The presentations are underway and Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou presents the Viduka Medal (for man of the match) to... Bruno Fornaroli. He may not have got on the scoresheet but he was one of the few players to show any finesse out there.
Alex Brosque salutes the Sydney fans who were loud and boisterous all night, and he praises Melbourne City while admitting what we all know: “it wasn’t a great game”.
Now City’s players collect their winners’ medals, much to the disorientation of many in the crowd, I’m sure: fans who have been with City since they were the luckless and, at times, headless, Melbourne Heart. Fornaroli steps to the microphone, whips out a note, and thanks Sydney before his thick accent gets the better of him. He ends with “C’mon! City” and what sounds like, but surely wasn’t, “fuck off!” Vamos?
Well, that’s me done. That’s Sydney done. Melbourne City are FFA Cup champions for 2016.
Here’s your match report:
Updated
Of course the game had its moments, the most significant of which was Tim Cahill’s headed goal in the 53rd minute. When he dies Cahill’s family simply must donate his head to a museum so future generations can bask in its glow. Cahill isn’t going anywhere just yet, of course, although he may not be on the park anytime soon due to his being hacked down from behind by Josh Brillante which brought a premature end to his night. That was the low point in a night that saw plenty of niggle.
For Sydney, they threw themselves into the game, but they fashioned few chances. The best of them, to Bolo, was cleared off the line by Jakobsen after Bouzanis was beaten. That’s the second final Arnold and Sydney have lost at AAMI Park (after Sydney fell 3-0 to Melbourne Victory in the 2015 A-League grand final).
What can we say about that game? It wasn’t a classic, that’s for sure. It was scrappy, sometimes ugly, and punctuated by fouls. There were few moments of beauty, that’s for sure, although the tenderness with which Danny Vukovic carried that injured seagull off the pitch would have got David Squires’ attention.
Full-time: Melbourne City 1-0 Sydney FC
That’s the whistle! Melbourne City have won their first trophy!
90 min + 4: The crowd are begging Peter Green to blow the whistle as Nick Fitzgerald breaks free down the right and crosses inside to an unmarked Fornaroli. He meets it cleanly with his right boot and it would have found the bottom right corner but for a fine save by Vukovic.
90 min + 2: Woah! A flurry of action! City are in space on the edge of Sydney’s box but no-one wants to take the shot, passing the parcel until Fornaroli has a go on the right. But he doesn’t get anything on it.
Sydney go down the other end and Malik clearly brings down Brosque, chasing the ball, on the edge of the area. Or was it inside? Just outside, but no whistle. Arnold has his hands in the air.
90 min + 1: There will be four minutes of added time, four too many, really, given it’s been such a scrappy affair.
89 min: Fornaroli controls a high ball with aplomb, then dribbles into space before measuring a pass into the path of Caceres. But Carney tracked his run and did well to beat him to it before Caceres could get a shot away.
88 min: Brattan stands over the ball as he measures a freekick on Sydney’s byline. He gets enough curl on it to almost swing inside the far post.
85 min: Jurman interrupts Brattan’s cross from the byline. City take a short corner and then work the ball all the way back to their own 18-yard box. A show of intent with the clock edging towards fulltime.
The crowd figure is in: 18,751. The largest FFA Cup crowd in its short history, for a final or otherwise.
84 min: City change: Nick Fitzgerald on for Bruce Kamau who has been kept largely in check tonight.
83 min: After a lovely turn and pass from Fornaroli, Brandan runs clear but is corralled inside the corner flag. He doesn’t seem too concerned and is content to chew up a few seconds.
80 min: Brattan swings in a free from the left but Ryall rises highest to head it clear. Time beginning to run out for Sydney.
78 min: Grant, with his hair tied back for business, gets down to it, smashing through two City players to win the ball. And he wins a free while he’s at it.
Moments later the ball drops for Brosque on the edge of the City area and he looks to lash it in with his left boot. Oh dear, it skews away unthreateningly, and Graham Arnold looks to the heavens.
76 min: AAMI Park rises to its feet for a moment’s applause for the victims of the Colombian plane crash.
75 min: Carney is on for Sydney, by the way.
