Emma Burke 
Melbourne City celebrating their Grand Final win with the trophy lift at AAMI Park. Photo Credit: Wilde Imagery/Round Ball Australia
Two goals in two minutes from Holly McNamara have lifted Melbourne City to their fifth A-League Women Grand Final win, defeating Wellington Phoenix 3-1 at AAMI Park.
The visiting Phoenix side, playing in their club’s first ever Grand Final did well to keep City at bay, but nothing could stop the magic of McNamara at her very best.
Played in by Danielle Turner and utilising a one-two play with Aideen Keane, McNamara found herself in a wealth of space at the top corner of the box.
Realising the position she was in, McNamara launched the ball at goal. It soared across the box and into the goal at the far post, well beyond the reach of Wellington’s diving keeper, Victoria Esson.
City’s lead was doubled almost immediately after when young star Shelby McMahon played through the pressure of multiple Phoenix players in the middle of the park. McMahon’s forward pass broke through Wellington’s lines, and with McNamara’s run perfectly timed, she left the defence scrambling to catch her.
On an angle, McNamara used her whole body to fire the ball across the face of goal and into the netting at the far corner.
In the second-half, Melbourne City’s joy continued.
After coming very close to scoring off a free kick, Melbourne City’s most recent Matilda Leticia McKenna scored City’s third and final goal of the evening.
McKenna was left with all the time and space in the world, allowing her to have her pick of the shot she made.
Able to put the ball onto her left foot, her shot was direct and took a favourable ricochet off the far post before turning into the back of the goal.
Not long after City secured their 3-0 lead, Wellington found the back of the net, injecting some much needed fire into their side.
American import Makala Woods, who scored the goals in Wellington’s second semi-final to take them to the Grand Final, was the one who put the Nix on the board.
Emma Pijnenberg’s initial delivery into the box hit the head of substitute Mackenzie Anthony, but her redirection of the ball was denied by Malena Mieres.
Mieres was only able to put the ball up into the crossbar, where it fell down to Woods who only needed to tap the ball into the back of the net.
Despite an obvious lift in tempo from the Phoenix’s side, they were unable to find the next goal they were knocking on the door for.
With their second trophy of the season now secured, and one that has eluded Melbourne City since their last Grand Final win in 2020, they turn their sights on their final opportunity for silverware, the AFC Women’s Champions League.
They won’t even go home tonight. Instead, City will stay at a hotel, hosting a celebration for their win, before taking off in the early hours of the morning heading to Suwon, where, if they win their Semi-final, they have the potential to become the first ever A-League Women team to win a Treble.
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