Sydney FC are back at the top of the Ninja A-League table after a 1-0 win over Central Coast Mariners, settled by a spectacular Maddie Caspers strike at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Caspers broke the deadlock with a moment of class in the second half of a game otherwise bereft of genuine goalscoring opportunities.
The result left the Mariners languishing in 10th place on the Ninja A-League table. For the Sky Blues, meanwhile, back-to-back wins have sent Ante Juric’s side flying into top spot after four rounds.
Sydney FC missed the Ninja A-League finals for the first time in club history last season but have begun the 2025-26 campaign in fine form, with Sunday’s win over the Mariners extending their unbeaten streak to four games.
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The moment
With 76 minutes on the clock, Caspers broke the deadlock in style.
After an attempted clearance from the Mariners, Sarah Hunter turned over possession just outside Sydney’s attacking box and the midfielder’s intervention spilled fortuitously into Caspers’ path on the edge of the area.
The 18-year-old’s first-time strike was pure; Mariners keeper Sarah Langman tried in vain to keep the ball out but couldn’t prevent Caspers from finding the back of the net.
Watching on for Network 10 was co-commentator Teresa Polias, who posed the question: “Who was going to bring that bit of magic?
“So far, it’s Caspers and what a strike it was.”
For all the highlights, stats and key moments, head to the match centre.
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