Adelaide United and departing head coach Carl Veart have lived to fight another day, with the Reds qualifying for the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League Finals series without kicking a ball.
All eyes were on AAMI Park, where Sydney only required a draw to leapfrog Adelaide – who had the bye in the 29th and final round of the regular season – into sixth position.
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But the Sky Blues’ heavy loss left the AFC Champions League Two semi-finalists seventh in the standings and a point behind Adelaide.
It means the top six is locked in – Adelaide will join premiers Auckland FC, Melbourne City, Western United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory in the Finals Series.
It also means Veart’s farewell tour continues as the South Australian head coach prepares to farewell the Reds at the end of the season after Adelaide opted against re-signing the 52-year-old.
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Auckland and City have earned the bye in the first week of the Finals after finishing first and second respectively.
The Finals Series will kick off with a pair of Elimination Finals – the dates for those matches are still to be confirmed.
There will be third against sixth with Western United hosting sixth-placed Adelaide United, while fourth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers host fifth-placed Melbourne Victory at CommBank Stadium.
The higher-ranked winner from the third-v-sixth Elimination Final will earn a date with Melbourne City in the Semi-Finals, while the victor from the fourth-v-fifth Elimination Final fixture will face Auckland.
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