Apparently Arthur Daley is the man that sold @AAMIPark the anti seagull sound machine #FFACupFinal #MCYvSYD pic.twitter.com/8TMx9hcS9h
— Fuss (@FN343) November 30, 2016
73 min: Sydney now pressing hard, chasing an equaliser.
71 min: So so close for Sydney! Simon crosses from the right dropping it onto the head of Bobo who heads across Bouzanis. It’s set to cross the line before Jakobsen, channeling Danie-san, karate kicks it clear.
68 min: Brattan finds space on the right but his excellent cross into the box, aimed at Fornaroli, is met first by the head of Ryall. A vital interception.
More space could open up for City as Sydney chase an equaliser.
64 min: City enjoy a few good minutes and earn a corner which bounces around dangerously in the Sydney box before it’s cleared.
More angry faces! Zullo is on the deck after he gets his legs tangled up with Fornaroli. Fornaroli thinks Zullo is milking it and he leans over the fallen Zullo and yells algorithms into his face. Vukovic doesn’t like that one bit and grabs a glove-full of Fornaroli’s shirt. It really has been a bad-tempered affair this one. I hope no children are watching.
61 min: Now Sydney make a substitution, though this one for tactical reasons. Holosko goes off, Matt Simon comes on. Not quite like for like, that one.
59 min: In a blow to City, Cahill limps off, unable to carry on after that shocking Brillante tackle. Caceres comes on.
Cahill gets a well-deserved round of applause. His ability to pop up in the big games —for club or country— is uncanny.
57 min: Now there’s a seagull down just outside the box. Vukovic appeals to the ref to stop play, and Peter Green obliges. Vukovic picks the bird up and carries it to the sideline, patting it lovingly on its back before he returns to play. The bird is okay, though by the looks of it it may have done an ACL.
56 min: On the halfway line, Brillante goes through the back of Cahill, scything him down in an agricultural manner. Terrible tackle, Cahill’s left knee buckling. That’s a yellow for Brillante, surely? No? Yet it could well have been red.
Updated
54 min: Well that should pep up this game some! It was a simple enough goal, though the execution was spot on. Franjic, on the right touchline, sent a lovely looping cross towards the far post. Cahill was behind Jurman but he used his body to push off the defender and get his head to it, sending it across Vukovic and into the far corner!
Goal! Melbourne City 1-0 Sydney FC (Cahill 53)
But then City go down the other end at score, as so often happens. And who is it on the sheet? Cahill!
52 min: The first save of the game? Brillante heads a weak City clearance back into the City box where Brosque brings it down, turns and gets a shot off. Bounzanis drops to his left to keep it out. A yard wider from Brosque and we would have had our opening goal.
50 min: Holosko chases down a long ball inside the City box and he turns and chips a ball across the face of City’s goal. But there’s no-one in sky blue to head it home.
48 min: The seagulls are coming! The seagulls are coming! What’s happened!? Has the work experience kid pulled out the iPod playing seagull-repelling music towards the heavens?
47 min: Cahill, with his back to goal, tries to bring down a ball with Jurman in his back. He’s awarded a free-kick outside the box which seems harsh on Jurman.
Brattan looks likely to swing it in with his right boot but Colazo takes it instead, curling it towards the penalty spot. Malik meets it but heads over the bar when he might have done better given he’d broken free of his marker.
Peeeep!
46 min: Sydney kick off the second half, and immediately search for an opening down City’s left side.
No changes to report.
It wasn’t the prettiest of first halves, that one. Mark Bosnich reckons the firey opening caused a collective loss of focus on playing football. An early goal in the second half should help matters. Then again, finals aren’t renowned for being open, attacking affairs where teams throw caution to the wind.
It’s a crazy mixed-up world, isn’t it?
Just spotted at #FFACupFinal A guy wearing a Man Utd jacket with a Melb. City scarf. He does know who owns his A-League club yeah! #wow pic.twitter.com/RTtKZQ3iba
— David Winkless (@docker_dave) November 30, 2016
No seagulls under the purple sky #FFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/JwijW4WNDK
— Les Street (@official_lesdog) November 30, 2016
Half-time: Melbourne City 0-0 Sydney FC
And referee Peter Green calls an end to a physical half of football during which Sydney have probably edged things. A few half chance to both teams but we haven’t yet got close to the opening goal of the game.
