Sydney FC have defeated Melbourne Victory 4-2 in a penalty shootout in Sunday's A-League grand final to win the championship and claim the domestic double.

With scores locked at 1-1 after extra-time at Allianz Stadium, the Sky Blues prevailed to claim the club's third championship.

SHARE

Share on Facebook SHARE

Share on Twitter TWEET

Link Rhyan Grant of Sydney celebrates with teammates after scoring. Photo: Getty Images

In a tense shootout, Sydney's Alex Wilkinson sprayed his shot wide before Melbourne's Carl Valeri crashed his effort off the crossbar and Marcos Rojas had his effort saved by Danny Vukovic.

It was left to Johnny Warren Medal winner Milos Ninkovic to slot home the match-winning spot kick.

SHARE

Share on Facebook SHARE

Share on Twitter TWEET

Link Rhyan Grant of Sydney FC and Besart Berisha of the Victory contest possession. Photo: Mark Nolan

Melbourne's Besart Berisha and Sydney's Rhyan Grant scored the goals during the first 90 minutes of a bruising battle - in which 11 yellow cards were issued among 59 fouls.

Berisha gave Victory the lead in the 20th minute with a sublime goal that stunned Sydney's parochial 41,546-strong crowd.

Advertisement

The polarising frontman took possession about 25 metres from goal and toyed with Wilkinson as he ran at the Sydney defender.

After jinking this way, then that, Berisha coolly converted during an opening half punctuated by an all-in melee. Tempers boiled over in the 34th minute when Sydney's Milos Ninkovic was taken down by a Leigh Broxham tackle.

SHARE

Share on Facebook SHARE

Share on Twitter TWEET

Link Goal scorer Besart Berisha. Photo: Getty Images

Ninkovic's instant remonstration escalated into a push and shove involving all players: three of them - Ninkovic, teammate Filip Holosko and Melbourne's James Troisi - were booked in the aftermath.

After trailing at half-time, Sydney were rewarded for a period of sustained pressure after substitute David Carney swung onto his right foot and fired a powerful shot.







Photo gallery A-League grand final: Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC

Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas got a glove on the shot and his teammate Berisha a slight nod as the ball sailed along the goal line, before Grant steamed in for a 69th minute tap-in.

With the scores tied, the decider went to extra-time and Melbourne playmaker Troisi came centimetres from a winner - his crisp volley in the 107th minute struck the inside of the left-hand post.

Just three minutes later, Sky Blues stalwart Carney was brought down and tumbled into the box amid cries for a penalty, but the foul occurred centimetres outside the box.

Carney then butchered a gilt-edged chance when in time and space in the box before the penalty shootout.

#ALeagueGF please someone just score....anyone... — Karen Stocks 🌏🌞 (@KazStocks) May 7, 2017

This will be someone at the end of this game. #ALeague pic.twitter.com/oV13OyJmVn — LadiesWhoLeague (@LadiesWhoLeague) May 7, 2017

Someone send #help 41,000 people are watching 16 men choke in the middle of a field. #aleague… https://t.co/TMMydgArot — Felicity Threadgate (@FThreadgate) May 7, 2017

Penalty shoot outs should be outlawed by Human rights commission. #toocruel #ALeagueGF — Dave Hughes (@DHughesy) May 7, 2017

Victory fans watching the match live at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium were upset by the loss.

"Yeah I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm still very proud," said fan Inhyeok Park. "So proud of the travellers."

He had been to every home game this season, but only managed one away game.

Does he regret missing out on this nailbiter? "Definitely."

Earlier, two flares were ignited in Sydney FC's support area.

A cloud of smoke billowed from The Cove before kick-off inside the stadium.

According to reports, at least one flare was lit by Melbourne Victory fans outside on their way to the showpiece.

AAP</s>IN most football leagues around the globe, Sydney FC’s extraordinary form over 27 rounds would see them deemed the mightiest team we’ve seen.

