In any other season, Melbourne Victory’s undefeated Ninja A-League streak of 14 games would be the headline achievement of the competition.
As it happens, Melbourne City have gone 24 games without losing en route to the Premiership and the Semi-Finals.
But with their local rivals claiming the league’s all-time record undefeated streak on a run of form never before seen in the competition, Victory have been able to fly under the radar, notching the club’s best-ever set of consecutive results.
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Victory took their unbeaten streak to 14 with a 3-1 win over Adelaide Untied in the first leg of the Semi-Finals and return to Melbourne in command of their Semi-Final tie; with one foot in the Grand Final, avoiding defeat to Adelaide would extend that streak to 15 games and set up a potential matchup with City in the title decider.
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City’s path to the Grand Final is more precarious than Victory’s following a 2-2 draw with Central Coast Mariners in leg one of the Semi-Finals; should both teams manage to progress and set up a Melbourne Derby decider, it will be a battle between two of the best teams the competition has ever seen – but first, Victory must avoid a slip against the Reds who, according to this week’s Dub Zone panel, are chasing the “biggest win in the club’s history” against Victory on the road.
“Melbourne Victory, 14 games undefeated,” said A-Leagues commentator Teo Pellizzeri on Dub Zone.
“Their club record undefeated run (is) some distance in the background now. Melbourne City has stolen the spotlight from what would otherwise be one of the all-time undefeated streaks in this competition.”
“It’s been overshadowed,” replied Sydney FC legend Teresa Polias. “In any other season, they’re the Premiers too, aren’t they? So, yeah, a really, really, great achievement. And it tells you why their mentality is the way it is.
“At this point in the season, they’re just calmly going about their business… nothing worries them.”
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Victory’s 3-1 win over Adelaide in the first leg of the Semi-Finals put Hopkins’ side in pole position to secure a spot in the Grand Final but they will undoubtedly be wary of the Reds’ chances of a comeback due to the amount of sheer quality possessed by the Reds – particularly in the front third, where Erin Healy, Fiona Worts and Chelsie Dawber have wreaked havoc throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
Worts and Healy played from the start in the 3-1 defeat; a first-half goal from Healy levelled the scores at 1-1 heading into the second half but her substitution in the 73rd minute preceded two goals to Victory centre-back Claudia Bunge as Victory departed Coopers Stadium with a 3-1 advantage in the tie.
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Analysing Adelaide’s performance in leg one, Polias identified Healy’s substitution as a turning point in the game and pondered whether Reds coach Adrian Stenta needed his star American import out on the park for the entirety of the second leg to give his side the best chance of overturning the two-goal margin.
“I think they need her on for 90 minutes, leave her out there,” Polias said
“I felt things fell apart a bit. Not, I think more so mentally. I think those corners show that they were fragile mentally.”
“This was a big stage performance,” added Pellizzeri. “It really wasn’t the number of times she took the ball either inside her own half or in that midfield third, and just moved the game and dictated where the game would be played for Adelaide.
“Yes, the goal is a tap in, but it was her build up play throughout the course of the game which was, I think, the most impressive thing about her.
Polias replied: “And as good as the players are around her, Worts, (Emilyy) Condon, (Dylan) Holmes, Dawber, you name it, I feel like she makes them even better.
“She really brings them into the game and really enables them to show their best out there.”
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Adelaide have only beaten Victory in Melbourne once in club history – and that was way back in 2015.
If they are to pull off a result one decade in the making, overturn their two-goal deficit and reach the Grand Final, Pellizzeri believes it will be undoubtedly the best win in the club’s 17-year history.
“We’ve been saying Adelaide, set your own course, write your own history,” Pellizzeri said.
“If they come back here, this will be the greatest win, absolutely, in their club’s history, even if they just get a two nil or a two goal advantage and get this to extra time or penalties and give themselves a chance, it will be the greatest win they’ve ever pulled off.”
“And it’s doable,” replied Polias. “It’s two goals. They can do this. They’ve got goals in them.”
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How to watch?
During the Ninja A-League 2025 Finals Series matches will be shown live across a mix of Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+. Please see the broadcast details below for next weekend’s Semi-Finals leg two.
For New Zealand viewers, every match of the Ninja A-League Finals Series is available live on Sky Sport and streamed on Sky Sport Now.
To find out more about the A-Leagues, visit www.aleagues.com.au