As I duck off to powder my nose, I’ll leave you with this interesting read looking at the dichotomy between winning and fun in youth football (in the UK but it’s applicable anywhere):
45 min: Only one minute of time added on? Was sure there’d be more after the brouhaha early doors.
43 min: Brandan slips one to Colazo on the left and he hits a first time cross to Fornaroli and though he does well to get a head to it he can’t turn it towards goal.
40 min: Bobo releases Ninkovic down the left with a nice backheel and he runs towards the edge of the City box with City’s defenders scrambling. But his last touch is a tad too heavy allowing Jakobsen to slide in with a heavy boot.
Updated
38 min: Ninkovic earns Bobo’s ire for overhitting a through ball. A better weight on it might have put Bobo in a one-on-one with City’s keeper.
Sydney are enjoying a period of dominance here, winning more ball in midfield and jumping on City before they get a chance to wind up.
Updated
35 min: This game has finally settled down, Sydney leaning towards attacks down City’s right flank, City returning in kind, preferring to attack down Sydney’s left flank.
Grant, wriggles into space and squares to Bobo. He cuts back on his right and, though he has more space than City would like, he hits his shot straight at Bouzanis when he was surely looking to curl it inside the far post.
Updated
31 min: Bobo hot steps around Malik on the outside edge of the City box but his pass into the danger zone is cleared by City.
Soon after, that man Malik is down being treated and not looking happy. His right leg seems to be bothering him. Knee, quad, hammy? He gets up and trots to the sideline, running it off as you do. Looks like he’ll continue. As you were.
29 min: Raymond Reardon, a fine snooker player in his day, asks whether the maggots I mentioned earlier were white or blue. Apparently blue ones exist, he says. He’s seen them on You Tube. It was all such a blue, Ray, I couldn’t confidently say.
28 min: Jurman, wearing a Terry Butcher-style bandage around his head, does very well to muscle a charging Cahill off the ball after the City man was chasing a clever through-ball into the Sydney box.
25 min: Fornaroli twists and turns on the Sydney byline and he slides a pass across the face of goal but there’s no City player close enough to get a toenail on it, which is all it would have needed to drive it home.
Moments later, Fornaroli, with a neat bit of skills, skips inside his defender, O’Neill, on the halfway line but O’Neill chops him to ground.
24 min: Brattan lobs a pass for Kamau to chase and he’s about to pull it down inside the Sydney area but Zullo intervenes with a timely challenge.
21 min: A scrappy clearance from Seb Ryall here, hacking the ball to touch as he slips with El Tuna bearing down on him. You’d be worried about Fornaroli who, I believe I read, has scored 21 goals in 19 matches at this venue. Colazo’s corner curled over everyone and bounced over the byline. I venture City didn’t practice that one in training.
19 min: Phil Withall writes in with an explanation for the less-than-fluid start to this match. “There are so many former Brisbane Roar players involved and they all know each others moves,” he says. “Whilst the FFA see this as a showcase event it’s actually a replay of an old Roar training match.”
16 min: A dog’s breakfast has been spotted in the crowd, as a Franjic one-two with Kamau is snuffed out by a late tackle by Jurman, I think. Melbourne’s free kick troubles no-one.
The dog’s breakfast? Captain America? The Joker? Look out, Batman, the lawyers at Marvel and DC are stirring!
Wot
— Josh Howe (@JoshO567) November 30, 2016
Is
This #FFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/ZdGGD5JoSp
15 min: No sign of seagulls on the pitch!
14 min: Cahill heads just wide after Colazo whips in a free kick from the right flank! Cahill shook off Brosque like a wet coat and though he was facing his own goal his glancing header went too close for comfort for Sydney.
12 min: Haven’t got a crowd number yet but there are plenty of bods in the top tier at AAMI which suggests the FFA will be happy with their decision to chose Melbourne over Sydney for this match:
Brilliant crowd. Sensational travelling support midweek from @SydneyFC fans & a fiery opening to get it going. Huge night ahead #FFACupFinal
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) November 30, 2016
Brosque, in space on the left, crosses into the City box - but hits it straight to Bouzanis in the City goal.