Except, there’s still one giant question mark hovering over the most dominant force the competition has ever seen in a regular season.

Will the Sky Blues claim the trophy that everyone remembers in Australian sport?

That’s the question facing Graham Arnold, who is looking to become the first manager to guide two different clubs to an A-League Championship win. If either boss wins it, they’ll join Ange Postecoglou and Ernie Merrick as multiple title winners.

Arnie famously broke his own grand final drought in 2013, also at Allianz Stadium, when he steered Central Coast to victory past Western Sydney Wanderers, having previously suffered anguish at the hands of Brisbane Roar – ironically, the side many suggest his current crop have surpassed.

Arnie’s search for history, having renovated his own personality after an off-season of introspection, and recruited magnificently to rejuvenate Sydney FC on the park as a result, is just one of many narratives popping up across the patchy turf both teams will be dealing with at Moore Park.

You can live stream the A-League grand final on Fox Sports with a free 2-week FOXTEL PLAY trial. Sign up to start watching in minutes.

Fittingly, the stage is arguably the highest profile match up in the competition’s history, the Big Blue. It is the third grand final between the side, with Sydney FC winning on penalties in 2010 – after current Victory coach Kevin Muscat struck the woodwork - with Victory blowing the Sky Blues off the park in Melbourne two seasons ago in a 3-0 win.

They enter this clash with Sydney enjoying a hat-trick of Big Blue wins this season – a first in this rivalry – so although Kevin Muscat’s side enjoyed a more than fine season of their own, it would still be a boil over to see them ‘steal’ the A-League’s ‘toilet seat’ from Sydney’s grasp.

Indeed, a look at the numbers backs that up, with Arnie’s side dominating in all key metrics in the three encounters, particularly possession, territory and shots. Interestingly, their round 22 win was the second most possession, 59%, they’ve enjoyed in a game all season.

Sydney FC’s record at Allianz is astounding this year, despite all the talk about the quality of the pitch. They haven’t lost, and only copped four goals against, which helped their total goals per game ratio of 0.44, another A-League low.

It’s a thrilling challenge for Messrs Berisha, Rojas, Ben Khalfallah and Troisi, with the Sky Blues conceding just 12 goals all season. The form doesn’t read that well, either, having now not scored on the road in five of their last seven outings, while in finals football, they have lost their past four finals, scoring just once.

Poor Alex Wilkinson. Three times the classy defender has walked out in the A-League’s showpiece event. Three times he has walked off the field on the wrong end of the result.

The former Central Coast Mariners stalwart was involved in three grand finals – losing to Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar. Will it be fourth time lucky?

Wilkinson isn’t alone, with teammate Danny Vukovic infamously getting sent off in his second grand final appearance against Newcastle in 2008, having also been between the sticks in the Mariners’ 2006 loss to Sydney at Allianz Stadium. Throw in Perth Glory’s grand final loss to Brisbane Roar in 2012, and it’s been three heartbreaks for the Sky Blues No.1.

On the flip side, Besart Berisha has won all three of the grand finals he’s competed in – lifting two ‘toilet seats’ with Brisbane Roar and then scoring as Melbourne Victory beat Sydney FC in 2015. He has also scored four goals in those three appearances.

THE ONLY TIMES ONE HAS UPSET TWO

Here’s a funny omen – only twice has the second placed team beat the Premiership winners in the grand final.

And Central Coast Mariners in 2013 when they beat Western Sydney Wanderers.

The coincidence? Both were played at Allianz Stadium.

What a season it has been for Danny Vukovic. Breaking an A-League record for clean sheets and clinching the Goalkeeper of the Year award, Vukovic has been impervious despite the off-field troubles he has faced.

The Sydney gloveman left Victory after last season to return closer to family as his son Harley battled illness.

In an April interview, Vukovic explained that he was hoping Harley would be fighting fit in time to be there for the grand final having undergone a liver transplant.

“My parents are always at the games,” Vukovic said.

