Melbourne Victory are champions… again.
Victory keep the Liberty A-League trophy in Melbourne thanks to Sunday’s enthralling 2-1 win over Sydney FC in the Grand Final.
It’s back-to-back titles for Victory and yet more heartbreak for Premiers Sydney.
There was late drama in the Isuzu UTE A-League as Western Sydney Wanderers’ 95th-minute penalty held Melbourne Victory to a 1-1 draw.
KEEPUP followed along LIVE to bring you all the goals, highlights, up to date scores and biggest talking points from the Liberty A-League Grand Final and the Isuzu UTE A-League showdown between Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers.
- Liberty A-League: Sydney FC 1-2 Melbourne Victory
MATCH REPORT: VICTORY GO BACK-TO-BACK IN ALW
- Isuzu UTE A-League: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Catch all the action on Network 10 and Paramount+
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE: MELBOURNE VICTORY 1-1 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
REACTION
Victory pair vent frustration after latest draw
Melbourne Victory just can’t seem to get over the line at the moment, despite their dominance.
On track for maximum points, 10-man Victory were instead held to a 1-1 draw by Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League Men on Sunday night.
After Roderick Miranda was sent off following a VAR review, Jason Davidson put Victory ahead in the 91st minute, though Steven Ugarkovic equalised five minutes later in a wild finale.
Victory have struggled since winning the FFA Cup in January, with Tony Popovic’s men in the midst of a run of four straight draws – the club’s first such streak since November 2017.
As defending champions Melbourne City and Western United break away atop the summit, Victory are fourth and 15 points off the pace with four games in hand on City.
“I think we as a team throughout the whole game we played fantastic football,” Davidson told Paramount+.
“We had our chances. Obviously we waited really late to score but I thought throughout we played well. But very disappointed we didn’t walk away with three points today.”
“If you look at the past three or four games, we’ve dominated. We get to that final pass or execution around the box… we’re creating chances but not clinical enough. We’re not putting them away and getting punished for it,” he continued.
Despite Victory’s stuttering form, Davidson insists the team, which finished bottom of the standings in 2020-21, are on the right track.
“Depends on who you’re asking, but if you look from last year to this year, we’re definitely on the right path.
“But for ourselves, we’re frustrated because after the FFA Cup, we want to win as many trophies as we can. The two teams at the top are kind of breaking away now cause of these draws.
“We have to find a solution to putting these goals away.”
Victory team-mate Jack Brimmer could not hide his disappointment post-game.
After Davidson’s late heroics appeared to have given Victory the win, Brendan Hamill conceded a last-gasp penalty following a handball.
“I got nothing to say to be honest,” Brimmer said when asked about the penalty and a lack of communication. “It goes down to lack of communication. Something we can deal with and again we give away a cheap goal.”
Brimmer added: “Very frustrated. I thought all game we dominated. With the ball, defensively we were strong and we created chances but didn’t put them away.
“That’s three weeks in a row now I think we should’ve won all three games. We take another point and it’s disappointing.”
Wanderers growing in confidence
Western Sydney were outclassed and outplayed for the majority of the fixture in Melbourne.
However, Mark Rudan’s Wanderers still left AAMI Park with a share of the spoils thanks to Ugarkovic’s late penalty.
For Ugarkovic, he felt the Wanderers were worthy of their point as they continue to build under Rudan.
“First half yeah, but we didn’t perform the best the first half,” he said. “Second half we came out a bit better and created few more chances and got our foot in the game. Then we gave away a sloppy goal. 1-1 is a fair result.”
The Wanderers are 10th in the table, four points adrift of sixth-placed Sydney FC ahead of next week’s derby showdown.
“It shows the fight in the squad, which is good,” Ugarkovic said of the result giving the Wanderers confidence. “We have to keep going, building, try to score more goals and win games.”
Full-time: Victory held again as Wanderers spoil the party
A thrilling finish sees the points shared between Victory and Wanderers in Melbourne.
A red card and two goals in stoppage time after Davidson’s opener was cancelled out by Ugarkovic’s last-gasp spot-kick.
This is Victory’s longest stretch with consecutive draws (four) since a four-game run across October-November 2017.
Victory are fourth in the standings – just a point above seventh-placed Wellington Phoenix.
