AFC Women's Champions League
McMahon’s late strike took the Australian side into a final showdown with China PR’s Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC on Saturday.
The opening minutes saw both sides attempting to assert control, finding early opportunities but losing momentum in the final third.
The Red Angels threatened in the fourth minute but Toriumi Yuka’s effort from the left was safely collected by Melbourne City’s Malena Garcia while four minutes later, Kim So-eun sent a free-kick from outside the box soaring over the bar.
Melbourne City responded with chances of their own, with Holly McNamara’s 10th-minute attempt being denied by the crossbar, while Leticia McKenna’s powerful free-kick was punched away by Red Angels' goalkeeper Kim Min-jung shortly after.
McNamara continued to trouble the Red Angels defence, winning the ball from Mun Ha-yeon inside the Hyundai box in the 19th minute before volleying it to Mariana Speckmaier.
The Venezuelan then slipped a short pass to McKenna, who made a weak attempt from close quarters and failed to find the opener.
Meanwhile at the other end, the Red Angels also squandered chances, most notably when Yoon Hye-in’s sublime overhead cross was headed wide by Kim Seong-mi.
Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women's FC (KOR) vs Melbourne City FC (AUS)
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The search for the opening goal continued into the second half, with the first real threat once again coming from McNamara, who darted past several red shirts before seeing her right-footed effort from a tight angle being denied by Mun.
Speckmaier, who has scored in every game of the competition so far, had a wonderful opportunity to add to her list shortly after the game crossed the one-hour mark when she met Leah Davidson's cross from the left flank.
But her attempt from inside the box lacked power and was ultimately palmed away by Red Angels custodian Min-jung without much trouble.
The Red Angels came close to breaking the deadlock 10 minutes later, when Japanese striker Haruhi Suzuki’s header from Yong’s cross from the centre of the box was blocked by City’s Garcia.
Haruhi once again made her presence felt with a left-footed strike from outside the box, but her effort sailed over the bar while three minutes later, Seo Ji-youn’s close-range attempt from inside the six-yard box was deftly cleared by Garcia at the Melbourne goalmouth.
It was in the 91st minute that McMahon finally found the solution for Melbourne City with a stunning right-footed strike from outside the box, finding the top-right corner after being teed up by McKenna.
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