After Melbourne City sealed just their second Isuzu UTE A-League Championship courtesy of a 1-0 win over rivals Melbourne Victory, here are five things you may have missed from the blockbuster contest.
Step aside Claude Makelele, it’s now the ‘Mat Leckie role‘
The big selection headache Melbourne City boss Aurelio Vidmar had heading into the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final centred around Socceroos attacker Mathew Leckie.
In a season that’s seen him restricted to just 14 matches and five starts due to a succession of injuries, Leckie has had his minutes managed in recent weeks with a potential Grand Final appearance in mind.
Speaking after the recent semi-final second leg with Western United, Leckie reiterated his belief that he’d be fit to start the showpiece event against Victory should Vidmar decide to give him the nod.
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That said, Leckie and most people watching wouldn’t have expected to see the Socceroo line up as the defensive lynchpin at the base of City’s midfield.
“I think, mainly, the reason was because the last few times we played Victory they know we’re a pressing team, and they like to draw us all in and then play balls into the strikers,” said Leckie when asked about his new role in the side when speaking to Paramount+ after the game.
“Machach has caused us problems in the last few games and Viddy (Aurelio Vidmar) just said he wants me to play the six position to try to control him and physically be there to compete with him.
He added: “It probably benefited me. I’ve obviously had a season full of injuries and it’s sort of a role with a little bit less high intensity running.”
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More renowned for his attacking abilities than his defensive work, Leckie produced a brilliant goal-saving block to deny Victory midfielder Zinedine Machach from levelling things up in the 19th minute of the contest.
Showing little signs of fatigue after an all-action display in the first-half, Leckie then put his body on the line soon after the restart.
Challenging Machach for the ball the Socceroo then caught a stray boot to the face in the aftermath of the tackle which left him prone on the ground and needing plenty of attention from the medics to stem the flow of blood from two gashes on his nose.
The result? Melbourne City’s star man sported one of the more eye-catching bandages tin Isuzu UTE A-League history as he soldiered on.
Not only would the Socceroos star go on to play the full 97 minutes at AAMI Park but the 34-year-old would go on to win the Joe Marston Medal and his first ever Championship as City lifted their second Isuzu UTE A-League title.
Aurelio Vidmar ends baron run to record sweetest triumph
Melbourne City head coach Aurelio Vidmar came into Saturday night’s blockbuster Melbourne Derby looking to mastermind a win against Melbourne Victory for the first time in his managerial career. After 97 gruelling minutes he did just that.
From defeat against Victory in the 2009 Grand Final whilst in charge of Adelaide United right up to the present day, Vidmar had endured nothing but frustration against City’s arch rivals in a bid to finally record a win.
In a season that could so easily have delivered nothing for Melbourne City given their lengthy injury toll which at one point saw SEVEN senior players sidelined, Vidmar trusted the club’s young talents to keep them in contention through a crucial period of the season and they all ultimately delivered.
“I’m so proud of those guys the way there was never any whinging at all,” said Vidmar when speaking to Paramount+ after the game.
“You know when we lost some big players throughout the course of the year, and even when I come back and think about first day of pre-season, I was sitting down with Sammy Souprayen he looked at me, he goes, where are all the players? And I said, well, they’re coming.
“(I thought) ‘Christ, we’re in trouble here!’ But we’ve worked our way through it.
“We had a top pre-season. I think that really set our foundation, not just for the senior guys, but I think I mentioned earlier in the season that all our kids went through the whole pre season, and that really gave them not an edge, but that gave them a good understanding what we need to do the way we wanted to play our game.”
Finishing the regular season in second place behind Auckland FC and therefore booking themselves a spot in in next season’s AFC Champions League Elite, City will now enter Asia’s premiere football competition as Champions.
Watertight defence works wonders for City
“Defences win championships” – It’s a phrase often used in top-level sport and it’s a belief that exists for a reason.
Whilst they may have finished the season in second spot on the ladder Vidmar’s side registered the best defence throughout the regular campaign and their defensive prowess shone right up to the Grand Final.
Suffering a lengthy list of injuries particularly when it came to his attacking stocks throughout the season, Vidmar’s defensive unit stood up to the task when times got tough and protected the young players who were thrust into the limelight at various stages of the season.
When Yonatan Cohen’s 10th minute strike hit the back of the net Vidmar and his coaching staff will no doubt have breathed a big sigh of relief given what the game state meant for both City and Victory.
Prior to Saturday’s Grand Final City had gone 19 games unbeaten when going 1-0 in front in a game, ultimately winning 14 of those games and securing five draws.
Make that 20 games and 15 wins.
Record-breaking night as fans flock to AAMI Park
It’s official, AAMI Park has new record crowd attendance for a sporting event.
As the clock ticked past the 80-minute mark in what was a pulsating encounter the PA announcer revealed the 2025 Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final was a record-breaker thanks to the 29,902 spectators in attendance.
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Trumping the previous record of 29,871 which was recorded during an Australia v England Rugby Union clash at the venue in 2016.
The previous football record at the stadium came the year before that when Melbourne Victory played Sydney FC in another Grand Final encounter at the venue.
Teenage talent showcase what’s to come
With your side leading 1-0 in the dying stages of a Grand Final and in possession of the ball deep in opposition territory you’d expect the player in control of the ball to head to the corner and kill the contest.
Not if you’re Melbourne City young gun Medin Memeti.
Under pressure from Melbourne Victory defender Josh Rawlins, the 17-year-old produced a mesmerising piece of skill when the odds were stacked against him.
Seemingly battling to keep the ball in play, Memeti pulled off an audacious backheel to chop the ball beyond a perplexed Rawlins and put himself in prime position and now bearing down on Victory’s goal.
Whilst the youngster saw his cross well-cleared by the Victory defence the piece of skill itself highlights just how much confidence is oozing through the veins of a young player tipped for big things at Melbourne City.
Having bagged his first professional goal for City in their 5-0 rout of Perth Glory in Round Four, Memeti went on to finish the campaign with 10 starts from 20 appearances under his belt whilst also bagging five goals and one assist.
