Summary
So an epic day of football action on Sunday Sportswatch.
Sam Kerr set the day alight with a virtuoso performance in the opening W-League semi-final, in which the premiers, Melbourne Victory succumbed to two injury-time goals from the Matildas striker. In truth it was an excellent team performance from the Glory, with Rachel Hill, Shannon May and Kim Carroll all starring, and youngster Leticia McKenna growing in influence as the game went on.
Their opponents will be Sydney FC, who survived a late scare against the Roar to run out 2-1 winners up in Queensland, and it will be the Sky Blues who host the final, courtesy their higher-placed finish on the table.
In the A-League the men’s Victory side fared no better against Perth opposition, with Keisuke Honda’s return from injury overshadowed by some Diego Castro brilliance. The Spaniard, alongside former Socceroo Neil Kilkenny, both enjoying Indian summers, ran the show as they provided the goals in a 2-1 win.
Two cracking games in the AFLW, where the Dockers smashed ten goals to sink the Lions, and Adelaide came from behind to defeat a brave Carlton witha big third quarter turnaround.
In the NBL, Melbourne United won their way back to the top of the ladder, and in the Big Bash a star turn from Glenn “the Big Show” Maxwell secured the Melbourne Stars’ finals spot, at the expense of Brendon McCullum’s Brisbane Heat.
And that’s Sportwatch. Thanks for your company - until next weekend!
Full-time: Brisbane Roar 1-2 Sydney FC
90 + 3 min: They break again, the Roar, and the decibel level rises intensely. It’s Raso bursting through the middle, she tries to find a teammate, but she’s left her pass a fraction late, and the youngster Riley is caught offside.
It’s a heroic effort in the end, and Sydney FC sigh a huge sigh of relief.
There’s the whistle. The Sky Blues are hosting the 2019 W-League final!
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Goal! Brisbane Roar 1-2 Sydney FC (Nagasako)
90 min: To their credit the ten-player continue to chase this. And they’ll have four additional minutes to conjure the remarkable.
And just as I’m about to write “they’ll never score, even if this game goes for a week”, the Roar have conjured something!
It’s a terrific strike from Nagasako, curling into the top corner - no chance, Bledsoe.
Surely they can’t. Can they?!
87 min: Decent crowd in tonight, 4,273, up in Queensland. They’ll go home disappointed, but they’ve still seen some decent football tonight.
It’s a young Roar team though, and with more experienced heads like Katrina Gorry to come back in hopefully they can put together a strong roster again for next season.
83 min: Ooh. A coming together in the box between McCaskill and Polkinghorne - half a shout for a penalty there? The referee kindly declines.
If this stays as is, it will be a home final for Sydney FC, with Perth Glory finishing below the Sky Blues on the table.
78 min: Ay, ay, ay. The wheels are off - red card against the Roar!
Natalie Tathem is caught the wrong side of Ibini, and she tries to bring the Sydney FC flyer down subtly, but as last player there was never any question there. She’s fouled her, and she has to go.
That’s quietened the home crowd.
75 min: A call goes against the Roar, and the skipper Polkinghorne is incensed. They’re on the ropes here, Brisbane - the more they push, the more they leave themselves exposed at the back.
And right on cue, it’s Arnold again denying Logarzo who was through one-on-one. There will be plenty of bantz come Matildas camp about that battle.
71 min: And it is starting to really open up, this game. Ibini with a chance at one end, before Toby draws a save out of Bledsoe.
And finally Ante Juric goes to his bench. It’s Amy Harrison who comes on, and she slots in at left back, presumably to respond to the fresh legs of Indiah Paige-Riley who has just come on for the Roar, replacing Green, who you’ll recall was on a yellow.
