- Scored the match winner to lead her side to victory
- Cleary was watching back home in Australia
- Had powerful message for his Matildas star girlfriend
Nathan Cleary knows a thing or two about pressure moments, but now it is time for his girlfriend Mary Fowler to shine after guiding Manchester City to the English League Cup final in a two-goal starring performance.
Only days after scoring twice against the Gunners in the Women’s Super League, the 21-year-old rising star of women’s football grabbed a late brace to lift City into the English League Cup final on Thursday.
Fowler scored in the 26th minute and in time added on to break the hearts of the Gunners, who had levelled matters earlier through Mariona Caldentey in the 58th minute.
With the game in the balance, the Cairns-born prodigy scored in the 95th minute to dump Arsenal and her Matildas teammates Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Cailin Foord out of the Cup.
City will now meet Chelsea in the final on March 15.
‘Finals with my besties,’ Fowler posted to Instagram, what a hands together emoji to signify how grateful she is.
And Cleary was up late watching her shine on the big stage, posting a message of his own.
‘She’s clutch,’ he posted, with a series of emojis to convey relief after the tense match.
Cleary and Fowler have been a sporting glamour couple since they first went official in 2023.
Despite their busy schedules and the challenges of a long-distance relationship, they have made efforts to spend quality time together.
Over the Christmas and New Year period, the couple enjoyed a holiday in Australia, including a road trip to Far North Queensland, where they visited Fowler’s extended family in Cairns.
Following their holiday, Fowler returned to England to continue her season with Manchester City, while Cleary resumed training with the Panthers in preparation for the upcoming NRL season.
It comes after Fowler withdrew from the Matildas squad for friendlies against Brazil and Chinese Taipei, citing mental and physical fatigue due to an increasingly demanding schedule.
She said at the time playing for the Matildas was not something that she took for granted.
‘I have, however, through past experiences, come to realise that my mind and my body are also things that I should also never take for granted,’ she said.
‘I’ve decided to take this time to prioritise recovery in order to refresh both mentally and physically, so that I can continue to put my best self forward for both club and country.
‘Over the past few months, playing with an increasingly demanding schedule has been both exciting but at times also challenging.
‘I love being able to play at the top level of my sport, but recognising that sometimes my mind and body also need to rest has been an invaluable lesson for me.’