“My wife and my son, unfortunately, my son has been a little bit unwell so while he’s recovering from that, they haven’t been coming.

“I’m hoping if and when we make the grand final, they’ll be there to watch.”

It’s the subplot to the grand final that has some worried – the state of the Allianz Stadium pitch is not that befitting of the biggest game in the domestic football calendar.

Things could be even worse come Sunday’s kick-off with the NSW Waratahs set to play in the Super Rugby on Saturday night.

There had been initial discussions about relocating the Waratahs game at the last minute, but they fell through. We hope Sydney and Victory’s flowing, attacking football isn’t impacted.

Lawrence Thomas, Leigh Broxham, Daniel Georgievski, Carl Valeri, Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Besart Berisha. These are the players that remain at Melbourne Victory from their starting XI that beat Sydney FC in 2015.

In contrast, just Sebastian Ryall, Bernie Ibini and Alex Brosque started for Sydney FC when they fell 3-0 at AAMI Park.

Ibini is in serious doubt to be fit for Sunday’s game, having suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final win over Perth Glory. Ryall has been promoted back into the squad for the first time since himself suffering a hamstring injury in the second minute of Sydney FC’s Round 14 game against Central Coast.</s>Evening everyone, so we’re on the final approach, the chequered flag is in sight and the plus-size diva is preparing to sing. And if recent clashes between Victory and Sydney FC are any gauge, we should be in for a corker of a grand final today – the Big Blue writ large.

I would say it’s been a long and winding road to get to this year’s A-League decider but for Sydney it’s been more like a traffic-free run down the Western Motorway. One league defeat, 17 points clear at the top, and domination of this year’s team of the season awards tells the tale. Just like house prices, it feels like the Sydney bubble will never burst. If anything, the Sky Blues are just starting to peak – they’ve conceded just one goal in their last seven games, and scored 12 in their last five. Ominous stuff.

But the beauty of the finals series means all that Sky Blue domination will count for nothing come 5pm today when they lock horns with the team dubbed “most likely” to stand a chance against them.

It’s not been a bad year for Melbourne Victory, in fact their tally of 49 points was good enough to win last season’s Premiers Plate for Adelaide, but such has been Sydney’s dominance that even the most one-eyed Victory fan knows they will have to be at their very best to take the chocolates today – and even then it might not be enough. There is certainly cause for hope though. Kevin Muscat’s men were excellent against Roar in the semi-final, if a little wasteful, and despite three defeats to the Sky Blues already this campaign, they were all tight affairs. And there’s always Besart Berisha – the crackshot Kosovan with a penchant for grand final goals.

So can Victory spring a shock twist-ending to the Sydney story worthy of an M Night Shyamalan film? Either way, we should be in for a nailbiter. So long as it doesn’t involve Mark Wahlberg running from a gentle breeze.</s>AFTER a record-breaking campaign, Sydney FC have been crowned A-League champions, beating Melbourne Victory 4-2 in a penalty shootout in Sunday’s Grand Final.

Following one of the most thrilling and hotly contested finals in competition history, we take a look at how each player fared.

The man in pink was the hero of the day, producing the decisive save in the shootout, denying Marco Rojas to set up a winner for Milos Ninkovic — we’re guessing Michael Zullo and Alex Wilkinson will forgive him for flattening them earlier in the game. He could not have done much to stop Besart Berisha’s goal.

Grant enjoyed a strong night in the back and was a regular outlet going forward. Most importantly he was there to rifle in the equaliser after Berisha’s desperate goal-line clearance.

Guilty of leaving too much space between himself and his partner at the back for Victory’s opener, Wilkinson otherwise enjoyed a strong game. He had the composure to make a key tackle on Jai Ingram with minutes to go before the penalty shootout but then botched his spot kick.

Like Wilkinson, his positioning for Berisha’s opener was poor. He bounced back from that, and played an important part in Sydney’s equaliser, keeping the ball alive to tee up David Carney for the shot that led to the goal. Limped off with an injury in the 116th minute.

