Holly McNamara scored twice and won Player of the Final, while Leticia McKenna scored a stunner, as Melbourne City defeated Wellington Phoenix 3-1 in the A-League Women’s Grand Final on Saturday.
Read our review of the action below.
Melbourne City 3 – 1 Wellington Phoenix
Melbourne City won the domestic double on Saturday when they defeated Wellington Phoenix 3-1 at AAMI Park.
City dominated possession in the first half but were unable to find the clear-cut opportunities that they needed to get on the scoresheet. That all changed through Holly McNamara. She opened the scoring through an audacious snap shot at the edge of the penalty area, and then doubled their lead minutes later after getting on the end of a through ball and converting the chance one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
The Phoenix were always going to come back after half-time with renewed impetus, but their job was made more difficult thanks to a stunning strike from Leticia McKenna minutes into the half. She took the ball to the edge of the box before ripping a shot from her left that curled off the inside of the far post and into the back of the net.
Makala Woods pulled one back for Wellington, but despite creating a number of chances, they could not get any closer to City’s score. Despite falling at the final hurdle, the Phoenix can look back on a historic campaign with pride, where they reached the finals for the first time in their history and became the first New Zealand team to reach a Grand Final.
Holly McNamara was named Player of the Final for her efforts. As well as McNamara and McKenna, capped Matildas Bryleeh Henry, Karly Roestbakken and Leah Davidson also participated for City, and Melissa Barbieri featured on the bench.
Melbourne City will next play in the Asian Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, 3pm AEST. They take on the Japanese side Tokyo Verdy Beleza. McNamara and McKenna will once again be a crucial part of the side, hoping to complete a treble.