The hopes of Melbourne Victory for a spot in the Ninja A-League finals are precariously hanging as they suffered a 2-1 loss to Sydney FC at Leichhardt Oval.
Rachel Lowe initially put Melbourne Victory ahead, but Riley Tanner turned the tide for Sydney with goals either side of the half-time break.
Victory dominated the early stages, finally breaking through in the 23rd minute when Lowe seized on a failed clearance from Sydney FC’s returning player Charlotte McLean, drilling her effort into the top corner.
Sydney FC equalised eight minutes later when Victory’s captain Kayla Morrison misdirected a pass out of defence, allowing Tanner to race through on goal and slot it past Courtney Newbon, making it 1-1.
Shortly after the break, Morrison conceded a second goal to Sydney with an under-hit pass aimed at Claudia Bunge, which set Tanner free again to finish calmly past Newbon, putting Sydney in the lead.
Newbon and Morrison worked together to block a series of shots, denying Jodi Ülkekul her chance to extend the scoreline to 3-1 just after the hour mark, leaving the American striker still chasing her first Ninja A-League goal.
The tension escalated throughout the match, culminating in several flashpoints that resulted in bookings for Taylor Ray, Sofia Sakalis, and Tanner for actions after play had stopped.
In the final ten minutes, Sydney relied on resolute defending to withstand Melbourne Victory’s frantic efforts to snatch an equaliser.
This defeat drops Melbourne Victory out of the top six, while it lifts Sydney FC off the bottom of the table with only one round left to play.
Sydney FC will head to Central Coast next Saturday to wrap up their season, while Melbourne Victory will make the journey to Perth on Friday night, hoping to reclaim their spot in the top six.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Goal for Melbourne Victory: Lowe 23′
Goal for Sydney FC: Tanner 31′
Goal for Sydney FC: Tanner 49′
WHAT THEY SAID
Compiled by SportArena.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.au.
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