Melbourne City sails through to the semi-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League

The first Women’s Champions League match held on Australian turf ended up being a one-sided affair, much to the delight of nearly 2,000 fans from City, who celebrated this milestone at AAMI Park.

Within just four minutes, the three-time champions of the A-League Women made their mark when Mariana Speckmaier rifled a corner kick that was bouncing around into the top corner of the net, setting the tone for the match.

Only 12 minutes after narrowly missing a clear chance following a slick one-two with captain Rebekah Stott, City’s star forward Holly McNamara found herself a slice of luck when her left-footed cross from inside the penalty area took a deflection off Taichung Blue Whale defender Pei-Jung Li and sailed into the net, giving the Australians a solid lead.

McNamara ensured her name would feature on the scoresheet when she earned and successfully converted a penalty following a reckless foul by Taichung’s goalkeeper, Tsai Ming-jung.

Catch the video highlights of the match here.

Leticia McKenna had a chance to extend the lead with a second penalty awarded to City in the half, but unfortunately, she shot straight at Tsai before miscuing the rebound, which was ultimately inconsequential to the outcome.

Melbourne City have secured a spot in the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-finals, where they will face South Korea’s Incheon Red Angels at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on May 21. The final will also be held at this venue just three days later.

Should they claim victory, the squad is expected to receive individual bonuses around the $50,000 mark each for lifting the trophy.