The Central Coast Mariners are Ninja A-League Champions for the first time after beating Melbourne Victory 5-4 on penalties in a thrilling Grand Final at AAMI Park.
After a cagey opening half the game was blown wide open less than a minute into the second-half; Isabel Gomez continuing her fine week by poking home the opening goal after a defensive error from Victory centre back Claudia Bunge.
Victory then had the ball in the back of the net as Bunge headed home from a corner however the goal was chalked off due to a foul on keeper Sarah Langman inside the six-yard box.
Bunge though would eventually atone for her earlier error as she escaped her marker at a corner before heading the ball towards goal and despite the best efforts of Annabel Martin, the ball seemingly crossed the line and Victory were level with 10 minutes left to play.
Victory then dominated the first-half of extra-time at AAMI Park with Emily Gielnik going close on a number of occasions as the Mariners defended their goal with incredible determination.
However, despite their best efforts Victory couldn’t find a way past a spirited Mariners side in the second-half of extra-time and the Grand Final therefore went to penalties for the first time in Ninja A-League history.
Winning the toss, Victory shot first in the shootout but Alana Jancevski hit the bar while Mariners teenager Tiana Fuller then converted hers.
Gielnik then got Victory off the mark but Mariners substitute Peta Trimis ensured her side were two-from-two from the spot.
Next up was the ever-reliable Alex Chidiac who made no mistake and from then on in both sides remained perfect.
Jade Pennock, Holly Furphy, Gomez and Kayla Morrison all scored meaning it was down to Bianca Galic to slot home the winner from 12-yards and she duly did so.
Taking the time to steady herself, Galic slammed her effort beyond the outstretched arm of Newbon to send the travelling fans into ecstasy as the Mariners became Ninja A-League Champions for the first time in their history.
Hoisting the trophy high into the night sky, Central Coast captain Taren King completed a fairytale return from injury after only recently returning from an ACL injury which kept her out of action since January 2024.
Meanwhile head coach Emily Husband becomes just the fourth female coach in Ninja A-League history to win the Championship as the Central Coast ended Victory’s 15-game unbeaten run to get their hands on the ultimate prize.
It was a nervy start from the Mariners at AAMI Park and they nearly found themselves behind in just the eighth minute.
After pouncing on a short backpass from Jessika Nash, Victory forward Rachel Lowe then rounded goalkeeper Langman who had raced off her line before teeing up Emily Gielnik, however the Matildas’ striker’s effort was brilliant blocked by the retreating Annabel Martin.
From the resulting corner the home side had the ball in the back of the net but their joy was short-lived.
With the Mariners failing to clear their lines effectively from the set-piece Sara D’Appolonia’s deflected shot bounced towards goal and into the path of Gielnik who duly slammed the ball beyond Langman before the flag was raised against the Victory forward who had been in an offside position.
With the game being contested largely in the middle of the park chances were at a premium but Victory came closest to breaking the deadlock on the approach to half-time; Alana Murphy’s long-range effort dipping whistling over the bar.
Level at the break, the deadlock was smashed less than a minute into the second-half as the Mariners stunned AAMI Park thanks to another dramatic goal from Gomez.
Having robbed Victory of possession in a dangerous area forward Annalise Rasmussen then took aim from the edge of the area and while her shot was deflected, midfielder Gomez was alive to the danger; profiting on a missed clearance from Bunge to stab the ball beyond Courtney Newbon and into the back of the net.
Looking to bounce back immediately, Rachel Lowe slammed a shot into the midriff of Mariners keeper Langman from inside the box before midfielder Bianca Galic was then shown the first yellow card of the contest.
Now looking to up the ante, Victory began to push numbers forward in search of an equaliser and they almost found it; Alex Chidiac finding time and space inside the box before producing a powerful drive which was met by a stunning save from Mariners keeper Langman.
No stranger to heated confrontations, Mariners attacker Brooke Nunn was then shown a yellow card in the 62nd minute after kicking out at Alana Jancevski in an incident that could have been worse.
Defending down the Victory left, Jancevski committed a foul by tugging Nunn’s shirt to halt the play which frustrated the Mariners playmaker, with replays then showing Nunn could well have faced a stronger punishment had she actually made contact when kicking out.
Victory then had the ball in the back of the net as defender Bunge looked to atone for her earlier error as she powered a header past Langman from a corner.
However referee Izzy Cooper spotted a foul on the keeper as D’Appolonia shoved Langman to the ground and once again the home side had a goal chalked off.
However Victory would finally get their goal and it would be Bunge who righted her earlier wrong.
With both sets of players jostling for position inside the box, Murphy’s free-kick was perfectly delivered into the heart of the danger and Bunge was on hand to head the ball over the line despite the best efforts of Martin on the goalline.
With the game now opening up the Mariners had a great chance to re-take the lead as Nunn burst through the Victory midfield but drilled her shot straight into the gloves of Newbon as the home side defence continued to back off.
Pushing to find a late winner, Jancevski then drilled a powerful effort straight into the arms of Langman in the 88th minute.
With a winner looking likely to come at either end the Mariners then had an incredible chance to win it but were thwarted by a simply stunning piece of defending.
Timing her run to perfection, Rasmussen broke the offside trap and was baring down on goal but just as she was about to pull the trigger inside the box she was thwarted by a last-ditch challenge from captan Kayla Morrison to ensure the scoreline remained at 1-1.
With neither side unable to find a late winner in the 90 minutes the game moved into extra-time and it was Victory who started the brighter.
Striding forward with the ball at her feet, Gielnik cut in off the left flank and looked to bend the ball into the far corner but sent her effort over the bar before then volleying straight into the arms of a grateful Langman 30 seconds later.
All Victory in the first-half of extra time, substitute Holly Furphy then couldn’t get on the end of a teasing ball into the box as the Mariners survived the onslaught and got to half-time with scoreline still at 1-1.
Victory continued to pile on the pressure in the second-half of extra-time but with neither side able to find the winner the game would ultimately be decided by a penalty shootout.
Having won the coin toss Victory opted to shoot first in the shootout but things didn’t go to plan; Jancevski slamming her spot kick onto the crossbar.
Teenage star Fuller gave the Mariners the lead with an expertly taken penalty and from then on both sides remained flawless as Gielnik, Trimis, Chidiac and Jade Pennock all scored.
With the Mariners still leading, Furphy then converted to keep the pressure on as Mariners star Gomez stepped up to the spot and while she slipped as she struck her spotkick, the bouncing ball caught Newbon off guard and her effort squirmed over the line.
Victory skipper Morrison then had to score to keep the game alive and she duly did so with an expertly taken penalty but the Mariners wouldn’t be denied.
Seemingly taking an age before taking her run-up, Galic slamming the ball into the back of the net despite the best efforts of Newbon and the Mariners were Ninja A-League champions for the first time in their history.