10 min: Grant should have done better there! A one-two on the edge of the box sees him dribble to the byline but he muffs his attempt to cut it back to Holosko who was loitering dangerously on the edge of the six-yard box. A let off for City.
8 min: Grant and Fornaroli get tangled up as the Uruguayan looks to turn into space. He gets up screaming with displeasure. If you haven’t gathered already it’s been a scrappy, but intense opening.
6 min: There will be much time added on later for period of chest beating. But we’re away again, finally, with City repelling a Sydney raid down the right flank. Kilkenny, breaking from midfield, finds Kamau with a lovely long ball but the fleet-footed winger can’t get a shot away.
2 min: Brillante curls in a free kick from the left wing just inside City’s half but no-one in sky blue can get on the end of it.
Hold everything! Handbags! Brattan lunges at Zullo as the defender roosts the ball forward causing Zullo to keel over. Suddenly Brattan and the Sydney bench are chest to chest before Ninkovic lunges at Brandan —perhaps on account of Brandan’s lamentable hair.
The wash-up to an intense opening? Brattan is yellow carded and the game is seething like an overripe peach full of maggots. Or something.
Peeeeeeeep!
1 min: Off we go, City running left to right, and within seconds Sydney are awarded a free kick after an enthusiastic tackle from Cahill on Zullo which involved a high kick a dancer at the Moulin Rouge would have been proud of.
As I mentioned, City are in white tonight, with Sydney being allowed to wear their home kit which, of course, is sky blue, the exact colour of my eyes after a storm.
Before kick-off, however, a solemn moment; a minute’s silence to recognise the death of 71 people in a plane crash in Colombia. Among the dead, as you would have heard, were players and staff of the Brazilian football team Chapecoense, as well as a number of football journalists.
Players from both teams are wearing black arm bands. A nice touch.
The FFA Cup, an enormous silver trophy which looks like the kind of thing working class hero Donald Trump would sip port from, is carried out ceremoniously and sat on a plinth. What would be do without plinths, ey?
Moments later our two teams walk out on either side of said plinth before lining up together ahead of the national anthem. As we’re in Melbourne it’s very much Ad-varnce Australia Fair, rather posher than the version of Advance Australia Fair heard in NSW.
#FFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/rrClgtgcug
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) November 30, 2016
Pundit Archie Thompson likes City’s attacking formation, especially in combination with their ability to be patient in the build-up. Sydney’s form, however, he says, has been very impressive. All that said, he points out that he “hates both teams”. Cue Mark Bosnich’s maniacal laugh —which could well be enough to keep the avian pests away all on its own.
To answer no-one’s question, yes, Yoshi is in the house! Seems he’s still a City supporter. Kids being kids, thought he might have changed his mind by now.
Supporting the @MelbourneCity boys with this legend, Yoshi! @FFACup #FFACupFinal #ThisIsOurFinal #CitySnapchat pic.twitter.com/rQOvLbeVeS
— Dion Fountas (@DionFountas) November 30, 2016
A word from Sydney’s captain, cornered in the dressing sheds as he was surely just about to wax his impressive beard:
Alex Brosque: “With the depth we’ve got [we’ll cope with Alex Wilkinson’s absence and] Seb Ryall will do the job. We’re very confident. We’ve had a great pre-season and we’re still unbeaten. We’ll show the same attacking intent we’ve shown all year.”
The teams!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is how our combatants are lining up tonight. #FFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/TwHonsw7Kk
— Westfield FFA Cup (@FFACup) November 30, 2016
So, Cahill to start for City, which is no great surprise — though he could have been used as a super sub. The big news is that Alex Wilkinson has been shifted to the Sydney bench due to illness. He’ll be the one with the hot water bottle on his lap, a thick smear of Vicks under his nose, and a cup of Bovril in his hands. Poor luv. Seb Ryall takes Wilkinson’s place.
Speaking of seagulls, I’ve just heard that AAMI Park has made pre-emptive efforts to dissuade seagulls from settling on the playing surface. Apparently, I don’t know the science behind this, but they’ll be playing seagull sounds (what about eagle sounds? Britney Spears?) through a series of speakers along the roof.
