It’s an old cliché but Tameka Butt says her side’s inability to take their chances cost them dearly in what was a potentially season-defining loss to Brisbane Roar.
Melbourne City’s 1-0 defeat at AAMI Park on Friday evening leaves the defending Champions two points outside a clustered top four and they will need to surely win both of their remaining two games to be in with a chance of defending their Westfield W-League crown.
REPORT: City downed by plucky Roar
City dominated the clash, enjoying 65 per cent of possession, outshooting Brisbane 23 to five and winning a penalty but couldn’t find a way past the Roar defence while Elise Kellond-Knight fluffed her spot-kick in the second half.
Speaking to Fox Sports post-match, City midfielder Tameka Butt bemoaned her side’s inability to make their dominance count.
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“It was pretty unlucky for us I thought we should have been up three nil before the half but we didn’t take our chances and they did so unlucky for us I guess,” Butt said.
“It seems to be our season for us, we did well in possession and played some good football but again in front of goal if you can’t finish you can’t win games.”
With over 70 minutes of rock-solid defence under their belts up popped Chioma Ubogagu to find an unlikely winner for the Roar.
The England international latched onto a long ball from Jenna McCormick before cutting inside and beating Lydia Williams with a clean finish.
Ubogagu took the time to praise her side’s solidity in what was a high-pressure affair in the Victorian capital.
“It’s a tough squad, they put the pressure on us early, missed a few key chances but that’s football,” Ubogagu told Fox Sports after full-time.
“I’m just proud of the team, we kept showing defensively, we’re all working really, really hard trying to stay in shape and made our chance count.
“It’s very easy to get down and lose your way but we didn’t, we had a really strong mentality, we made adjustments in the second half and came out with three points, a massive three points for us.”
With their win on the road Brisbane look to have sealed a spot in the Westfield W-League finals as they temporarily move up to second, a fact not lost on Ubogagu.
“It’s really, really close, this win puts us into the top four and a loss could have put us in the bottom four so really, really proud of the team.”