As for the Wanderers, they’re 10th and four points outside the top six.
96′ Goal 1-1: Wanderers stun Victory with late penalty
Just as Victory fans were preparing to leave AAMI Park celebrating a win, the Wanderers are awarded a penalty.
Hamill is penalised for a handball and Steven Ugarkovic converted emphatically.
91′ Goal 1-0: Western Sydney’s stubborn resistance broken
Victory needed a hero and they get it from Jason Davidson.
Moments after losing Miranda to a sending off, Victory got up and find the back of the net via Davidson’s thunderous finish from an acute angle.
Late drama!
90′ Victory reduced to 10 men
Roderick Miranda receives his marching orders in the final minute of regulation.
Initially shown a yellow card for a high foot, VAR upgrades the foul to a red card, much to the Portuguese’s dismay.
If Victory want maximum points, they’ll have to do it 10 men.
77′ The ball doesn’t want to go in for Victory
With time running out, an unlikely source in Brendan Hamill pushes forward in search of a goal.
The Victory defender goes ultimately close to giving the hosts the lead as his volley trickles just wide of the far post.
53′ Margush comes up big for Wanderers
Victory continue to pepper the Western Sydney goal, though they are yet to break the deadlock.
Wanderers goalkeeper Daniel Margush spills a shot from Jason Geria right into the path of Marco Rojas, who is then denied by the Western Sydney man’s feet.
Another let off for the Wanderers.
Half-time: Dominant Victory still level
Victory huffed and puffed, dominating the first 45 minutes but the home side head into the break deadlocked at 0-0 with the Wanderers.
Western Sydney offered little in the opening period as Victory dictated proceedings from the outset.
A wealth of opportunities, will Victory be made to pay in the second half?
10′ Wanderers dealt early blow
Victory have started brightly on home turf, while the Wanderers have been forced into an early change.
In-form attacker Ramy Najjarine hobbles off the field after coming off worse for wear in a challenge with Jason Davidson.
6′ Margiotta wastes golden chance
It’s been all Victory at AAMI Park but they have nothing to show for it.
With some key attacking absentees, Italian import Francesco Margiotta has a chance to stake a claim.
But he spurs a golden opportunity in a one-on-one situation.
Victory can cement top-six spot
Going unbeaten in back-to-back fixtures against Adelaide United last week helped bolster the confidence of a Western Sydney Wanderers outfit showing signs of improvement under head coach Mark Rudan.
The Wanderers have picked up seven points from a possible 12 in their last four fixtures (W2, D1, L1) to sit five points behind sixth-placed Victory at the start of the weekend, making this Sunday’s clash between the two sides an important one in the context of the top six race.
But Victory will be looking up the table instead of down. After three consecutive draws, coach Tony Popovic will be urging his side to put the five teams above them in their sights as Victory push to entrench themselves in the title race. The last time these sides met, Western Sydney won 2-0 in mid-February. Victory went unbeaten in the five matches that followed (W2, D3) leading into the weekend.
LIBERTY A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL: SYDNEY FC 1-2 MELBOURNE VICTORY
REACTION
Sydney heartbroken after further Final pain
It was a case of deja vu for Sydney.
Like last year they finished top of the pile in the regular season, had a mountain of possession but were pipped at home by Victory in the game that mattered most.
Their front three of Vine, Siemsen and Ibini struggled for fluency and despite making five successive Grand Finals, they have just one Championship under Ante Juric.
“Football gods, maybe,” Juric said when asked about his side’s bad day at the office. “It’s heartbreaking. The girls are devastated.
“I’ve always said this for a long time: if you put everything into something and you lose, that’s still winning.
“I’ve always told them and I believe that in my heart. Sometimes the scoreline doesn’t reflect what actually happened.”
‘That’s why we pay her the big bucks’ – Dumont hailed
It was a performance for the ages as Casey Dumont helped Liberty A-League champions Melbourne Victory see off Sydney FC in the Grand Final.
Dumont withstood illness and a Sydney onslaught to guide Victory to a 2-1 triumph and back-to-back A-League Women Championships.
In front of 5,027 fans in Sydney, Dumont, who spent much of the week in the build-up to the final battling illness, kept Sydney’s front three of Remy Siemsen, Princess Ibini and Cortnee Vine at bay.
