There was surprise in the press box when the announcement came over the stadium sound system with about 10 minutes to.
With Everton and Celtic still goalless, the 41,121 supporters - and those working at Sydney's Accor Stadium - were told there would be a penalty shootout to decide the champions of the Sydney Super Cup should neither side find a winner. Questions about whether there was actually a Super Cup trophy, and whether there was even a way of deciding who wins a series in which four teams play a combined total of three matches, had previously been met with silence.
But there it was, being announced to us all, there would be a penalty shootout and a title on the line in another 600 seconds. It made writing my match report all the more interesting to compile. Waiting for news on how anyone could win the competition, I was working on the basis that at the very least all the games would have to be played before a winner could emerge.
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Now my overview, and my attempts to work out how I could fairly portray a 0-0 draw in which a makeshift Everton side created some good chances but struggled to exert control over the game, was set for the plot twist of penalties. It was a surreal ending to a game that started in similar fashion as the players entered the pitch to confetti cannons and bursts of flame from behind the goals, all to the sound of You'll Never Walk Alone. Celtic had always been a big part of this event and indeed the belief it was essentially a homecoming tour for the club's manager Ange Postecoglou is one of the factors thought to have been behind the withdrawal of Rangers, who Everton replaced. It was still a surprise to see such an emphatically one-sided entrance though, and the Z-Cars that greeted the players as they filtered onto the pitch in the second half did not quite have the same impact with confetti or flames.
Still, this was an interesting game at a great stadium - and beneath the Great Southern Screen, the biggest stadium screen in the world. The ground is huge and undermined what was actually an impressive attendance. A good chunk of those supporters were Blues and it was great to see all the shirts in and around the stadium and note the names on the back to see which Everton players were making their mark - or had done so. Over the trip I've seen the obvious Tim Cahill ones, but also Romelu Lukaku, Ellis Simms, James, Leighton Baines, Anthony Gordon and plenty of Hafnia, NEC and One2One tops.
The efforts of the Blues fans to get to Sydney, whether from the UK, Singapore, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane or elsewhere has been impressive and they have been a clear presence in the city over recent days. With the players given time to do their own sightseeing on Monday, I wandered down to Darling Harbour and set up my office outside the maritime museum. Pockets of Everton supporters repeatedly passed me and with the Sydney Super Cup being part-funded by tourism boards it is clear the businesses they support are making some of their money back already because most tourist attractions in the city - and down the beaches - are getting a healthy stream of fans taking in the sights - supporters of Everton and Celtic, of course.
The trip is over for Celtic, who did not quite get the results they hoped for after also losing to Sydney FC. For the Blues it's another few days of taking in a city that has felt really welcoming before meeting Western Sydney Wanderers on Wednesday. So far it does not appear likely there will be a trophy for Everton to receive, parade - or even potentially lose. But who knows? For the fans still here many will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the players, who have been happy to stop and speak with supporters around the city. Other events will include watching England's World Cup opener at an venue where the main attraction will likely be title winners Ian Snodin and Gary Stevens rather than the match on the screen - though there will be plenty of support for England number one Jordan Pickford - and Conor Coady.
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