Goal! Brisbane Roar 0-2 Sydney FC (Huerta)
68 min: Thank you, and good night! It’s another set piece with Kennedy making herself a nuisance. This time she’s left completely unmarked, and she jinks brilliantly round Polkinghorne to pick out a teammate. Sofia Huerta still with plenty to do, and she smashes it home from around the penalty spot! Lovely stuff, Sydney FC - but big questions on that Roar defending.
They’ve a mountain to climb now.
64 min: My, oh my! It’s a mad minute - as Brisbane Roar survive a peppering of their goal; and then go up the other end as Yuki Nagasako has seemingly all day in a one-on-one, but can’t find a way past Audrey Bledsoe in the FC goal!
FC had about three shots on target from a goalmouth scramble; one of them a blistering drive from Logarzo that appeared to hit her own player, McCaskill! Mad business. And the crowd squeal with peals with delight.
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59 min: They need a spark from someone, the Roar. But from whom? Raso is busting her tail, but it’s nearly a sole furrow up front. They’re not connecting well enough in the midfield.
And as we talk, it’s a burst upfield and Chloe Logarzo is through one-on-one with her Matildas teammate Arnold in the Roar goal - but she crashes her shot wide! Big let off.
You feel if Sydney get a second here it’s definitely game over.
Updated
53 min: So plenty of cut and thrust, but a few passes just aren’t going to foot. Raso working hard up front, but both sides guilty of turning over the ball cheaply. I guess we can reframe that more positively as, defences on top?
48 min: McCaskill lays off well to Ibini, that’s better use of the false nine, as discussed previously. But Roar captain Polkinghorne is across well to snuff out the danger.
It’s a corner to Sydney FC, and ooh - it’s hit the upright! Great nod back from Kennedy, she’s so hard to contain from set pieces. And it’s flicked on, was it McCaskill, or has that come off a Roar defender? Either way, it strikes the post and bounces clear.
W-League semi-final: second half!
45 min: And we’re back! No changes, to my knowledge. I’ll keep an eye out and count my fingers and toes before getting back to you on that.
So a different kind of semi-final, this one. Not quite with the Sturm und Drang of that first offering between Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory.
But if you missed the Sam Kerr virtuoso show, don’t worry. Here’s 3,581 words I prepared earlier:
What an absolute bloody star. No wonder Guardian voted her the second best female player on the planet.
Half-time: Brisbane Roar 0-1 Sydney FC
45 min: A late freekick for Sydney FC, and Colaprico fancies it. She lofts it to the far post and Kennedy - oh my - so very nearly sneaks to that inside Arnold from the blind side! That would have really been a sucker blow, if they were to go in two-nil down, the home side.
But they hold on. And a chance for Mel Andreatta to get inside the ears of her players and whisper sweet magic with a view to turning this one around.
42 min: Ooph! Ibini with a sharp shot-cross from wide; and it almost deceives Arnold and arrows into the bottom left-hand corner. A sharp effort from the wide forward.
38 min: And a bit of niggle from ‘Ribbons’. She’s having a decent battle with Sydney FC’s left back, Ally Green, but she cynically fouls the fullback on that occasion.
Deary me. A very heavy coming together Ubogaga is clattered into - the Sydney defender with eyes only for the player.
And now it’s Green in the book for a foul, you guessed it, on Raso. Some tasty contretemps going on all around the ground, it seems.
36 min: We’re coming alive now, with the fans howling for a perceived foul on Raso.
Sydney press and try and trap the Roar in their back third, but the skipper Polkinghorne skips calmly out of defence, lovely play from the back.
Goal! Brisbane Roar 0-1 Sydney FC (Foord)
33 min: Heavy challenge on Chioma Ubogaga, who gets to her feet gingerly.
I was about to say there’s not much zip to this one, but hold the phone - we’ve got an opener! Sharp work from Sydney FC, with Foord being picked out just inside the box; she pivots sharply and drills that home. Arnold no chance - now! Is this the fire needed to spark this contest?
