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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Scott Heinrich

A-League 2020 grand final: Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne City (aet) – as it happened

Rhyan Grant
Rhyan Grant celebrates scoring the winner for Sydney FC in the A-League grand final against Melbourne City. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Summary

It might have been Melbourne City’s first A-League grand final and Sydney FC’s sixth, but the new kids were not out of place and didn’t lose as a result of stage fright. They were in it for most of the night, even dominated for periods, but were brought undone by a piece of individual brilliance from Luke Brattan to unleash Rhyan Grant for the winning goal during the first half of extra time.

Sydney FC’s dominance of the national competition continues. This was their fifth A-League title, their third in the past four seasons and their second in a row - only Brisbane Roar in 2011-2012 had previously achieved the latter feat.

But it might have been very different had Harrison Delbridge’s goal in the first half of regular time not been disallowed. VAR has made a habit of having a pivotal say in big games, and denying Melbourne City was a big call. Lachlan Wales might have been obscuring Andrew Redmayne’s view when in an off-side position as Delbridge scored, but he might not have been. City were on top at the time and it’s anyone’s guess how the grand final might have panned out if the goal been allowed to stand.

But winners don’t trade in the word ‘if’. Melbourne City might have been hard done by and unlucky to lose, but there is no denying Sydney FC. The dynasty continues.

Thanks for your company tonight. See you again soon.

Surprise, surprise. Rhyan Grant wins the Joe Marston medal as best afield in the A-League grand final. Fully deserved. Worked his butt off and scored the winning goal. Can’t really ask for more.

Yes, VAR had its say. Yes, there was a penalty that wasn’t. But the man who will hog the headlines in the aftermath of this match is Rhyan Grant, the man with the winner and the best hairdo in Australian sport.

Here’s what Rhyan Grant had to say:

It was nice. Yeah, happy days. We didn’t start great. Credit to City, they started really well. We were better at the start of the second half. We had to ride that out and take our chances when we took them. We just got a bit lucky, I reckon.

Here’s what Sydney FC coach Steve Corica had to say about Rhyan Grant:

Unbelievable. You could see when he was out we missed him. He’s the best right-back in the country. He’s a great guy for one. He’s energetic. He leads by example. Two goals in two grand finals isn’t bad.

Rhyan Grant
Sydney FC defender Rhyan Grant celebrates his winning goal in the A-League grand final. Photograph: Speed Media/REX/Shutterstock

And hot off the press, here’s the match report.

FT (ET): Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne City

Sydney FC hold on and become the first five-time champions of the A-League and only the second team to go back to back. Melbourne City gave it their all but came up short. That disallowed goal in the first half of regular time will hurt all the more now.

119 mins (ET): Nice shot on goal from Buhagiar but Glover handles it. At the other end, City throw everything at the champs but to no avail - Good getting a clean shot on goal but Redmayne standing firm. One minute of added time.

116 mins (ET): As if he wasn’t filthy enough, Atkinson is now red with rage after incurring a yellow card for a rash challenge. The clock continues to tick. City are not running out of legs, but they are running out of time.

112 mins (ET): Atkinson and two Sydney FC defenders scrap for the ball near goal and he lets the ref know in no uncertain terms he’s not happy with the call of goal kick instead of corner.

109 mins (ET): Le Fondre pulls the trigger with a curling shot from outside the box but Glover is equal to it. At the other end, City press with purpose but Grant chimes in to save the day. Incredible workrate from the man with the mullet.

Here’s the goal.

106 mins (ET): Le Fondre’s half-chance is denied in the opening seconds of the second half of extra time. Glover then mishandles a cross and is spared blushes by a clearing boot. City need the goal but it’s Sydney FC who are pressing.

HT (ET): Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne City

The onus is now on Melbourne City after Grant’s hard-fought strike separated the teams just before half-time of extra time. Grant has worked harder than anyone out there and fully deserved his part in the goal. Plaudits to Brattan, though, for the ball that led to it.

105 mins (ET): One minute of added time in the first half of extra time. My, that’s confusing. City with it all to do now.

GOAL! Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne City (Grant, 100)

Beautiful, deep ball from Brattan splits three defenders and finds Grant, who puffs out his chest and knocks the ball into the back of the net with his pecs. Or was it his shoulder? Not the prettiest finish, but the set-up was exquisite and Sydney FC have the lead.

