Round 7 in the A-Leagues got underway on Friday night with three games on the matchday agenda.
Western Sydney Wanderers and Central Coast Mariners kicked off the action in the Liberty A-League at Wanderers Football Park, with the Wanderers recording a 3-0 victory at home.
Attention then turned to the Isuzu UTE A-League, where Central Coast Mariners beat Western United 4-0 at Industree Group Stadium, before Perth Glory fell to a 2-1 loss to Melbourne City to HBF Park.
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Western Sydney Wanderers 3-0 Central Coast Mariners (Liberty A-League) – Wanderers Football Park
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MATCH REPORT: Golden Boot contender emerging in Wanderland as Western Sydney notch impressive win over Mariners
Western Sydney Wanderers striker Sophie Harding’s hot streak continued as the Red & Black notched an impressive 3-0 win over Central Coast Mariners on Friday night.
A brace to the Wanderers striker set the tone at Wanderers Football Park, with an unfortunate own goal to Mariners captain Taren King in between Harding’s two strikes putting the hosts out of sight as Robbie Hooker’s side won their second Liberty A-League game in succession.
Wanderers goalkeeper Sham Khamis was superb in between the sticks, denying Mariners striker Rola Badawiya time and again to inspire her team to victory. The 3-0 defeat was Central Coast’s second loss in a row, and a result that sent the Wanderers jumping above the Mariners into sixth spot on the Liberty A-League table.
Harding, meanwhile, has shot up the Golden Boot standings off the back of a purple patch of form; two goals against the Mariners made it five in three games for the rapid Wanderers striker, who now sits just one goal behind Melbourne City’s Holly McNamara on the Liberty A-League goalscoring leaderboard in 2023-24.
Central Coast Mariners 4-0 Western United (Isuzu UTE A-League) – Industree Group Stadium
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MATCH REPORT: Central Coast heap further pain on Western United with resounding victory in Gosford
Central Coast Mariners’ resurgence has continued with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Western United, who fell to a sixth straight defeat at Industree Group Stadium on Friday night.
The Mariners put the game away before half-time through goals to centre-back duo Dan Hall and Brian Kaltak, before a moment of magic from Marco Tulio extended their lead to three.
Alou Kuol added another in the final 10 minutes to wrap up the three points for the home side on Friday night.
After losing their first four games of the league season, Mark Jackson’s side are now unbeaten in their last three Isuzu UTE A-League games, with their second win of the campaign taking the reigning champions into seventh place on the standings at the start of Round 7.
Now, their focus will turn to a must-win AFC Cup clash on Wednesday night against Stallion Laguna in the Philippines, as they look to stamp their place in the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, Western’s start to the season has gone from bad to worse.
They remain bottom of the standings with only three points to their name after seven games, along with the league’s worst scoring (three goals) and defensive record (16 conceded) – heaping further pressure on coach John Aloisi to turn things around in the coming weeks.
Perth Glory 1-2 Melbourne City (Isuzu UTE A-League) – HBF Park
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MATCH REPORT: Socceroos star shines as City triumph over Perth on the road
Socceroos star Mathew Leckie has marked his return to Melbourne City’s starting lineup after an early-season injury, with his goal the difference in an entertaining 2-1 win over Perth Glory at HBF Park on Friday night.
City and Perth exchanged goals in an action-packed first half that featured two penalties – one missed by Glory’s Salim Khelifi, one scored by City’s Tolgay Arslan – and three VAR reviews, including referee Daniel Cook’s decision to reverse an early red card for Callum Talbot.
Leckie made his first start of the season after a bench appearance in Round 6, and after an injury-interrupted start to the 2023-24 campaign came the moment of class that sealed all three points for the visitors, with his 66th-minute header proving the difference in Perth.
