Canberra United suffered a first defeat of the Ninja A-League season as they were beaten 0-2 by Adelaide United on a humid afternoon at McKellar Park, a pair of first-half goals doing the damage in front of 1,249 spectators.
Adelaide took the lead in majestic fashion in the eleventh minute. A supreme lay-off from Lucia Leon, flicking the ball delicately around the corner, allowed Erin Healy to find Fiona Worts.
The striker’s pass into the penalty area was only partially cleared allowing midfielder Emily Condon to run onto the bouncing ball and plant a terrific first-time shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Sally James and into the corner of the net.
In a pattern that was familiar to the opening brace of matches of the campaign, Canberra ceded possession, the visitors dominating the ball with Condon and Leon particularly impressive.
In reply, Canberra were struggling to get into gear, Michelle Heyman too often an isolated figure in the front third feeding off scraps as the Adelaide rearguard comfortably dealt with the rare incursions forward.
By contrast, Adelaide looked a real threat, and they doubled their advantage ten minutes before the break. Emily Hodgson made inroads down the left flank, having the time and presence of mind to play a pass back into the path of Fiona Worts and, placed around the penalty spot, the forward wasn’t about to spurn the opportunity, side-footing home.
Canberra might have halved the deficit three minutes before the break, shortly after Adelaide saw a strike from Ella Tonkin ruled out for a narrow offside, but Maja Markovski was unable to control her volley from a delightful Mary Stanic-Floody cross, steering her effort over.
Antoni Jagarinec made two changes to his team at the break to try to force a way back into the match, Jynaya Dos Santos and Lillian Skelly replacing Holly Murray and Tegan Bertolissio respectively. Ruby Nathan and Darcey Malone would enter the fray later.
It was Adelaide that almost extended their lead though three minutes before the hour as Sian Dewey fed a slide-rule ball into Worts, the strike forcing James into a full-length save to her left.
Worts then hit a shot straight at James after the shot-stopper had pushed away a cross from Condon, whilst the dancing feet of Markovski almost brought reward at the other end, Lillian Skelly blasting over after fine approach work by the forward.
Skelly went much closer in the 72nd minute, her close-range effort magnificently blocked by Zoe Tolland after Dos Santos had seen her shot pushed away by Claudia Jenkins, but with that went any slim hopes of a home recovery.
STATISTICS
ROUND 3
Saturday 16 November 2024
Canberra United 0 Adelaide United 2 (Condon 11’, Worts 35’)
(McKellar Park, Canberra, 16:00)
Canberra United: 1. Sally JAMES, 2. Alex MCKENZIE, 3. Elizabeth ANTON, 4. Holly MURRAY (7. Jynaya DOS SANTOS 46’), 10. Mary STANIC-FLOODY (9. Ruby NATHAN 73’),11. Emma ROBERS,12. Hayley TAYLOR-YOUNG (25. Darcey MALONE 66’), 13. Sofia CHRISTOPHERSON, 17. Maja MARKOVSKI, 23 Michelle HEYMAN, 28. Tegan BERTOLISSIO (20. Lilian SKELLY 46’)
Substitutes not used: 18. Coco MAJSTOROVIC
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 25. Darcey MALONE, HC: Antoni JAGARINEC
