Always a tentpole fixture, the Round 10 ACT NPL (Capital Football) game between ladder leaders Canberra Croatia and newly minted Federation Cup winners Belconnen United saw top four positions once again jumbled at the conclusion. The football gods are ensuring that the 2023 title race is one that you simply cannot take your eyes off.
Other Round 10 games were:
Tuggeranong United vs Canberra Olympic
West Canberra Wanderers vs Canberra United Academy
Gungahlin United vs ANU
For an alternate review of the round, check out Jeremy Magan’s article for Capital Football.
Match of the Round: Canberra Croatia vs Belconnen United (Bar TV)
The league’s three leading goalscorers – Brittany Palombi, Charli Mitchell, and Bessie Riethmuller – featured in this game, with goals all but assured. The home side fielded an unchanged line-up from the last round, while Stefi Lejins was absent for Belconnen, replaced at right back by Marija Rathouski.
The first shot fell Canberra Croatia midfielder Sienna Birnie’s way, but not long after (and still within the opening five minutes) a penalty was awarded to the visitors after Zoe Sobczak’s heel clipped Hattie Cram in the penalty area. Blue Devils captain Talia Backhouse coolly slotted the spot kick in the bottom left corner of Madeline Angel’s goal to take the lead.
The visitors settled into the game the quicker of the two, yet the first half wasn’t without Canberra Croatia highlights. A free kick in the 28th minute led to Blue Devils keeper Ellie Summers being unable to get distance on her punch from Brandy Nicholson’s lob into the six-yard box. Ever the competitor, Rhiannon Fensom showed determination in putting away her second attempt after the first ricocheted off the post.
A Birnie through-ball for Palombi’s favoured left side with ten first-half minutes remaining nearly paid dividends as Palombi smashed her shot onto the crossbar. This was one of several good chances for the home side on one of those days when accurate finishing eluded them.
Belconnen’s young wide runners in Reilly Yuen and Hattie Cram enjoyed many good moments, and this may have been Cram’s finest hour in Blue Devils blue. With four minutes remaining in the half, Yuen’s excellent run to the byline under pressure from Nicholson led to a centred ball to the unmarked Cram in the six-yard box, as the visitors regained the lead.
Some fine lead-up work by Riethmuller in the fourth minute of the second half saw Angel fumble the low cross, giving Blue Devil Ella Palframan the smallest of openings to extend the lead. The opening slammed shut, and the ensuing corner kick was this time gathered by Angel off Backhouse’s header.
A lively interchange between Yuen and Backhouse ten minutes into the second half saw Yuen inside the CCFC penalty box lay back a ball for her captain, but the shot was drilled just to the left of the goal.
An almost imperceptible backpass from Rathouski to Summers was detected by the officials on the edge of the Belconnen penalty area with half an hour remaining, but Palombi’s indirect free-kick effort was defused. Not long after, Blue Devils centre-back Lauren Preston did well to apply just enough physical pressure on Mitchell as the ball approached Summers’ danger area.
Mitchell was to show tremendous volleying technique with just over 20 minutes remaining, her fierce effort zinging just over Summers’ crossbar. Summers’ accomplished second-half performance would prove to be important to the match outcome, with the Blue Devils’ goalkeeping stocks the envy of the competition as new signing Sammy Emms warms the bench.
Belconnen substitute Alina Roberts’ energy made an impact in the final 20 minutes. Her cross from the right edge with a quarter-hour remaining bounced across the Canberra Croatia penalty box, eluding all but Riethmuller. Taking a touch, Riethmuller finished in the bottom left corner, giving her team a two-goal buffer.
CCFC midfielder Dianne Wilson also found Summers’ crossbar from a short corner with twelve minutes remaining. Moments later, Palombi was fouled in the Blue Devils’ area after a tiny lobbed ball fell between Rathouski and Preston, leaving Palombi wedged between them. In a rare miss, Palombi’s penalty came off the post, with Summers able to scramble to gather the rebound. Palombi was throwing everything at the Blue Devils in this period in an effort to get the home side back into the game.
As the action switched to the other end, a fine cross by Roberts for Riethmuller’s head at the back post almost bore fruit, with the striker perhaps put off by her proximity to the post. Jamie Berkeley was to have a similar chance late in the game from Palombi’s cross, which just skimmed over her head.
With just three minutes remaining, another Palombi shot was blocked by Summers. Mitchell was on hand to pounce on the loose ball, but it was an awkward height and the effort was just wide of goal. For all the action in the last ten minutes, it was quite incredible that there was no addition to the 3-1 scoreboard after Riethmuller’s goal.
This was an important league bounce-back for the Blue Devils, having lost last round at home against Gungahlin United. This victory over the ladder leaders ensures they join Canberra Olympic at the top of the ladder.
Canberra Croatia will quickly put this result behind them, but they do so knowing that they have now been defeated by both of their key top-three opponents. The loss sees them drop behind Belconnen United on the ladder.
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
Canberra Croatia 1 (Rhiannon Fensom 28′)
Belconnen United 3 (Talia Backhouse 4′, Hattie Cram 41′, Bessie Riethmuller 75′)
Around The Grounds:
Ladder:
Next Round:
In a strange twist of catch-up games fate, Canberra United Academy and Gungahlin United play each other twice within four days.
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.