Provided Sydney FC an outlet on the left in the first half, forcing a save from the keeper and sending in a gorgeous cross that almost led to an own goal inside the first 20 minutes. He was solid in defence and a handy contributor going forward.

Like most of the team, Brillante struggled to find his rhythm in the first half against an energetic and hard pressing Victory outfit, but was superb in the second-half, giving the likes of Ninkovic and company a platform from which to attack. The introduction of David Carney was key, but Brillante’s performance in the second half turned the match.

Lost the midfield battle in the first half but helped turn the tide in the second half when he rediscovered his composure.

Holosko foolishly earnt a yellow card by grabbing James Troisi by the face and for the most part he failed to make his presence felt – though he did produce one big chance for the Sky Blues in the first half, dribbling his way into the box before cutting back a delightful low cross, only for Georgievski to make a crucial interception. Skied a big – though difficult – chance to equalise before being substituted for Carney.

The Sydney captain pressed well and caused Victory trouble with his direct running but for the most part was kept quiet.

Aside from one flashpoint after being fouled by Leigh Broxham, Ninkovic was subdued in the first half. In the second, when Sydney FC took the ascendancy the Johnny Warren midfielder came to life, causing plenty of problems for the Victory defence with his mazy running and clever passing. Fittingly, he was the man who slotted the winning penalty.

It was a quiet night for the Brazilian striker who was fairly anonymous before being substituted for Matt Simon.

The A-League veteran made a world of difference when he came on, regularly popping up in dangerous spaces. He took the shot to set up the equaliser and if not for the outstretched hand of Lawrence Thomas and a desperate goal-line clearance from Besart Berisha the goal would have belonged to him rather than Grant. He missed a huge chance to score the winner in the 115th minute, slicing a first-time volley when he had time to take a touch. He somewhat made up for it with a cool penalty at a decisive time in the shootout.

Ran Melbourne Victory’s tired defence ragged after coming on without producing a killer blow.

A late substitute for Jordy Buijs, Seb Ryall had little to do in his time on the field.

There was plenty of power on the Carney shot that led to the equaliser but Thomas really should have pushed it past the post rather than onto it. He did produce a good save in the first half when one-on-one with Zullo to keep scores level. Otherwise he enjoyed a quiet night in goal despite Sydney setting up camp outside his box.

Like most of Melbourne Victory’s backline, he found the constant interchanging of Ninkovic, Brosque and Carney difficult to handle but still produced a strong performance.

Victory’s backline got deeper and deeper in the second half, inviting Sydney FC further and further into the final third and if the Sky Blues were sharper they would have capitalised. Still, the hosts only got nine shots off all game – the same amount as Victory – and the men at the heart of the defence deserve credit for that.

Much of the fact Sydney FC didn’t finish it inside the 90 was down to the work of Donachie. The 23-year-old was immense.

Came out on top in his battle against Holosko and enjoyed a strong first half. He found things tougher when David Carney came on but still had a good night in the backline without offering too much threat going forward. He made a key interception to stop what looked like a tap in for Sydney FC in the first half. He was a somewhat surprising Joe Marston medal winner.

One of the better performers in the first-half, Broxham flagged in the second half as Sydney FC slowing found their groove.

Alongside being a huge presence in the first half, Valeri was the man who found Besart Berisha in space for the game’s first goal. He faded in the second half and was the first Victory player to misfire in the shootout.

Kept things ticking over for Victory in the first half and almost won the game in the 106th minute with a vicious volley only for the woodwork to deny him. He missed a big chance to restore Victory’s advantage in regular time when he skied a cut-back from Marco Rojas in the box.

A menace down the wing in the first half, Ben Khalfallah drew fouls and created plenty of chances – including one delightful free kick that found Rojas in space near Sydney’s box that the winger should have made more of. Was a peripheral figure in the second half before being subbed off in extra time.