Let’s hope it works. We all remember what happened at the last night game at AAMI Park:
The road to the final:
Melbourne City:
Floreat Athena FC (WA) 1 - 2 Melbourne City (Round of 32)
Brisbane Strikers 1 – 2 Melbourne City (Round of 16)
Melbourne City 4 – 1 Western Sydney Wanderers (Quarter-final)
Melbourne Victory 0 – 2 Melbourne City (Semi-final)
Sydney FC:
Wollongong Wolves 0 – 3 Sydney FC (Round of 32)
Perth Glory 0 – 2 (AET) Sydney FC (Round of 16)
Blacktown City 0 – 3 Sydney FC (Quarter final)
Canberra Olympic 0 – 3 Sydney FC (Semi final)
City come into the final having had a tougher run-in, what with having to play the Wanderers and crosstown rivals, Victory, in their past two FFA elimination games. The latter, you’ll recall, was a controversial and spiteful affair that, at one point, saw former Millwall teammates Cahill and Victory coach Kevin Muscat heatedly exchanging views during the game before making up at halftime (bros before blows).
Sydney beat Canberra Olympic 3-0 in their semifinal, but the team’s biggest test was their round of 16 clash with Perth Glory which went into extra time before they came away with a 2-0 win. On the other hand, Sydney haven’t played at home in this year’s FFA Cup which is why they were aggrieved Melbourne’s AAMI Park was selected as the venue for tonight’s final.
Late last month Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow said, to the sound of miniature violins being played across Melbourne, that “it was a slap in the face to all Sydney FC fans” and a decision made to “maximise the profit the FFA will make from the game”. FFA Chairman David Gallop indirectly addressed Barlow’s second point with something like “well, der, Fred”.
It does seem tough on Sydney to not get a home game throughout the tournament but AAMI Park —despite the seagulls— is the best football ground in the country as well as cheaper to hire than the Sydney Football Stadium.
Preamble
Good evening. Nice to have your company for this, the third ever FFA Cup final. Third, you say, that’s … not impressive. Okay, sure, this cup competition is but a mere Kraft single when compared to, say, the vintage gouda that is the FA Cup, first contested in 1871-72. But so what? History has to start somewhere and to scoff at the FFA Cup for not being as historic and storied as the FA Cup is to criticise a toddler for not having crow’s feet, liver spots, and memories of the Great Depression.
With that admittedly defensive preamble out of the way, let’s meet tonight’s competitors. In the blue corner are Sydney FC, currently sitting atop the A-League table after an impressive eight-game undefeated start to the season. In recent times they’ve been about as convincing as a mirror in a budgie cage, but Graham Arnold’s Sky Blues have added bang to their bling and look the real deal this year.
In the other blue corner (although they’ll wear a largely white strip tonight) are the nouveau riche Melbourne City, seeking to win their first piece of silverware and to establish themselves as a new force in Australian football. The salary cap notwithstanding, John van ’t Schip’s City have money behind them (have you seen their new training facilities?) and success is surely expected by those doling it out. Could tonight mark the start of an era of dominance by Manchester City’s sister club? Yesterday van ’t Schip called tonight’s game the “most important … in the club’s history”.
Given the A-League form of both clubs we’ve every right to expect an exciting game tonight. Sydney deserve to go in as slight favourites. In the league, with Alex Brosque, Milos Ninkovic, Filip Holosko and Bolo harmonising like a barbershop quartet, they’ve managed a competition-high 18 goals. At the other end, due, in part, to the form of fullbacks Rhyan Grant and Michael Zullo, they’ve conceded only three. City have been less consistent but still sit second on the ladder, and they have an impressive armoury of their own; a busy and creative midfield as well as guns like Bruno Fornaroli (who has scored 21 goals in 19 games at AAMI Park) and Tim Cahill who, though he rarely plays 90 minutes any more, has shown time and again that he’s a big game player.
So sit back and enjoy as Sydney and Melbourne —who have yet to meet this season— go at it like a couple of young bucks with a healthy whiff of spring in their nostrils. And if the mood takes you, and I hope it does, drop me a line. Love to hear your thoughts. (paul.connolly@theguardian.com or @PFConnolly)
Kick-off: 7.30pm
Paul will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Tim Cahill on tonight’s match:
