Melbourne City Halts Wellington Phoenix`s Unbeaten Run

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Melbourne City Halts Wellington Phoenix`s Unbeaten Run

Melbourne City has ended the Wellington Phoenix's four-match unbeaten streak in the Ninja A-League with a dramatic comeback. The match, held at ctrl:cyber Pitch in Melbourne, saw the Phoenix take an early lead through Olivia Fergusson's maiden A-League goal in the first half. Fergusson scored after Grace Jale pounced on an under-hit pass from City's goalkeeper Malena Mieres, and Fergusson tapped in the rebound.

Despite dominating possession, Melbourne City struggled to create scoring opportunities, with their first shot on target coming only in the 66th minute. However, City's fortunes changed with a triple substitution that brought on Holly McNamara, Rhianna Pollicina, and former Phoenix forward Mariana Speckmaier. This move paid off as Alivia Kelly unfortunately headed a left-wing cross into her own net, leveling the score. City quickly took the lead with Laura Hughes heading home from six yards out.

Wellington Phoenix head coach Paul Temple expressed pride in his team's performance but disappointment with the result. `We were really frustrating them and we created a number of opportunities from turnovers high up the pitch,` Temple said. `We need to improve on our ability to respond to those mistakes after putting so much effort in.`

The Phoenix pushed hard for an equalizer in the final minutes, with Malena Mieres making crucial saves to deny them. The best chance came in the 89th minute when Zoe McMeeken's header from a corner was narrowly wide.

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