Melbourne Victory head coach Arthur Diles believes his team were denied a “clear handball” following their 1-0 loss to rivals Melbourne City in the historic Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final.
Yonatan Cohen’s 10th-minute strike proved the difference at a sold-out AAMI Park, where the largest attendance for a sporting event at the venue – 29,902 – watched City win their second Championship.
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There was a contentious moment during the closing stages, however, after Victory’s appeals for a penalty were waved away in the 80th minute – the ball struck German Ferreyra’s hand but no spot-kick was awarded.
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Asked about the incident in his post-game press conference, Diles told reporters: “It’s a clear hand ball.
“But apparently that’s not a handball if it comes off his own player. So that’s the ruling that the fourth official gave me at that time.
“I don’t understand it. I don’t get it. That’s their job. They’re the refs. My job is to worry about the players and how we want to play. And in the end, if it was a penalty, they would have given it. It’s not and we move on.”
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Despite falling short in the big dance, Diles expressed his pride in his Victory side.
Thrust into the role after Patrick Kisnorbo’s sudden departure in December, the former assistant saw the four-time champions finish fifth in the regular season before upstaging in-form Western Sydney Wanderers and premiers Auckland FC en route to the final.
“It’s a result of one match that didn’t go our way, and it doesn’t cut short the success of our season,” said rookie head coach Diles, who is hopeful of keeping the majority of the squad together in 2025-26.
“We’ve had a fantastic season to to get here. I can’t thank my playing group enough, my coaching staff and everyone involved. It’s not easy to get to a Grand Final. Everyone’s aware of that. It’s definitely not easy at all. People have worked tirelessly in terms of staff, the players have worked really hard to get in.
“In the end, it’s a game, and we didn’t get it. We fell a little bit short, not through a lack of trying, and that’s football, but there’s a bit of sadness for the time being.
“But we wake up tomorrow morning, we look forward again and we bounce back.”
