Poletti ![Taylor Otto [L] and captain Rebekah Stott [R] celebrate a goal. Photo supplied by Melbourne City FC.](https://roundballaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20250323_@bythewhiteline_MCY-ACL-00399-scaled-e1742776977993-1024x577.avif)
Taylor Otto [L] and captain Rebekah Stott [R] celebrate a goal. Photo supplied by Melbourne City FC.
Melbourne City hosted Taichung Blue Whale in the first ever Asian Women’s Champions League game to be played on Australian soil on Sunday, emerging 3-0 winners at AAMI Park.
Previously, Australian participation in the Champions League predecessor, the AFC Women’s Club Championship, was limited to overseas hubs with Melbourne Victory (2019 in South Korea) and Sydney FC (Uzbekistan in 2023) taking part.
Captain Rebekah Stott said that the win was a huge step in the right direction as City aim to be the first Australian women’s side to do a treble (winning three pieces of silverware in a single season) at the first time of asking, but also noted there’s not a lot of time to revel in the celebrations.
“We’ve been working very hard and to get that result is massive,” Stott said.
“We’ve got a big game on Wednesday and then Sunday, so we know that we’ve got to put our heads down and keep working hard, but we’re going to enjoy this victory and look forward to getting into the [semi-finals].”
The performance was a stereotypical one for Matricciani’s side, who had 78 per cent of the ball in what has become a hallmark of City’s women’s side in recent years, starting under Rado Vidosic, where maintaining the majority of the possession is key, but the coach noted there were difficulties in breaking past the tight defensive line of the visitors.
“It’s something that we come up against every now and again in our league. Some teams in some moments will sit really deep. Probably not in a back five like that was,” he said.
“It did make it very difficult, but I felt like we opened up and what we had planned to do, I felt we got some of those moments and got into some cutback areas from some of our overlaps and underlaps, and to score the goal from a set-piece early obviously helps us settle the nerves and gets us into our rhythm,
“For me, the discipline that the girls showed in continuing to try and play our game and not change and be too open and start running everywhere and then be more open for transition because we knew that’s their strength and that’s what they were looking to do.”
Mariana Speckmaier continued her goal-scoring form in the competition, adding to her three group stage goals with the opener from a corner, before a Blue Whale own goal just before half-time doubled the advantage for the hosts.
In the 63rd minute, Holly McNamara sealed the 3-0 win, converting the penalty she won moments earlier for her first goal in the competition, after missing the group stage due to injury.
With the semi-finals and final of the Champions League to take place in a centralised hub the week after the A-League Women Grand Final, there had been hopes that Melbourne City might have been able to host it, but Matricciani hinted that was unlikely to happen and the hub would be in another country.
Melbourne City now turn their immediate attention to a re-scheduled clash with Brisbane Roar on Wednesday night, before a trip to Wellington for their match on Sunday afternoon, with both of their opponents in dire need of a victory for their respective finals chances.
Listen to the latest episode of The Dubcast, Round Ball Australia’s Women’s Football podcast on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube, with new episodes every Wednesday.
