Annalie Longo just failed to bring a super angled ball from Alivia Kelly under control. Had she done so, she was in on goal with Mieres to beat.
Melbourne turned to their bench to try and lift their game, introducing, among others, former Wellington striker Mariana Speckmaier, who was facing her former club for the first time. The fact she was a substitute for this match suggests the grass isn't always greener - she'd have been a certain starter in Paul Temple's line-up, of that there can be little doubt. (And she definitely looks better in Wellington's colours than City's blue ensemble!)
Nonetheless, she wasted little time in giving her old
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team new problems to contemplate, taking advantage of an untimely stumble by the otherwise rock-solid Tiana Jaber to draw a save at her near post by Vilao in the 66th minute.
From the resulting Alexia Apostolakis corner, substitute Holly McNamara saw her shot blocked to safety. But the danger wasn't over for Wellington, for from McKenna's resulting cross, Kelly's attempt to head clear saw her redirect the ball over the head of Vilao and into her own net - 1-1 after 67 minutes.
Wellington were still reeling from this setback when City took the lead sixty seconds later. Rebekah Stott sent McNamara through the inside right channel into the penalty area, from where her cross was cleared by Barry, but only as far as Bosch.
She linked with Henry, who switched play to the overlapping Apostolakis. Her cross was behind McNamara, but perfectly flighted as far as Hughes was concerned, allowing her to send a diving header beyond the unsighted Vilao - 2-1 Melbourne.
Barry and Whinham soon took out their frustrations on opponents, earning some pearls of wisdom from referee Kelly Jones, who had already booked three Wellington players, including Jaber for a brilliant imitation of Speckmaier's first contribution to the match, a blatant dive which went unpunished.
Suffice to say, the defender will always have a career in theatre to fall back on should her football skills ever fail her - definitely ten out of ten for Jaber from this judge on this occasion!
Wellington regrouped and came on strong, substitute Emma Main only denied by Vlajnic's timely tackle in the 78th minute. And after Vilao had dealt with a Rhianna Pollicina shot, Main spurned a glorious chance to go for goal herself, unselfishly looking to play in Whinham, only to overcook her pass and squander the opportunity.
The speedster was eager to make amends, and just failed with a desperate lunge to get on the end of the overlapping Wall's 83rd minute cross. Sixty seconds later, a rare Stott error was pounced on by fellow Football Fern Jale, who picked out Main, who picked out a beauty, a dipping eighteen-yarder which Mieres did superbly well to tip over the bar.
Barry's looping headed effort from Longo's resulting corner was pawed out from beneath the bar by City's 'keeper, who was relieved not to concede on two other occasions before the final whistle, the first when Stott's intervention prevented Kelly's lay-off, from a Longo free-kick, being fired home by black-clad attackers.
On the second occasion, Longo's corner to the far post found substitute Zoe McMeeken rising above all-comers, but her downward header reared up and over the bar, rather than under it to earn the visitors what would have been an equaliser their efforts merited, despite the dearth of possession they endured - they are certainly a more entertaining watch than the club's male equivalents, whose play to not lose approach is a guaranteed cure for insomnia!
Melbourne held on for a 2-1 win to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign, but if a team was in need of a defeat to shake up their overall attitude, it's this one - for all the talent at coach Michael Matricciani's disposal, this group of players should be well capable of producing performances and scorelines which are far more convincing and emphatic.
Melbourne: Mieres; Apostolakis, Stott, Otto, Vlajnic (Roestbakken, 81); Davidson (Pollicina, 56), Hughes, McKenna; Bosch, Harvey (Speckmaier, 56), Henry (McNamara, 56)
Wellington: Vilao; Jaber (booked, 59 (McMeeken, 84), Barry, Kelly (booked, 11), Wall; Brazendale (booked, 31 (Elliott, 78)), Whinham, McCutcheon; Jale, Fergusson (Main, 65), Longo
Referee: Kelly Jones
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