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25 min: Both sides scrapping in midfield with Colaprico getting about. Sydney FC struggling to get their lead striker, Savannah McCaskill, into the game. She’s an incredible talent, the American but pace isn’t her strongest feature. She’s being deployed more as a ‘false nine’, but they’re not quite linking up front the Sky Blues.
No Lisa De Vanna to call upon tonight, alas. The veteran striker is out injured.
19 min: But after being second best for the opening exchanges it’s Sydney that have stung the palms of Mackenzie Arnold. Two fines saves in as many minutes, the smartest of the two tipping Princess Ibini’s effort round the post. Great football from both sides!
15 min: And if you missed the lineups for tonight, here’s how our two sides look:
TEAM SHEET | Here’s how our opposition shape up for tonight’s @WLeague Semi-Final!
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) February 10, 2019
What’s your predictions?#SydneyIsSkyBlue #ComeWithUs #BRIvSYD pic.twitter.com/I6pnAYGJ4G
Plenty of pace up front out wide for both sides, hard to split the teams on that front. Sydney FC shading it in midfield for mine - plenty of big game experience between Polias, Logarzo and Colaprico.
8 min: Gee, how good is it to see ‘Ribbons’ out there carving it up. There’s been times over the past few years where it feels like Raso has spent more time on the physio table than on the field, and she sprints away from the Sydney defence here, but her flashed cross evades a teammate. Warning sign for the visitors.
W-League semi final: Kick-off!
1 min: But, time and tide wait for no football. So here goes.
And it’s an all-action start, as Hayley Raso races through the Sydney defence before Alanna Kennedy and Allira Toby suffer a nasty head clash competing for a header.
Big break in play - there’s blood everywhere, with the Roar attacker in particular looking a bit poorly. Let’s hope they can both resume. Or even better, they sub off if they can’t. Nobody wants to see a player’s health risked, even in a semi-final. (Cough, Melbourne Victory, Casey Dumont).
So! We’ve got one final game to bring you tonight. The union would tell me I’m allowed a toilet break, and I probably should eat something at some stage, so forgive me if there are occasional delays in this one.
It’s the second of the W-League semi-finals, and do you reckon it will hit the heights of the first? It’s Brisbane Roar playing host to Sydney FC, up in Queensland.
NBL: Adelaide 36ers 87-89 Melbourne United
And it’s a costly loss for the finals chasing 36ers who could have secured their top four spot, but for a late rally from the defending premiers, who go back to the top. Here’s an excerpt from Australian Associated Press’s report:
Adelaide led at every break but Melbourne’s big names stood up when it mattered most.
Casper Ware (20 points) nailed the match-sealing jumper with 14 seconds left on the clock after Chris Goulding (16 points), who was tamed for three quarters, notched four points and a crucial steal in the final 90 seconds.
Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman praised his side’s low turnover count.
“Even though we still lost the rebound count, we were a lot better than the last time we were here when they had 25 offensive rebounds,” he said.
“The biggest one for is was we turned the ball over three times and we got 22 points off turnovers ourselves.
“I liked our intent once we got a steal or a rebound to really push it.”
Full-time: Melbourne Victory 1-2 Perth Glory
90 + 6 min: Not to be for the home fans! Honda jinks and jives and he does get a half-space for a shot, but it drives just over the bar without testing Reddy.
Perth have stayed resolute. And in the battle of one v two, they’ve opened up a seven point gap at the top of the table. Is that the premiership right there?
Updated
90 + 3 min: They’re probing Victory, like a European handball team, just passing around the arc endlessly, shifting and passing, endlessly examining for a half-chance. Honda is shown onto his right, so concerned are the Perth defenders of his sweet left foot, so he send over a cross off the right, and guess what, it’s a good one. But a Perth defender stretches and just gets his head to it!
He’s making things happen Honda; but has he run out of time?
90 min: And we have five minutes added time. What can the Victory make of this? Honda becoming increasingly prominent, drifting to the right side of the pitch, and then firing balls consummately across the park with his left.