Second-half goals from Amy Jackson and Catherine Zimmerman gave Victory the edge but it was the heroics of Dumont at the other end which helped secure Hopkins’ record fourth title.
The Victory goalkeeper was crowned Player of the Match for her efforts, drawing huge praise from head coach Jeff Hopkins.
“That’s what we pay her the big bucks for,” Hopkins said of Dumont – the pair won the 2009 ALW title together with Brisbane Roar.
“She’s been in fantastic form and has got better as the season’s gone.
“When the chips are down and in the big games she performs. Against adversity, she got smashed in the second half (at a corner) and I wasn’t worried because I knew she’d get up.”
The win means Victory are just the second team to win back-to-back Grand Finals in the history of the competition.
The sole blemish for the Victory No.1 was allowing Vine to claw a scrappy one back for Sydney in the 66th minute at a corner.
Dumont, who missed last year’s decider with injury, received medical attention towards the end of the first half and was seen sitting on the floor of the Victory change rooms during the half-time break.
The 30-year-old spent parts of this week bed-bound with illness, but she got back out there to help Victory to their fourth A-League Women Championship.
“I’ve not been well this week and they’ve been monitoring me throughout the week,” she said.
“During the game I came over light-headed and I was trying to get my blood pressure up and sugars up to get back out for the second half.”
Hopkins makes history
Jeff Hopkins walks away with another Championship trophy.
With the 2021-22 honour, the Victory head coach becomes the most successful ALW boss thanks to his fourth piece of silverware.
Hopkins was part of the first ALW Grand Final, which Brisbane Roar won in 2009.
Full-time: Victory are champions!
Victory have retained their title, prevailing 2-1 against Sydney in an incredible Grand Final.
From fourth, sneaking into the Finals on goal difference, to title winners.
Victory become the second ever ALW team to claim consecutive Championships.
Mission accomplished.
82′ Victory have goal disallowed
Victory have the ball in the back of the net for a third time…
However, it’s disallowed for a foul on Jada Whyman, who punched the ball into her own net.
Sydney very fortunate not to be 3-1 down.
Fans lapping it up
The crowd has been treated to a thrilling A-League Grand Final.
66′ Goal 2-1: Sky Blues strike back
And just like that, Sydney are back in the contest.
Barely two minutes after falling 2-0 behind, Cortnee Vine is on hand to put the ball in the back of the net, reacting quickest following Dumont’s spilled save.
What a finish we have ahead of us!
64′ Goal 2-0: Victory painting Sydney navy blue
There are wild celebrations as Victory double their lead with 26 minutes remaining.
The home crowd is shell-shocked as Catherine Zimmerman fires home Victory’s second.
Sydney have their work cut out now.
49′ Goal 1-0: Victory against the run of play
For all of Sydney’s first-half dominance, they trail early in the second half.
Cooney-Cross loops a cross into the penalty area and it picks out Amy Jackson at the back post and she heads home to stun Sydney.
Sydney will have to come from behind if they want to dethrone Victory.
Half-time: Somehow it’s still 0-0
We don’t know how, but Sydney and Victory remain on level terms.
Well, I guess we do know. Dumont has been immense for Victory.
Mackenzie Hawkesby is all of us at half-time.
45′ Dumont and woodwork thwart relentless Sky Blues
What a passage of play.
Dumont parries the ball over the crossbar to frustrate Sydney again and the Skye Blues then rattle the post from the resulting corner.
Incredible that the game is still 0-0.
38′ Victory survive nervy moments
Somehow, Victory make it out without conceding.
Kyra Cooney-Cross and team-mate Dumont both go down to the floor with respective injuries.
Dumont looks more concerning as she is slow to her feet, breathing heavily while receiving medical attention.
With Victory poised to make a change, Dumont remains on the pitch but she almost gifts Sydney the opener, her misplaced pass picked off Siemsen’s goal is ruled out for offside.
Let off!
31′ Dumont denies Sydney… again
If not for Dumont, Sydney would be leading Victory.
Dumont is quick off her line to thwart Ibini before her Victory defence sweeps up the goal-bound rebound.
Another Victory warning.
12′ End-to-end entertainment
“It’s brilliant. The game is already taking the shape we hoped it would,” the words of Harper.
