Sydney FC Women have been given the points after the clash with Canberra United was abandoned in the 55th minute on Wednesday night.
Ante Juric’s side scored two goals in the first half before a crazy storm hit the area and players were forced from the field early in the second half.
Power was lost at the venue when lightning struck less than 500m from the venue while spectators and players were huddled inside for cover meaning that following the passing of the storm, play was unable to continue.
As per the Ninja A-League rules, if a match is abandoned in the second half due to extreme weather, the result is able to stand and following internal review, the three points were awarded to Sydney FC.
The determination of whether or not a match will be rescheduled is at the discretion of the league, and in coming to this decision, the APL in the interest of consistency, remains committed to following precedent set from other extreme weather match abandonments across the history of the A-Leagues. There have been three similar examples, where a match was abandoned during the second half of play due to extreme weather, with the match not being rescheduled and the second half score becoming the final result:
- Ninja A-League Women: 2010 – Canberra United vs Adelaide United (Canberra United awarded the three points)
- Isuzu UTE A-League Men: 2015 – Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix (Wellington Phoenix awarded the three points)
- Isuzu UTE A-League Men: 2021 – Sydney FC vs Perth Glory (Sydney FC awarded the three points)
As per the league regulations, when APL determines a match is not to be rescheduled and where it has been abandoned at half-time or during the second half, the result at the time of the abandonment will be deemed the final result.