89 min: Lovely work from the Victory, as Honda finds Antonis out wide, who picks out the Japanese at the edge of the box, and his clipped ball over the top sparks a tussle between Spiranovic and Kamsoba. A few cries for a penalty, but nothing given from the referee, or the men upstairs in the VAR-cave.
88 min: XI behind the ball here, and all of them inside their own 30m, as Perth absorb a tonne of pressure. Victory with over 70% possession over the last ten minutes, but they just can’t break down the resolute lines of white.
86 min: Andy Keogh does well to win the ball for his side, before allowing Castro to head to the corner. A heavy challenge from Kilkenny on Corey Brown, who goes down, but the veteran former Socceroo avoids a yellow.
84 min: A third substitution for the Glory, as Popovic brings Neville on for Franjic. Another little momentum breaker you imagine, with the two very much like-for-like right backs.
80 min: And as they try and settle things Glory have a player booked for time wasting, as the ‘keeper Reddy goes in the book.
Now a substitution, again to settle things, as Brimmer comes on for Ikonimidis, and the Glory tweak their formation to pack an extra body in midfield.
Goal! Melbourne Victory 1-2 Perth Glory (Barbarouses)
77 min: Hahaha. And just as I slagged him (see 71 min), the wee man from Wellington has returned fire. Great build up from Victory, Broxham with a clever ball, and a sharp first time finish across the body of Reddy - and after nearly five game - finally, FINALLY, the Perth net is bulged!
Could we be set for a blockbuster last 15? Let’s find out.
75 min: Honda looks to lift his side, with a clever slide pass in behind looking for Kamsoba, but Perth scramble well to clear.
Now it’s Corey Brown rampaging down the left after a move sparked by Honda and Baena, but again Perth defend well at the expense of a corner. But they clear that too.
71 min: And if it wasn’t looking grim for the home fans, now the sight of Andy Keogh on the touchline! Handy sub to bring on at this stage of a contest.
Baena with a good ball over the top to Barbarouses, but the Kiwi striker drags his shot badly wide! When he’s on, he’s mercurial. But when he’s not, he’s, well, a bit like today, really.
Goal! Melbourne Victory 0-2 Perth Glory (Castro)
66 min: Ay, ay, ay! That’s top draw from the Glory - who cut Victory to ribbons on the counter. What a day out for Perth fans who’ve made the trek to Melbourne today - first Sam Kerr, now Diego Castro. He’s a magician!
Kilkenny lifts a ball out to Davidson, his header forward finds Ikonimidis who beats Deng with power and pace to fire a cross - and Castro, the 36-year-old flies through the air to poke home with an outreached boot! What a goal.
65 min: It almost has immediate dividends, as Terry Antonis’ deflected shot loops agonisingly wide past Liam Reddy.
Perth go up the other end, and it’s Ikonimidis who tries to fashion a shot, but he’s well blocked by Leigh Broxham, who’s having a great game deputising at centre back (now, right back after Niedermeier’s introduction).
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61 min: And cometh the hour, cometh the man - Kevin Muscat has seen enough, and after a lengthy injury layoff Victory’s talisman - and the A-League’s talisman as a marquee signing - Keisuke Honda is into the action!
A double change with Georg Niedermeier also coming on; Athiu and Roux the players to make way.
Penalty! Melbourne Victory 0-1 Perth Glory (Kilkenny)
59 min: Oooh! Big moment - it’s another smart flick from Neil Kilkenny, whose lifted ball strikes the outreached arm of Corey Brown. They go upstairs, but Jarryd Gillett was happy enough to call it a penalty, and the VAR doesn’t overrule.
He strikes it low and hard, and Thomas gets a hand to it, but it creeps inside the far post. A great penalty, and almost a miraculous save. But it’s 1-0 Glory; will this send them seven points clear at the top of the table?
