Canberra United Break into Top Six with Historic A-League Achievement After Nine Years

Canberra United made a provisional leap into the top six of the Ninja A-League following their 2-1 triumph over Perth Glory at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.

First-half strikes from CommBank Matildas and A-Leagues icon Michelle Heyman, alongside Mary Stanic-Floody, secured Canberra’s first victory over Glory in Perth since 2016 on Saturday evening.

Although Tijan McKenna managed to pull one back in the second half, Canberra held firm, ending their six-match winless run. This victory propelled the capital club past Brisbane Roar into sixth position, while Perth, languishing in tenth place, saw their three-match unbeaten streak come to an end, jeopardising their finals aspirations.

Worrying scenes unfolded early in the match when Natalie Tathem suffered a knee injury in what appeared to be a harmless incident. Glory’s Casey Dumont, who is also a nurse, quickly attended to her, but it resulted in Tathem being substituted shortly after.

Shortly thereafter, Canberra struck first on the road.

Heyman found herself unmarked after being released by Stanic-Floody and the iconic striker calmly slotted the ball past Dumont in the 16th minute.

Canberra extended their lead to 2-0 just five minutes later, with Stanic-Floody converting from the penalty spot.

Canberra missed a golden opportunity to make it three when Bethany Gordon put her penalty over the bar in the 50th minute.

This miss gave Perth a glimmer of hope, and they capitalised when McKenna found the net with a well-placed half-volley in the 60th minute.

Despite a spirited effort from Glory, Canberra managed to hold on for a much-needed victory.