Finals Fever: Melbourne Victory Caps Off Regular Season with Unmatched Winning Streak

Melbourne Victory approaches the Ninja A-League Finals Series brimming with confidence following a convincing 2-0 victory against a 10-player Brisbane Roar to conclude the regular season.

Nickoletta Flannery’s spectacular strike in the first half, coupled with Alex Chidiac’s skillful second-half nutmeg, propelled Victory to a record-setting 13th match unbeaten—a run that includes an impressive eight straight wins.

While Victory’s aspirations for the Premiership were curtailed by rival Melbourne City on Friday evening, the Championship contenders still had plenty at stake at AAMI Park as they continued their strong form against a struggling Brisbane side.

Brisbane Roar bid farewell to retiring duo Mariel Hecher and Keeley Richards, but their situation worsened when they were left a player short after Momo Hayashi received a red card.

INVINCIBLE PREMIERS! City claims back-to-back titles in a goal-laden finale to an unforgettable season

Coach Jeff Hopkins opted not to risk Emily Gielnik for the season’s final match, as the key striker reviewed from the stands due to Achilles tendinitis. Meanwhile, Roar captain Tameka Yallop was eager to make a final push in the Golden Boot race before succumbing to what appeared to be a hamstring injury during the later stages of the game.

A quick counter-attack nearly caught Victory off guard when Yallop set up Emily Pringle, but Pringle’s shot was directly at goalkeeper Courtney Newbon.

ADELAIDE DELIGHT: Brilliant Worts shines as classy comeback rockets Adelaide into the finals

Victory eventually broke the deadlock eight minutes later.

Flannery provided a moment of brilliance to give the home side the advantage with just two minutes left in the first half.

Victory’s captain Kayla Morrison showcased her defensive prowess seven minutes into the second half by putting her body on the line to thwart Brisbane’s attempts to equalise.

Shortly thereafter, Chidiac doubled Victory’s lead by skillfully manoeuvring the ball through the legs of retiring Roar goalkeeper Keeley Richards.

Brisbane faced further challenges when they were reduced to 10 players after Hayashi was sent off for making contact with the referee, leaving them to struggle in the final 30 minutes.