Melbourne City are through to their fifth Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final in six years after a 4-1 aggregate Semi-Final triumph over Western United, setting up the first-ever Melbourne Derby title decider against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, May 31.
City won the first leg of the Semi-Final tie 3-0 and denied Western the unlikeliest of comebacks at AAMI Park on Saturday night, drawing the return leg 1-1 to progress to the Grand Final.
City captain Aziz Behich scored the opener for City in leg two before a second-half Noah Botic strike ensured Western avoided defeat on the night.
VISIT THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE FINALS SERIES HUB
For Western, Saturday’s draw to City saw a remarkable campaign come to an end, in which they soared from an 11th-place finish in 2023-24 up to third by the end of the regular season before defeating Adelaide United to set up the Semi-Final tie with their Victorian rivals.
City, meanwhile, capitalised on their second-place finish and a week off in the first round of the Finals Series to ease past Western across the two-legged tie.
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Now, Aurelio Vidmar’s side will turn attention to Saturday’s Grand Final against Melbourne Victory, which will be staged at AAMI Park in what will be the first Melbourne Derby Grand Final in the Isuzu UTE A-League’s 20-season history.
The first half ended with City firmly in control of the Semi-Final tie as the hosts took a one-goal lead to the break in a half that featured 20 shots – 14 to City, and six to Western.
City captain Aziz Behich had scored just three goals in 129 Isuzu UTE A-League games heading into the Semi-Final second leg but, just as he did in the final round of the regular season, the Socceroos left-back found the back of the net with just 10 minutes on the clock in a continuation of his rarely-seen scoring touch.
Behich’s opener came at the end of a rapid City counter attack. Marco Tilio was at the heart of the swift transition, who dribbled through midfield and picked out Yonatan Cohen for a shot that was saved directly into Behich’s path, who volleyed into a vacant net to give City a four-goal aggregate lead in the tie.
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Tilio, Max Caputo, Steven Ugarkovic and Cohen all threatened to add to City’s significant aggregate advantage before Western carved out their best chance of the first half just minutes before the break.
VISIT THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE FINALS SERIES HUB
A Riku Danzaki strike from the edge of the box clattered off the left-hand goalpost, and Noah Botic latched onto the rebound; the young Western striker’s shot was on target, but City keeper Patrick Beach made a quick reflex save, yet the danger was still not cleared.
Beach’s parry popped up invitingly for Michael Ruhs to aim a header back toward goal, but Beach reacted quickly to get back to his feet and across to make another crucial intervention and ensure City kept their clean sheet intact at the break.
VISIT THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE FINALS SERIES HUB
City put their foot firmly on the pedal after half-time and would’ve gone two goals clear on the night, and five in the tie, if not for a desperate lunging save from Matthew Sutton to deny Max Caputo from close range.
With less than half an hour to play, City were cruising to the full-time whistle before a cheap turnover in midfield by Ugarkovic invited Western to launch an attack that led to Botic equalising on the night and reducing the aggregate deficit back to three goals.
Energised by their first goal of the Semi-Final tie, Western enjoyed a rare spell of dominance and could have taken the lead on the night when Dylan Leonard’s thumping header from an attacking corner called Beach into another point-blank save.
Ultimately, Western were unable to find another goal to ignite a potential comeback as the full-time whistle concluded the second-leg action with the two sides locked at 1-1, as City claimed a 4-1 aggregate win to progress to the Grand Final.