56 min: And a first save of the game for Lawrence Thomas! No surprise, it’s Castro with the trickery, who draws two defenders before laying off, to all people, Matthew Spiranovic. The defender shaped to shoot before picking out Davidson, whose cross to Ikonimidis was thumped goalwards - but no further - thanks to the flying frame of Thomas.
50 min: Fun stat from our friends at Fox commentary, Victory have scored in 23 consecutive home games, but Perth Glory haven’t conceded in 373 minutes. Liam Reddy is on track for an A-League record-equaling five consecutive clean sheets. Which of these runs stops today?
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Second half!
45 min: And we’re back underway at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
And it’s a more subdued start to the second stanza, before Terry Antonis picks up a yellow for slowing the restart. He’ll miss the trip to Eden Park next week in Auckland as the Victory take on the Phoenix in the largest population base in Australasia without an A-League team.
AFLW: Carlton 7.2 (44) lose to Adelaide 9.3 (57)
Wowee. And a belter in the early game in the AFLW today, with the Crows running down the Blues in a barnstorming finish. Four majors for Stevie-Lee Thompson, and another all-action performance from Erin Phillips as Adelaide turned around a deficit of 17 points in the third quarter.
Keep your eyes out for our write up of that one tomorrow morning, with our eyes at the ground Kirby Fenwick parading the touchline.
Big Bash: Melbourne Stars 168-6 (20) defeat Sydney Sixers 74 (13.4)
He may need to score 10,000 runs more before the Australian selectors ever pay him the respect his talents deserve, but the Big Show, Glenn “Maxi” Maxwell has almost single-handedly put his side into the finals, with a demolition of the Sixers.
Marcus Stoinis 34 (23) and Peter Handscomb 35 (34) got things going for the home side, who batted first before the Max-factor took over, belting 82 off just 43 deliveries. Six sixers for Maxi, including three in the final over of the innings - poor old Ben Dwarshuis copping the treatment before finally dismissing the big man with one ball to go.
The Sixers for their part must have really not fancied seeing the Brisbane Heat make the top four, as they batted like wet tissue, with top scores, two from bowlers, of 12, 10 and 11*.
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So! With half-time in the A-League finally a chance to get round the grounds and bring you some other action for Sunday Sportwatch.
And in the three-way battle for the final Big Bash finals spot, there’s been a big move made. And who else: THE BIG SHOW.
Half-time: Melbourne Victory 0-0 Perth Glory
45 min: And in the shadow of half-time Athiu twists and turns and almost fashions the opener. It’s well saved at the near post by Reddy, what’s that - perhaps just his and the game’s second save?
For all the intrigue there haven’t been any clear cut chances, and we go to the sheds with this one very equally poised.
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43 min: Well it hasn’t exactly been a tinderbox, this one - but on the sideline Kevin Muscat has managed to get himself booked.
A bizarre one, this - he’s been pinged for a whistle that caused Neil Kilkenny to stop and handle the ball! Dark arts from the Victory coach!
40 min: Castro tries to solo effort - but it’s blocked well. He’s finding terrific positions for Perth, but on one or two occasions his teammates just aren’t finding him.
38 min: A corner to Victory, and Baena wins the first header. It spills back across the box and Athiu attempts the bicycle kick, but he only catches Dino Djulbic fair in the moush. Owie. He draws blood from the granite defender, and picks up a yellow card for his efforts.
A touch unfair that one, perhaps, but it was a nasty connection.
34 min: Good little patch this, for the Glory. Castro finding himself free behind the two Victory midfield screeners, darting in and out of pockets of space. Then Kilkenny finds a cute lofted ball to find Ikonimidis, but it’s an acute angle, and Thomas covers his near post well.
31 min: Brown does well down the left and lofts a tempting ball centrally, but there’s nobody in the box to capitalise, to the ire of coach Kevin Muscat.