Found himself in space regularly in both halves of regular time but there was a real lack of end product from the Kiwi winger. He did produce one big chance in the second half that Troisi should have put in the back of the net to restore Victory’s lead.

Is there a more reliable performer come A-League grand final time? The Melbourne Victory striker managed to find space between Sydney’s two centre-backs to score the opener and spent the rest of the first half getting under their skin. Momentarily managed to keep Victory’s one-goal advantage alive with the most desperate of goal line clearances but was otherwise shut down in the second half.

Substituted on for Ben Khalfallah, Ingham managed to pick up a yellow card in his 19 minutes on the pitch. He also managed one dangerous run into the box in the game’s dying moments that was only ended by a brilliant tackle from Wilkinson.</s>MELBOURNE Victory impressed everyone with their intensity against Brisbane Roar in the A-League semi-final.

The question was: could they use the same blueprint against the Premiers, Sydney FC, and could they maintain it for 90 minutes?

Well, they were asked to do it for 120 minutes.

Although Sydney FC looked to have the greater momentum from half-time onwards, after two hours of titillating grand final theatre, the most successful Premiership side the A-League has seen could not be split from their bitter Big Blue rivals.

That speaks volumes for the performance that almost sparked one of the biggest boilovers the A-League has seen, which included a first-half Fox Sports’ Mark Rudan described as “perfect”.

Kevin Muscat unleashed a side up for an almighty upset and his XI executed the plan to perfection.

It was an ambush on a ground that hadn’t seen a defeat this season, upon which just four goals had been conceded before Besart Berisha continued his phenomenal grand final scoring record.

Melbourne Victory pressed and harried and hassled like their lives depended on it. It was eerily reminiscent of the decider two years ago. In the first 45 minutes, the Premiers’ Plate winners we all knew cracked under the pressure.

How intense was it? Sky Blues skipper Alex Brosque declared afterwards: “The first half was the quickest 45 minutes I’ve ever played in, it was incredible.”

“Just one of those games you know we knew it was going to be hard, it was going to be fast and no one really got time to settle on the ball but that’s what finals are like.

“They’re tough, they’re hard and you’ve got to be able to find a way to come back if you go down and this group has proven all year that when times get tough we’ve got what it takes to come back and tonight was no different.”

Muscat added after the game: “You can analyse the result, or the performance, I think it was far different to what everyone was expecting.

“First half there was one team and one team alone.

The tone was set in the first minute, with Alex Brosque caught by Leigh Broxham in the middle of the park, and no one let up after that.

The problem was, as Sydney tried time and time again to assert the influence the way we were so used to seeing this season, they ran into a Victory side as up for a game as you’ll ever see, with Messrs Broxham and Valeri especially leading the way, without the ball, with a ruthlessly focused rear guard behind them.

With Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Marco Rojas and Daniel Georgievski - named Joe Marston Medal winner giving Sydney plenty to think about as well.

“Yes they are (in their heads),” Fox Sports football expert Mark Bosnich said at the break.

“They’ve forced Sydney to out battle them ... if Sydney try play that game they will lose.

“Victory have been first to every ball ... they’re running for each other.”

But when you hitherto concede 12 goals all season, and four at home, while losing just once, you have a reservoir of belief that few others have.

After that exhausting output from Victory, Sydney came out and were able to exert their influence in the second period as they chased an equaliser.

Importantly, they earned a share of territory further up the pitch, Victory struggled to retain possession and as David Carney, a critical change on for Filip Holosko, Brosque and Ninkovic, and then Matt Simon in extra-time, swarmed on every loose ball, the weight of pressure finally told when Grant bundled home Lawrence Thomas’s spill after Carney’s tasty strike from the edge of the area.

Sydney FC’s strength and conditioning boss Andrew Clark has been hailed for his role in re-building this side, and every loose ball won by Josh Brillante and Brandon O’Neill, or lung busting surge by Rhyan Grant as the minutes ticked by, was testament to that.