Rhyan Grant celebrates
Rhyan Grant celebrates his goal. Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images

Updated

98 mins (ET): Grant goes into the ref’s book for what can only be described as a good, old-fashioned hip-and-shoulder. And he can’t believe it. Fair dues. I’ve never known a player to thank an official for a yellow. Brillante then has a pop from range but he misses to the left. on closer inspection, that was actually a decent chance.

94 mins (ET): Baumjohann gets manhandled just past halfway and Buhagiar wants advantage paid, but the ref is having none of it. That suits City just fine and before too long the ball returns to City’s keeping as Noone forces a corner.

91 mins (ET): City almost catch Sydney FC napping in the opening seconds of extra time but solid keeping from Redmayne stops a searching cross in its tracks.

FT: Sydney FC 0-0 Melbourne City (ET)

Extra time it is. There’s at least another 30 minutes of this absorbing contest, perhaps penalties too. Some great keeping from Glover kept City in it as Sydney FC searched for the winning goal. This is the sixth time an A-League grand final has gone to extra time.

90 mins +3: King does his level best but concedes a corner. Redmayne rises high to claim the ball and defuse the threat. At the other end, Glover rushes out to deny Buhagiar’s entry into the box. We’re heading for extra time it seems.

90 mins: Five minutes of added time. City go forward. The crowd finds voice. They’re more than happy for extra time. Luna has a crack on his left from outside the box, but it’s straight at Redmayne.

87 mins: Melbourne City utilise their third substitution, with Wales replaced by Najjarine. And Sydney FC make a double change: Caceres and Barbarouses off, Baumjohann and Buhagiar on. Buhagiar almost makes an instant impact, launching for a header that is stopped by the keeper. Clock ticking.

83 mins: Ninkovic tries to make something from nothing but his back heel in the box comes to nothing. The minutes fade away. City are holding on. Extra time is looking all the more likely.

80 mins: Luna heads off for another patch on his bleeding head, leaving City one man down as they defend a Sydney FC corner.

78 mins: Galloway finds himself with time and space just outside the box, invitation enough for a speculative attempt which Redmayne handles without too much fuss. City doing well to try to wrest back the initiative.

75 mins: A rare forward thrust from Melbourne City affords Noone a shot on goal but Redmayne is equal to the task. Another change for City, with Berenguer reaching for his hamstring and making way for Metcalfe.

70 mins: Barbarouses goes on a searching run down the right but he can’t find Le Fondre. The questions keep being asked of Melbourne City but they keep answering them. The first change of the game comes with Delbridge limping off for City and Galloway taking his place.

66 mins: Sydney FC keep possession in the City third but some over-zealous intent from Grant awards City a much-needed free - and some breathing space. They’re still in it, but one suspects the dam wall will break if the Sky Blues keep this up.

Here’s that save from Glover.

62 mins: The hour mark and we are still 0-0. Lovely back heel from Ninkovic sets up Le Fondre but the threat is stymied before another thrust forward sees Ninkovic one-on-one with the keeper. He looks destined to score from close range but Glover effects a wonderful shot-stopper’s save, left glove out to keep Sydney FC at bay. Moments later Barbarouses sets up Retre but the shot flies just wide. Immense period for Sydney FC. The Sky Blues are coming.

57 mins: Sydney FC threaten again but Atkinson collapses under some attention from Caceres and it’s a free kick for City. The ball slingshots down the other end for a Sydney FC corner but City are up to the challenge. Nobody’s blinked yet.

53 mins: Yellow card! Gee, that’s a bit soft. Retre and Luna leap for the same ball, but the Sydney FC man is shown yellow for an outstretched arm. Seemed little in it but we now have a booking in the grand final. And now there is a delay with Luna receiving treatment for a knock to the head.

51 mins: A nice one-two down the right gives Wales time and space but his second touch was a tad heavy and it’s as you were. Good signs for City, though, against the run of play.

49 mins: Ninkovic, quiet in the first half, gets some time with the ball at his feet and so far it’s all Sydney FC in the early stages of the second half. Another corner asks questions of the City defence and Ninkovic’s header goes wide but puts City on notice.