Those words could not be more accurate as Sydney and Victory go toe-to-toe on the big stage, after the visitors started slowly.
Alex Chidiac’s wicked corner is narrowly cleared off the line by Ally Green and Sydney then come within a whisker of taking the lead moments later.
Princess Ibini charges forward unmarked on the flank and plays a delightful throughball to Remy Siemsen, who forces a fantastic diving save from Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont.
What a game!
2′ Sydney on top early!
Rested and eager to get their hands on a trophy after watching from afar following their memorable comeback against Melbourne City in the Semi-Finals, Sydney look the strong in the early exchanges.
The Sky Blues almost break the deadlock inside two minutes, a corner and looping header from captain Natalie Tobin wreaking all kinds of havoc.
Sydney playing with confidence.
Welcome, welcome, welcome
This is the trophy on the line
Who will get their hands on this piece of silverware – Sydney or Victory?
“I’ll settle for an epic”, says Network 10 analyst Andy Harper.
Us too, Harps.
Kick-off is almost upon us!
Everything you need to know in Opta data
- Sydney have lost only two of their last seven ALW games against Melbourne Victory (W3, D2); although, they have won only one of their last three post-season clashes (L2).
- Victory will be looking to clinch back-to-back championships after defeating Sydney 1-0 in the 2020-21 edition; it would make them just the second team in the history of the competition to log consecutive championships (Melbourne City – 2015-16 to 2017-18).
- Sydney will feature in their fifth consecutive ALW Grand Final; although, they have won only one of the last four editions of the Championship game; indeed, no team has finished runners-up more times than the Sky Blues (five).
- Sydney have won their last six consecutive ALW games at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, outscoring their opposition 23-3 and keeping four clean sheets in that period.
- No team has scored the opening goal of the game on more occasions this season than Sydney (12); the Sky Blues have gone on to win 11 of those 12 games (D1).
- Victory have made 57 passing sequences of 10 passes or more in the 2021-22 season, more than any other team in the competition; though, Sydney (seven) have made more than twice as many 10+ pass sequences ending in a shot at goal than any other team.
- Sydney have forced 20 high turnovers per game in this season, four more than any other team in the competition and six per game more than Victory (14); no team has scored more goals from forcing high turnovers than Sydney (four) this season.
- Sky Blue goalkeeper Jada Whyman has a save percentage of 85% this A-League Women campaign, the highest of any goalkeeper in the competition; her nine clean sheets for the season are four more than any other keeper.
- Sydney’s Cortnee Vine has scored four goals in her last two games, finding the back of the net twice in each; however, she has scored only one goal in her four previous appearances against Victory in the competition.
- Stand-in Victory captain Lia Privitelli has scored a goal in each of her last two A-League Women games as well as making an assist; she also found the back of the net once in her last game against Sydney (16 February 2022).
Sky Blues eye revenge as Victory seek back-to-back titles
It doesn’t get bigger than this: the 2021-22 A-League Women Grand Final, set to play out between two great rivals at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Melbourne Victory stormed from a fourth-place finish into the Grand Final – and a familiar foe stands in their path to back-to-back Liberty A-League Championships: the all-conquering Premiers Sydney FC, spurred on by the anguish of last season’s title decider.
Just like this weekend’s title decider, Victory approached the 2020-21 Grand Final as underdogs, having finished second behind premiers Sydney in the regular season.
Matildas winger Cortnee Vine looms as Sydney’s most destructive attacking weapon. Vine’s output in the Semi-Finals showed just how frightening she can be on her day; coming into the fixture under an injury cloud, Vine was brought off the bench at half-time with her side trailing Melbourne City 1-0. City would add a second to the scoresheet before Vine ran rampant, scoring twice in the 4-2 turnaround.
Coming off the right wing, Victory left-back and fellow Matildas rising star Courtney Nevin must be at her best to avoid Vine stealing the show on Sunday afternoon.
In the navy blue corner it’s Melina Ayres who will look to be the difference for Victory. Ayres has two goals in two consecutive starts after her long-awaited return from a hamstring injury.
Ayres missed almost the entirety of the regular season thanks to the injury, returning for a bench cameo in Victory’s last game of the regular season. But the 22-year-old is back with a bang, scoring against the Reds and City in consecutive Finals wins to help Victory into the Grand Final.
