Catch all the action from the Round 16 Ninja A-League showdown between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners.
Emily Gielnik’s impressive brace propelled Melbourne Victory to a 2-0 victory over Central Coast Mariners at the Home of the Matildas.
The home side struck early, taking the lead in the 10th minute when Gielnik latched onto a defence-splitting pass and expertly slotted the ball past Langman for the opening goal, making it 1-0.
Despite missing a penalty just before half-time, Gielnik soon ensured her team had a comfortable cushion when she added the second goal, poking it home to make it 2-0 before the break.
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This victory reinforces Victory’s hold on second place in the standings, marking their fourth win in six outings and bringing them to seven points behind Melbourne City.
Meanwhile, the Mariners, under the guidance of Emily Husband, experienced their first loss in five matches but remain securely in sixth place, just one point ahead of Canberra United.
Central Coast nearly made a quick start, nearly taking the lead within the first 90 seconds when Jade Pennock was put through by Brooke Nunn, but the English forward’s low shot was expertly thwarted by Newbon.
Unfazed by the early scare, Victory began to assert their dominance and found the net just 10 minutes into the match.
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After collecting the ball in midfield, Alanna Murphy evaded the Mariners’ midfield and found Gielnik one-on-one with the keeper. The Matilda confidently slotted the ball past Langman for her eighth goal of the season.
In search of an equaliser, the Mariners created several half-chances and found themselves in promising positions but failed to convert, putting themselves under pressure at the other end.
After Rachel Lowe was tripped by Seaman in the box, Victory had a golden opportunity to double their lead from the penalty spot. However, Gielnik, leading the Golden Boot race, missed the chance by firing her attempt over the bar.
Just before half-time, Annalise Rasmussen nearly reduced the deficit, but her powerful shot hit the crossbar and bounced away to safety.
The second half saw chances for both teams, with Victory aiming to secure the win while the Mariners sought to snatch an unlikely equaliser.
Substitute Tiarna Fuller came close for the visitors but was denied by a superb save from Newbon, who later produced another fantastic diving save to keep out a shot from Pennock inside the box.
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