Melbourne City have secured the 2024-25 Premiership title following a dominant 5-1 victory over Perth Glory on Friday night. This impressive win not only secured the top position but also capped off City’s remarkable “invincible” unbeaten regular season.
With 16 wins, seven draws, and no losses, City’s triumph marks their second consecutive Premiership and the fourth in the club’s history.
Remarkably, City’s unbeaten A-League regular season runs parallel with their undefeated journey to the semi-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League, where they are poised to take on Incheon Red Angels in May, vying for a spot in the final of the prestigious tournament.
ADELAIDE DELIGHT: Stellar Worts shines as Adelaide storms into finals!
Needing a win to distance themselves from second-placed Victory, who began the final round just two points behind City, it took only three minutes for Taylor Otto to calm any nerves by heading the visitors into an early lead at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Bryleeh Henry quickly doubled the advantage just three minutes later, although Susan Phonsongkham’s penalty brought the score to 2-1 within the opening quarter-hour of a thrilling match.
However, Otto found the net again shortly after to restore a two-goal cushion for City. Then, CommBank Matildas star Holly McNamara extended the lead to 4-1 just before half-time with her 15th goal of the season.
With a comfortable cushion of 4-1, City added a fifth in the second half, with former Glory midfielder Leticia McKenna scoring a sensational free-kick to push the margin to four goals.
McKenna’s long-range strike was City’s 56th and final goal of their unbeaten campaign. The final whistle in Perth confirmed City’s status as Ninja A-League Champions for a second consecutive season, igniting jubilant celebrations from Michael Matricciani’s formidable squad.
What It Means
Melbourne City are the Ninja A-League Premiers for the second consecutive year, and in what was the longest regular season in the competition’s history, Michael Matricciani’s team achieved this incredible feat without suffering a single defeat.
As the invincibles of 2024-25, City have become just the fourth squad to complete the regular season unbeaten, amassing 16 victories and seven draws on their way to claiming the prestigious Premiers Plate.
Ninja A-League Unbeaten Regular Seasons:
- Canberra United (2011-12) – P10, W7, D3
- Melbourne City (2015-16) – P12, W12
- Melbourne City (2019-20) – P12, W11, D1
- Melbourne City (2024-25) – P23, W16, D7
This marks City’s fourth Ninja A-League Premiership since their entry into the competition in 2015, with only Sydney FC amassing more Premiership titles in the league’s history (five).
Holly Mac Poised for Career-First Golden Boot
Following her 15th goal of the campaign, Holly McNamara now holds a three-goal lead at the top of the Golden Boot standings.
Melbourne Victory’s Emily Gielnik and Brisbane Roar’s Tameka Yallop both sit at 12 goals as they head into their clash at AAMI Park tomorrow. While it’s possible for McNamara to share the Golden Boot award with either of her Matildas teammates, such a scenario would require a hat-trick from either Gielnik or Yallop.
However, Yallop is coming into the final round with momentum, having netted a hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend. So, anything can happen!
What’s Next for City?
With the top position secured, City will take a break next week while the Elimination Finals take place.
Adelaide United will finish third and will host one of the Elimination Finals against the sixth-placed team, while the fourth-placed team will take on the fifth-placed team in the other Elimination Final during the first week of the post-season.
Victory have confirmed their second-place finish, while Western United, Canberra United, and Central Coast Mariners are embroiled in a battle for fourth place on the Ninja A-League table.
City will then return to action for the two-legged Semi-Finals, facing the lowest-ranked team that progresses for a chance to compete in the Grand Final.
Ninja A-League Finals Series
Week 1: Elimination Finals (April 25-27, 2025)
Adelaide United (Home) v 6th Place (Away)
4th Place (Home) v 5th Place (Away)
Week 2: Semi-Finals Leg 1 (May 2-4, 2025)
Melbourne City v Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)
Melbourne Victory v Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)
Week 3: Semi-Finals Leg 2 (May 9-11, 2025)
Melbourne City v Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)
Melbourne Victory v Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)
Week 4: Grand Final (May 16-18, 2025)
SF Winner v SF Winner (Highest Placed Team is the Grand Final Host)
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.com.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
