Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City played out on entertaining Derby on Saturday afternoon, with City eventually coming out on top in a see-sawing affair.
Report
Victory seized control of the early territory, but it was City who claimed the majority of possession.
The intensity of the contest was apparent from the first minute, but City would land the first major blow.
A strong run from Mariana Speckmaier saw the City attacker storm into Victory’s penalty area, before finishing clinically to open the scoring.
City almost doubled their lead, hitting the woodwork a few minutes later, but Victory would soon strike back.
Emily Gielnik’s first major involvement was winning a penalty, cleverly positioning herself to draw the foul in the penalty area.
The star striker took on the responsibility to convert the subsequent spot-kick, making no mistake as she sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
With scores level, the first half seemed destined to remain deadlocked until the half-time whilstle.
However, a late moment of magic gave Victory a pivotal advantage just before the break.
Nicki Flannery’s run down the right wing ended with her cutting the ball back into the middle of the box, where Alana Jancevski was well positioned to finish into the back of the net.
A superb piece of attacking play which saw two of Victory’s new signings combine to put them ahead in the Derby.
The second half remained a tight and tense affair, although Victory seemed to take control of the early exchanges.
Sara D’Appolonia was brought into the game early in the half, as Jeff Hopkins looked to solidify his team’s advantage.
City though would soon hit back, as a defensive mistake allowed Lourdes Bosch to pounce for the equaliser.
The scores remained locked at 2-2 for a large portion of the second 45, with Ella O’Grady and Sofia Sakalis also brought into the game during that time.
However, the final twist would arrive in the 85th minute, when Speckmaier found her way through to score her second of the afternoon and return City to the lead.
The fifth goal of the game was also its last, as City saw out the remainder of the contest with their 3-2 lead intact.
Next Match
Melbourne Victory v Western United
Date: Sun 17 November
Time: 4:00pm
Location: Home of the Matildas
