Victory grind past WSW to stay in ALW premiership race
Melbourne Victory remain in the hunt for the A-League Women premiership after beating Western Sydney 1-0 to draw within two points of leaders Melbourne City.
Jeff Hopkins' Victory, now 11 games unbeaten, locked in a top-two berth ahead of Adelaide United with two games to go thanks to Wanderers defender Danika Matos' own goal in the 18th minute at Wanderers Football Park.
With two games to go, City (49 points) lead Victory (47) and Adelaide (39).
The game was a catch-up fixture after it was originally postponed due to excessive heat.
Star striker Emily Gielnik glanced a header off the near post in the sixth minute and Nicki Flannery had a shot saved in the 14th.
Gielnik had a fresh air swing at a cross in the 18th minute and the ball bounced off Matos' face and into her own goal for the opener.
Own goals don't get much more unlucky than that 😭You have to feel for Danika Matos here. @gomvfc take an early lead.Watch #WSWvMVC live now on 10 Play & Paramount+. pic.twitter.com/IkWAd9GPeW
— Ninja A-League (@aleaguewomen) April 6, 2025
Gielnik flicked a Holly Furphy cross wide with a towering header in the 19th minute.
Cushla Rue dragged a shot wide in the 22nd minute and shortly after, Wanderers goalkeeper Shamiran Khamis made an excellent save to deny Gielnik at the near post.
Less than a minute later, Gielnik had a goal chalked off for offside.
Gielnik dragged a shot wide in the 26th minute and was again denied by Khamis on the half-hour mark.
Western Sydney grew into the game, recording 17 shots to Victory's 13, without reward.
Bronte Trew thought she had equalised in the 74th minute but it too was cancelled out for offside.
Star Victory midfielder Alex Chidiac suffered a right shoulder/collarbone injury late in the clash when she landed awkwardly after an Amy Chessari tackle, but played out the game.
Wanderers striker Sophie Harding unsuccessfully appealed for a late penalty, believing she had been fouled by Ellie Wilson.
The Victory play Central Coast away on Friday while the last-placed Wanderers travel to face Brisbane on Sunday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
10 hours ago
Top prospect Roman Anthony gets first career hit in second MLB game
BOSTON -- Roman Anthony got his first major league hit, and his family was there — practically sitting in the dugout. The top prospect in baseball was called up from Triple-A on Monday, a move that came together so quickly that his friends and family didn't have time to get to Boston from Florida. But his supporters were in the front rows right next to the home dugout at Fenway Park on Tuesday night when Anthony lined a two-run double to left in the first inning of a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. 'I didn't even really notice that they were there until I went out for my first at-bat,' Anthony told reporters, adding with a laugh: 'Nobody really gave me a heads-up that they were going to be that close.' Anthony said he didn't interact with his family during the game. But manager Alex Cora looked over from the dugout and saw the 21-year-old's mother, Lori, crying. 'Just to be around and see the smiles — and saw some tears, too. It's pretty cool,' Cora said. 'I know it was a special day for the kid yesterday, but they weren't here. So to have his family now and get his first knock, that means a lot.' Anthony had some time to take pictures on the field with the traveling party of about a dozen people — father, mother, sister, brother, grandparents, agents, a couple friends. He went back on the field in the darkened ballpark to spend some more time with them after talking to reporters. 'That group out there has been with me every step of the way,' he said. 'So just to see them here — they had to miss yesterday unfortunately, it was kind of quick notice — but to have them here is special for sure.' A day after going hitless with an RBI groundout in his major league debut, Anthony came up with runners on second and third in the first inning and drove the ball to left to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. Anthony, who let a ball roll under his glove for an error in his debut, also made a sliding catch on Tuesday night on Jonathan Aranda's sinking liner to right-center in the sixth, protecting a one-run lead and earning a salute from pitcher Lucas Giolito. The second-round draft pick went viral over the weekend when he hit a 497-foot grand slam in Triple-A Worcester. He batted .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 games for the WooSox this season. The Red Sox said Anthony is the youngest player in franchise history to record three or more RBIs in his first two games. Anthony is 21 years, 28 days old; Jim Rice was 21 years, 164 days old when he did it in 1974.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
Is Tiger Woods playing 2025 U.S. Open? Injury update for 15-time major champion
