Date Time
Victory stun Sydney FC to earn crown of Champions
MELBOURNE Victory are the 2020/21 Westfield W-League champions, and they did it the hard way.
Teenage star Kyra Cooney-Cross was the hero for Victory, delivering a corner that swerved straight into the Sydney goal in the last seconds of extra-time, with a penalty shoot-out beckoning.
It was a devastating blow for the home side, and particularly goalkeeper Jada Whyman who was unable to keep out Cooney-Cross’s corner but had delivered a series of remarkable saves to keep her side on level terms until the very end.
But ultimately Victory were deserved champions, owning the big occasion and creating a series of chances that were spurned until the final seconds.
W-League completes unpredictable regular season with Sydney FC as minor premiers, setting up finals series
By Samantha Lewis
SatSaturday 3
AprApril 2021 at 7:17pm
Sydney FC clinched the minor premiership on the final game day of an unpredictable W-League season.
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It would have felt strange, after the year Australian football has had, for the 2020/21 W-League season to conclude in a simple, straightforward way.
After four months of delays, postponements and reschedules brought about by border closures and extreme weather events, the competition s 14-round regular season has finally been completed, with Sydney FC claiming their third minor premiership on the last possible match day.
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Teresa Polias netted with a superb strike just on the half-hour mark and Princess Ibini tucked home a penalty midway through the second half to virtually end the contest.
Victory gave the Sky Blues a late scare with a goal from Kyra Cooney-Cross deep into added time, but it was too little too late for the Melbourne side.
The 2-1 victory secured a first premiership in a decade for three-time champions Sydney FC.
The win pushed the Sky Blues three points clear at the summit at the end of a 12-match campaign and sets up an Easter weekend semi-final against Canberra United.
Premiership broadcast blunder caps W-League season of mistreatment sbs.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sbs.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Whereas the early exchanges of the season were marked by their chaos, those still realistically in the hunt for a chance to play off for the 2020-21 W-League title are largely familiar names to long-time followers of the women’s game: current league leaders Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar accounting for five titles between them. Canberra United also have two domestic titles to their name and Melbourne Victory was 2018-19 Premiers and have gone to back-to-back semifinals.
Notable in their absence, however, are reigning champions Melbourne City. The four-time W-League champs will miss finals for just the second time in their history this season after proving unable to replace the exodus of Matildas and international stars that departed the club following their record-setting 2019-20 Championship winning season.