46 mins: Corica, speaking at half-time, says he thinks the challenge on Le Fondre was “100% a penalty”. Of course he does. Anyway, we’re back for the second half. Who will blink first? Sydney FC with the first attacking foray. Barbarouses and Retre involved. Early corner.

Jamie Maclaren was suitably piqued by VAR’s intervention in the first half. Is he having a pop at the fourth official here?

HT: Sydney FC 0-0 Melbourne City

A case of what might have been for Melbourne City. They controlled play for periods of the first half and would be good value for some sort of lead, but thanks to a controversial VAR ruling they head into the break on level pegging with Sydney FC. Delbridge’s early goal, disallowed after Wales was judged to be obscuring Redmayne’s view in an off-side position, is destined to become a major talking point unless Melbourne City come out in the second half and put Sydney FC to the sword.

The reigning champions had their own cause for complaint, with Le Fondre going down in the box under a Good challenge and pleading with the ref for a penalty. The striker’s pleas fell on deaf ears and even heading off at half-time Le Fondre still looked upset.

So it’s 0-0 on the scoreboard and 1-1 on disappointments. Lots more to come in the second half.

Referee Chris Beath
Referee Chris Beath checks VAR after Harrison Delbridge scored for Melbourne City. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Updated

44 mins: Grant gets the better of Berenguer down the left, leaving the City man rather disgusted that the call is goal kick rather than corner. Not much time left before half-time. One minute of added time. Lots of questions will be asked in the break.

42 mins: McGowan works his way past two or three City defenders as if they were bolted to the floor, but the Sky Blues can’t capitalise and it’s a goal kick. The first half reaches its final few moments. Does it have a sting in the tail?

38 mins: More attacking chutzpah from Sydney FC and again Caceres is involved, but his searching cross is denied its desired destination by the outstretched leg of Good. Very good. The defending champions are working their way nicely into the game after that reprieve from VAR.

34 mins: Beautiful control from Le Fondre causes some anxious moments for City but he runs out of time and space to shoot, and his delicate ball in for Barbarouses is defused by some desperate defending. No result but a play of purpose that puts Melbourne City on notice.

Here’s the disallowed goal. You decide.

29 mins: Sydney FC step it up a notch and find some room to move in front of the City goal. Le Fondre controls the ball with one touch, turns the defender and looks en route to goal before Good appears for all love and money to impair the striker’s movement. Le Fondre hits the deck but the call is no penalty. The Sydney FC man can’t believe it. Play on. It’s still 0-0.

26 mins: Retre goes down in the middle of the park and the referee wants to have a word with Berenguer but there is no hand in the pocket and hence no card.

24 mins: A quarter of the way through the grand final and already VAR has made its impact felt. City still work the ball around with alacrity and purpose despite the disappointment of the goal that never was. Wales is involved again, bit his cross is high, wide and none-too-handsome.

Twitter is dead-set going into meltdown over that disallowed goal. I’d show you one, but this is a family show.

17 mins: Goal disallowed! Noone works his way around one defender, his cross spits out to Delbridge just outside the box and the defender drills the ball low and true to give Melbourne City what should be a deserved lead.

But VAR wants a good look at this. Wales is judged to be obscuring Redmayne’s view in an off-side position and the goal is disallowed. Borderline call but perhaps the right one. Hard lines for Melbourne City, who deserve to be a goal to the good.

Harrison Delbridge wheels away
Harrison Delbridge wheels away in celebration. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Updated

13 mins: City work the ball around with ease in their own third, the Sky Blues content to sit back and wait. Sydney FC are clearly prepared to absorb Melbourne City’s bluster, but they might remind themselves to get some possession while they’re at it. Early days, but the initiative rests with City at this stage.

8 mins: Lovely long ball to Maclaren, who controls the ball with his chest - or maybe even neck - and tries to work around Redmayne, but the Sydney FC stopper corners the striker and averts the danger. Definite cracks exposed there. Direct and long from Melbourne City. Almost did for the reigning champions.

6 mins: Neither side has really settled into stride yet. City have started the brighter but it’s all nervous energy for the time being. Barbarouses makes a dashing run down the right side but off side is the inevitable call.

