Melbourne City head coach Michael Matricciani heaped praise on Shelby McMahon after her last-gasp heroics sent the two-time reigning Ninja A-League premiers through to the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League final.
City will face Wuhan Jiangda in the decider on Saturday as they eye a lucrative payday, with the winner to take home at least USD 1.3 million (roughly AUD $1.95 million).
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“Both teams went head-to-head. There we chances both ways,” Matricciani told reporters.
“In big games like a Champions League semi-final, you need a big player to stand up. A huge congratulations to the whole team but especially Shelby on that.
“A special, special goal.
“Overall, we’re really proud and really excited for the final.”
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McMahon entered the fray at half-time after CommBank Matildas midfielder Laura Hughes was withdrawn.
The 17-year-old capped her performance with an unforgettable moment in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
“Definitely the best goal I’ve scored,” she said.
“I don’t usually shoot from back there, so it was a bit of a one-off.
Matricciani also explained the Hughes-McMahon substitution, smiling post-game: “It looked like a smart move now, in hindsight.
“But one of our players, Laura Hughes, she was feeling a bit ill today. We decided to still start her but she was really tiring.
“She just needed to last until half-time and we know the strengths and quality of Shelby. She is one of our starters and players that can play in any position in the midfield three.
“It was an easy decision to make that change.”