Is Tiger Woods playing 2025 U.S. Open? Injury update for 15-time major champion Show Caption Hide Caption Rory McIlroy on motivation after Masters win Rory McIlroy admits he didn't expect how hard it would be to find motivation after his Masters triumph. USGA The 2025 U.S. Open is upon us. A star-studded field of 156 golfers is preparing to tee off at Oakmont Country Club on Thursday in Pennsylvania for the 125th annual U.S. Open golf tournament, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, but there's one notable A-Lister that won't be making an appearance. Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods will not compete at the 2025 U.S. Open, marking the third consecutive major tournament he has missed this year due to an Achilles injury. Woods, 49, announced in March that he successfully underwent surgery to repair his left Achilles after feeling "a sharp pain" during training. He didn't provide a timeline for his return, but noted that he plans to "focus on my recovery and rehab." Woods competed at the 2024 U.S. Open tournament, but missed the cut into the weekend. 2025 US OPEN: Predictions, picks, odds as Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau favorites Will Tiger Woods compete at the US Open? No. Woods is not listed among the 156 golfers set to compete at the 125th annual U.S. Open, meaning he will not participate in the tournament. This will be Woods' eighth absence from the U.S. Open since making his professional debut in 1996, marking the most of any of the four majors. How many times has Tiger Woods won U.S. Open? Woods has won the U.S. Open three times in his career — in 2000 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, in 2002 at the Black Course of Bethpage State Park in New York and 2008 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. How to watch 2025 U.S. Open Championship The 2025 U.S. Open will be broadcast on NBC and the USA Network. *All times Eastern Time. Date: Thursday, June 12 — Sunday, June 15 Thursday, June 12 — Sunday, June 15 Location: Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, Pennsylvania) Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, Pennsylvania) TV Channel: NBC, USA Network Round 1, Thursday: 6 a.m.-5 p.m. (USA), 5-8 p.m. (Peacock) Round 2, Friday: 6:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Peacock), 1-7 p.m. (NBC), 7-8 p.m. (Peacock) Round 3, Saturday: 10 a.m.-noon (USA), noon-8 p.m. (NBC) Round 4, Sunday: 9 a.m.-noon (USA), noon-7 p.m. (NBC) NBC, USA Network Streaming: Peacock, USGA App, DirecTV or YouTube TV The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Wanderers youth product heading for the Champions League next season
FORMER Wanderers talent Dennis Politic has made a big money move to Romanian champions Steau Bucharest. After two impressive seasons with city rivals Dinamo, the 25-year-old was signed for a reported €900,000 (£762,000) plus winger Alexandru Musi. Advertisement Steau mistakenly put a picture of Musi up on their social media announcement before quickly rectifying their error on Tuesday afternoon – but Politic, who signs a three-year deal, at least has the comfort of playing Champions League football next season. The skilful attacker spent three years at Bolton's academy after initially coming to the country from Romania in 2015 to play for Manchester United. After a productive spell on loan with Salford City, he was promoted to first team level by Phil Parkinson and was one of the 'Junior Whites' who played against Coventry City in August 2019, the line-up being the youngest ever named by the club. Dennis Politic played 30 first team games for Wanderers (Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns) Advertisement He played 30 times for the Whites, all his appearances packed into the Covid-affected 2019/20 season in League One, which ended in relegation. Politic was expected to play a part in Ian Evatt's first squad at Bolton but a serious knee injury suffered in a pre-season friendly at Loughborough University in August 2020 left him out of action until the following summer. He did appear briefly in in the 2021/22 pre-season friendlies but was then loaned out to Port Vale for the final year of his contract, eventually signing for Italian side Cremonese. Politic came back to England with Vale after a dismal spell in Italy, scoring seven times in 29 games, but then returned to Romania with Dinamo, where his reputation has grown ever since. Advertisement After two years with 'The Dogs' of Dinamo, Politic issued a message on his Instagram account thanking the club and their fans for their support. He wrote: "I experienced intense and special moments in the Dinamo shirt, from saving them from relegation last season to entering the play-offs after eight years. There were moments that shaped me as a player and as a person. 'I was warmly welcomed and felt like part of a real family, even in the hardest moments. I thank my colleagues, the staff and especially you, the fans, for your sincere support and incredible passion. "The time has come for a new chapter in my career. I don't forget what it was and I leave with respect and gratitude. I wish you all the best in the world and to see your club where it belongs, up there, fighting for glory.' READ MORE Wanderers fans react to Dennis Politic's 'strange' Port Vale loan switch Advertisement What Ian Evatt said when asked about Dennis Politic's Wanderers contract offer 'We are not moneybags' - Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke on Dennis Politic's departure Wanderers winger Dennis Politic completes move to Italian side Cremonese Wanderers preparing for bad news on injured winger Dennis Politic Politic scored 14 goals in 65 games over two seasons for Dinamo and made his international debut for Romania against San Marino in March.
