Melbourne City extended their record Ninja A-League unbeaten streak to 20 games with a commanding 4-0 win over Brisbane Roar at Perry Park on Wednesday night.
City broke the all-time unbeaten record in Round 19 and kept the incredible streak rolling with an early goal from centre-back Taylor Otto, putting the league leaders in control in torrential rainfall.
CommBank Matildas star Holly McNamara put City in cruise control in the second half with her 11th goal of the season; Bryleeh Henry replaced McNamara off the bench to put the visitors three goals up before Mariana Speckmaier turned a convincing result into a statement with the finishing touch on a 4-0 triumph.
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McNamara now trails Melbourne Victory striker Emily Gielnik in the Golden Boot race by just one goal, with three rounds of the regular season left to play.
For Brisbane, meanwhile, a fourth-straight defeat has left Alex Smith’s side in danger of dropping out of the top six. The sixth-placed Roar are just one point ahead of Canberra United in seventh, and both Wellington Phoenix (eighth) and Perth Glory (ninth) are within one win of Brisbane on the Ninja A-League table.
Melbourne City took just nine minutes to open the scoring and it was centre-back Taylor Otto who put the visitors in front.
Otto swept home a close-range finish after a chaotic sequence in City’s box; Brisbane failed to clear the danger from a corner routine as several defenders stood and watched Otto pounce to put City on top.
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American winger Lourdes Bosch looked to double City’s advantage in the 36th minute but Keeley Richards was up to the task of pushing the bending shot off target.
Played over Brisbane’s defensive line by keeper Malena Mieres, Bosch opened up space on the edge of the box with a series of stepovers before whipping a left-footed attempt toward the bottom-left corner that was well-saved by Richards.
Brisbane midfielder Momo Hayashi came within a whisker of a spectacular, long-range free-kick equaliser before half-time but the dead-ball attempt didn’t dip enough to trouble Mieres in goal.
Young Matildas star Grace Kuilamu returned to the Roar squad after a minor shoulder injury for Wednesday night’s game but was withdrawn before half-time, and replaced by Tanaye Morris in another injury scare.
Five minutes into the second half, McNamara received a big chance to double City’s lead but her first-time shot was struck toward the middle of goal, which allowed Richards to make a comfortable save.
But having warned Brisbane of her attacking threat on numerous occasions through the first hour of play, McNamara made the hosts pay with a blistering strike off her weaker foot into the top-right corner to put City two goals clear and ice the contest for the league leaders.
McNamara’s 11th goal of the season brought the Matildas star to within one goal of Golden Boot leader Emily Gielnik.
Having given City breathing room at Perry Park, McNamara’s fine finish opened the floodgates as Henry and Speckmaier bagged late goals to confirm a resounding 4-0 win for the league leaders.
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