Australian club ready to build on experience in pursuit of Asian women's football title

On the verge of reaching their second straight final at the top Asian women's club football competition, Melbourne City FC will try to build on their experience from last year, head coach Michael Matricciani said Tuesday. Matricciani and the reigning Australian league champions will play in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League against Tokyo Verdy Beleza of Japan at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul. The final is set for 2 p.m. Saturday in Suwon, with Suwon FC Women of South Korea and Naegohyang Women's FC of North Korea facing off in the other semifinal match. Melbourne City FC lost to Wuhan Jiangda Women's FC on penalties in the final of the inaugural edition of the tournament last year, an outcome that Matricciani admitted was "very difficult." And the Italian-born tactician said his players will use their experience from the near-miss to their advantage this time. "I think we have learned from the experiences last year so we're better prepared," Matricciani said at the pre-tournament press confer

Original source: Korea Times