MANCHESTER CITY WOMEN 3, SKN ST POLTEN 0 (MAN CITY WOMEN WIN TIE 6-0 ON AGGREGATE)
Early goals by Nikita Parris and Jill Scott ensured that Manchester City Women were effectively through to UEFA Women’s Champions League with insurmountable lead over SKN St Polten by half time.
St Polten made it difficult for City in the second half, almost scoring themselves, but City finished off their Austrian visitors with a late third through substitute Melissa Lawley.
Nick Cushing had earlier made four changes to the side that beat Everton away last Saturday stating that City would take the second leg seriously.
Ellie Roebuck replaced Marie Hourihan in goal while Jen Beattie, Georgia Stanway, Jill Scott replaced Megan Campbell, Claire Emslie and the injured Pauline Bremer.
City missed two early chances to finish the tie off with Steph Houghton powering over in the first minute from Georgia Stanway’s free kick while Jane Ross won a penalty after being tripped by Jasmin Boisits.
Ross failed to score her first Champions league goal for City, however, when her spot kick was struck with too little power, allowing Boisits to dive to her left and gratefully collect.
The visitors did suffer an early injury blow, however, as their captain Jasmine Eder went off injured after just 16 minutes.
Man City Women comfortably through after slow start to UEFA Women’s Champions League 2nd leg
Ellie Roebuck had made a slow start and almost allowed a St Polten forward to get into the ball but acquitted herself later in the first half by running out quickly to clear a similar loose ball in front of her area.
Indeed, it was a game for ‘keepers as Boisits denied Jill Scott, Izzy Christiansen and Jen Beattie in quick succession but City pressure eventually paid off.
Nikita Parris’ quick reactions paid off for her as she turned and lifted a shot into the roof of the net from inside the six yard box.
Georgia Stanway continued to maraude with ambitious shots not coming off as City dominated but lacked incision.
Jill Scott made the tie safe before half time after she headed Demi Stokes’ clearance down to Izzy Christiansen, received the pass back and placed a brilliant ball inside the back post from 25 yards out.
Tie all over then? Perhaps in City’s minds. A couple of half chances by Viktoria Pinther and Laura Wienroither early in the second period should have made City sit up and as their visitors tried to get something to buoy their travelling fans.
City continued their sloppiness, though, giving away cheap possession and encouraging St Polten with needless risk taking.
City did have a chance through Parris and later substitute Claire Emslie who swung in a cross for Steph Houghton who couldn’t hit the target.
St Polten continued to make life difficult for their hosts and substitutions drained the pace out of their defence, reducing their ability to outnumber the visitors on the break although Emslie did provide City’s best attacking outlet after she came on as their delivery from set pieces fell below their usual standards in the second half.
Jane Ross in particular was marked out of the game in the second half but City did get a third late goal when Melissa Lawley fired the ball into the top corner unmarked from 12 yards after the ball fell nicely for her after it was knocked down from Megan Campbell’s long throw.
MATCH STATS
Man City Women: Roebuck, McManus, Beattie, Houghton, Stokes (Campbell 71), Walsh, Scott, Christiansen, Stanway (Emslie 61), Parris (Lawley 61), Ross
Man City Women Subs: Hourihan, Lawley, Morgan, Campbell, Emslie
Goals: Parris 35, Scott 44, Lawley 85
SKN St Polten: Boisits, Babicky, Vago, Prohaska, Pinther, Birootha, Klein (Wronski 65), Tabotta, Wienroither, Eder (Sobotka 16), Enzinger
SKN St Polten Subs: Wronski, Zagor, Zver, Sobotka, Abiral, El-Dahaiboiva
Booked: Pinther 55