Melbourne City midfielder Leticia McKenna scored two goals within the first nine minutes of her side’s clash with Brisbane Roar on Saturday night – and that’s all the league leaders needed to register a 2-0 win over their closest title challengers.
Brisbane came into the weekend in second spot and just one point behind City but McKenna’s early brace denied the Queenslanders any hope of a statement result at AAMI Park. McKenna, 22, scored in the fifth minute from close range before a stunning free-kick buried into the top-left corner in the ninth minute of the first half put the reigning Premiers in the box seat.
Matildas star Tameka Yallop wasted a chance to halve the deficit when Lourdes Bosch conceded a penalty to the visitors in the first half – but City keeper Malena Mieres produced a clutch save to deny Yallop and keep City’s two-goal lead intact.
The hosts held onto that advantage to full-time to register a crucial win over the second-placed Roar and move four points clear at the top of the table.
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McKenna opened the scoring after just five minutes when a loose touch in the box from Roar defender Chelsea Blissett provided the young midfielder with a chance to pounce, steal possession and bury the ball into the bottom-right corner.
The opening goal was an opportunistic finish, but McKenna’s second goal was nothing but class.
Presented with a free-kick outside the box, McKenna whipped the ball into the top-left corner to seal her brace and put the hosts two goals ahead.
The early brace capped off a special night for McKenna who, at just 22 years of age, notched her 100th Ninja A-League appearance against Wellington Phoenix in late December, and received a framed City kit recognising the achievement pre-game.
But McKenna’s early work at AAMI Park almost came undone when a penalty conceded by Lourdes Bosch led to Matildas legend Yallop stepping up to the spot.
Yallop attempted to find the bottom-right corner with her penalty but Mieres read it well, getting across to her left to parry the shot away and preserve her clean sheet.
Holly McNamara came off the bench at half-time for City and should have made it 3-0 in the 70th minute when she snuck up on Roar keeper Olivia Sekany and stole possession before firing wide of an open net.
But City executed a professional second-half performance at AAMI Park. Up against the highest scorers in the league, City managed out the remainder of the game without conceding a goal to any of Brisbane’s attacking threats.