He was, you’ll remember, a Socceroos teammate of Popovic. But you’d imagine the two defenders would love to get one over each other. Fierce competitors, both.
27 min: Victory with their 4-2-3-1 with Barbarouses and Kamsoba the fliers out wide, Troisi at No 10 pulling the strings behind Athiu.
Glory with their 5-3-2 - Castro the playmaker (obviously) with Chianese and Ikonomidis ahead of him. Juande and Kilkenny playing the all-important role at the base of midfield.
It’s been a key component of their season that relationship, and when Juande hasn’t played they’ve struggled at times, the Glory.
21 min: So after that pulsating start, both sides have settled into more of a cat-and-mouse kind of encounter. There have been some high-scoring clashes between these two in recent times, but given the nature of one-v-two you can imagine Tony Popovic will be keen to keep it tight today and deny Perth’s premiership rivals a chance to make up ground on the table.
17 min: Half a chance for Ivan Franjic, who looks to bend an effort. He’s been enjoying his return to the A-League since transferring from the Roar over to the Glory. But it’s comfortably dealt with by Lawrence Thomas.
13 min: No Toivonen as well for the Victory today, so it means Kenny Athiu leads the line, and he combines excellently with youngster Elvis Kamsoba. The promising Burundi-born boy turns brilliantly and fires a shot, but he scuffs the connection.
An irate Troisi lets him know - he was open for a tap-in centrally! Huge let off for the Victory, but they’ve started with real intent despite no Honda, no Toivonen.
9 min: A chance now for Perth, but Castro and Chianese get in each other’s way - to the ire of the in-form Spaniard. They take the ball off each other inside the eighteen-yard box, and the moment goes begging!
Meanwhile, Victory break looking to release the pace of Kosta Barbarouses. It’s a lively game this one, as well!
6 min: It’s a high-tempo start to this one, no surprises there with two teams famous for their work ethic. An early corner for the hosts, Victory, as James Troisi bustles with purpose.
No Keogh for the visitors, with the Glory’s leading scorer relegated to the bench. An interesting call from Tony Popovic; looking to draw a response from the Irishman, with Joel Chianese preferred to start?
Kick-off!
1 min: So, after that slight delay, we’re underway - it’s second hosting first, as Victory (mens) now face Perth (mens) in a mouth-watering A-League clash. If it’s even half as good as the W-League semi (see earlier) we’re in for a treat.
And for those of you sweating on the start of the A-League top of the table fixture. We have a short delay, due to the extra-time at the same venue, AAMI Park, in the W-League:
#MVCvPER kick-off now scheduled for 5:21pm. https://t.co/EMZB77amSk
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) February 10, 2019
Here’s the team news for that one - and the big news is, there’s a return to the bench for A-League marquee, Keisuke Honda!
Melbourne Victory:
.@kskgroup2017 is back! Here's how we line up for #MVCvPER. #MVFC #OurVictory pic.twitter.com/ESGhfuMkmw
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) February 10, 2019
Perth Glory:
Have you caught your breath yet Glory fans? 😅
— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) February 10, 2019
We've got another massive game against Victory coming up - here's our starting line-up! pic.twitter.com/gWaza7aFzx
We’ll bring you the A-League team line ups shortly, and I’d love to get round the grounds to keep you abreast of AFLW and Big Bash action too. But first, if you didn’t hear the result, please take the time to suss out this amazing game from the W-League:
Six goals, a red card, late drama - football at it’s very, very best!
Preamble
So, with the drama of that first W-League semi-final still pulsing through my veins it’s time to shift to the rest of today’s sporting action.
We’ve got an A-League top of the table clash between those two sides that featured earlier, but now in male version, as Tony Popovic and Kevin Muscat’s men go head to head; and stick around for the second of the W-League finals later on as Brisbane Roar play host to Sydney FC.
As always we’ll be round the grounds, so look out for AFLW, Big Bash, NBL action and more - all here, on Sunday Sportwatch!