2 mins: Sydney FC enjoy their first venture forward of any note and it’s left to Caceres to have a speculative crack from outside the box, however a swing and a miss almost causes a crack in Good’s shin. Free kick deep in defence for City.

1 min: The whistle sounds and we are away. The toilet seat is indeed up for grabs. City kick start affairs. Noone pops one in from the left, Maclaren has half a sniff and the result is an early corner. Some early jitters from Sydney FC?

A-League trophy
What it’s all about: the toilet seat. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Updated

Players are now walking onto the pitch. Strap yourselves in. We are barely moments away from the start. But first, the national anthem. I’m as patriotic as the next guy, but I’ve always found this tradition odd.

Players stand for the national anthem.
Players stand for the national anthem. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Updated

For the love of hair.

Rhyan Grant
Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant warms up ahead of the A-League grand final at Bankwest Stadium. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

These teams have shared victory and defeat in two meetings this season. Jamie Maclaren doesn’t score with the same frequency against Sydney FC as he does against other teams. Adam Le Fondre has shown he is partial to an odd goal or two against Melbourne City. Milos Ninkovic is Milos Ninkovic. Each of the last two teams to make their first grand final appearance have lost on the day. So what does this all mean?

A 2-1 win to Sydney FC, of course.

In pre-match interviews on Fox, Melbourne City coach Erick Mombaerts confirmed he doesn’t have any big-game superstitions and Sydney FC’s Steve Corica revealed he is in fact feeling nervous. You can only answer the questions put in front of you.

Speaking of Mombaerts, whom Simon Hill delectably referred to as a ‘French technician’ in the article mentioned below, should he stay or should he go ... regardless of victory or defeat tonight?

Updated

In an endearing nod to their genesis, Melbourne City will be stepping out in the good old red-and-white at Bankwest Stadium.

Loving this trip down memory lane. It started with Steve Corica, today it could all end with Steve Corica. Well, ‘end’ isn’t quite the right word but ‘continue’ just doesn’t have the same poetic impact.

In a few minutes, these lifeless shirts will be filled with anticipation, anxiety, excitement, testosterone and the bulging muscles of youth. I’m 45, so most people seem young to me these days.

Speaking of ripping reads, do yourself a favour and tuck into David Squires’ sideways take on the A-League grand final. If you haven’t done so already, that is. Which of course you have. So just go ahead and read it again, will you? Multiple takes are a must, I find. You notice things second and third time around that you didn’t see first-up.

Teams

So no surprises. Nothing to see here - apart from a ripping XI - and we move onto Melbourne City.

Fair enough. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

Updated

Today’s coronavirus-capped capacity at Bankwest Stadium is 7,500 people. The joke goes that Melbourne City will not notice any restrictions. This is about the average attendance for City games, as my colleague, Simon Hill, points out in his excellent piece published yesterday.

Hill also asks why City haven’t attracted the affections of sport-mad Melbourne despite the best efforts of the mega-rich City Football Group.

It’s a bloody good question.

Preamble

Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the A-League grand final. The road to Bankwest Stadium has been long, winding and littered with doubt. But for all the tumult in a season jolted by Covid-19, the two best teams of the competition have seen off all-comers to advance to the decider. Both Sydney FC and Melbourne City did no more than they had to in the semi-finals - a pair of 2-0 victories were as safe as they were workmanlike - but if any two teams are capable of producing a match of quality befitting the stage, it’s these two.

Hearts of the neutral majority will be siding with City, who are seeking a maiden grand final win after previously falling four times at the semi-final stage in their now decade-long existence. Victory for Sydney FC will bring a fifth A-League championship to the club and herald just the second back-to-back title triumph since Brisbane Roar in 2011-2012. It would also add another chapter to the dynasty of a team that has been crowned premiers in four of the past five seasons to go with championships in 2017 and 2019.

There is quality all over the park, but if either - or both - of the A-League’s leading marksmen are let off the leash, we’re in for a treat. Melbourne’s Jamie Maclaren might have shaded Adam Le Fondre for this season’s Golden Boot award, but there is a cigarette paper between the two in terms of class and capability. Either could win the game off their own boot.

Can’t wait for this one. Would love to get your thoughts on the grand final, or any other topic you might loosely be able to relate to the match. To get involved, drop me an email or tweet @scott_heinrich

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