“We showed last week, even tonight, we can work and work at an intensity no one else can because - saying you’re aggressive by dropping to halfway to wait for the opposition team - compared to how we press and press,” Muscat concluded.

“We showed it again in injury time showing our fitness levels...”

Ultimately, it would have been a cruel twist had a side that lost once all season lost the decider.

Fox Sports football expert Mark Bosnich declared “I don’t think either side deserved to lose”.

But one had to.

“That’s the gut wrenching thing,” Muscat said in the post match press conference.

“Somehow I have to try to explain to them how they lost tonight, it was an unbelievable effort.

“Ball comes off the post at one end, tap in, other end, hits the post and goes away.

“Gut wrenching to find the words to explain how they lost...”

The fact Victory got that close left us with as thrilling a decider as the competition has seen since the Brisbane Roar double of 2011 and 2012.

They say you make your own luck, and after the season Sydney FC have just had, they deserved that stroke of fortune with the help of the crossbar and Danny Vukovic’s giant mit.</s>SYDNEY FC face Melbourne Victory in the A-League Grand Final at Allianz Stadium from 5pm AEST.

Follow the action in our live blog below.

You can live stream the A-League grand final on Fox Sports with a free 2-week FOXTEL PLAY trial. Sign up to start watching in minutes. SIGN UP HERE></s>THE most niggly A-League game ever, the moment that changed it and rare praise for the match officials.

There’s more fallout from Sydney FC’s Championship win in our grand final Talking Points.

It was a grand final you couldn’t take your eyes off, even if the football finesse might have been missing; and it is no misconception to say it was a brutal, and hugely competitive decider.

The 11 yellow cards dished out by referee Jarred Gillett was the most ever in an A-League grand final, eclipsing the seven in the 2014-2015 Big Blue decider.

Since the Fox Sports Lab started tracking fouls at the beginning of 2007-2008 (season three of the competition) the decider chalked up THE MOST fouls in a game on record, with 60 incidents across the 120 minutes.

Previously, the 2013-2014 round 25 clash between Wellington and Adelaide held the record, with 52. For context, that’s a higher rate of fouls per minute given that was only a 90 minute encounter.

But the 60 fouls in Sunday night’s encounter makes it the most brutal, feisty game on record.

Given that niggle, it’s a credit to referee Gillett that the game finished 11 v 11.

He could have easily issued a second yellow card – it’s the most yellows ever without a red card then ensuing – but managed to keep a handle on a game that could over boiled over.

Speaking on Fox Sports News on Monday morning, John Kosmina said: “I think the referee has to be rewarded for the lack of over-officiating.

“He was great. He didn’t let things go, but he was very fair. It was always going to be physical, always going to be fiery.

“Sometimes over officiating can cause more problems than it solves. In this case he let the thing go and it was great.”

After a season of domination, Sydney FC headed to the sheds at half-time with the real prospect of seeing the Championship they yearned for slip away from them.

Graham Arnold had a frenzied look about him as he ushered his players away from the Fox Sports sideline commentators readying to interview them, hurrying them down the tunnel for the most important talk of the entire, historic campaign.

Melbourne Victory had turned the contest on the questionable Allianz Stadium surface into a genuine fight, a game of brutal intensity and one in which the likes of Milos Ninkovic and Alex Brosque were forced into a battle.

Indeed, the fact that former Socceroo Brosque, who has played World Cup qualifiers and over a decade in the A-League, declared it the most intense half of his career, is testament to the way Victory executed Kevin Muscat’s game plan.

After the match, Arnie revealed that his half-time sermon was simple: go back to what’s worked for us all season long.

But with Victory unrelenting, Arnold, searching for his second grand final win, which would make him the first to do so with two different clubs, turned to his bench.

With Bernie Ibini out injured, veteran David Carney was summoned to a stage he has been appearing on since the A-League started in 2005-2006, with a Socceroos and journeyman club career overseas in between his two stints at Moore Park.

The 33-year-old is the only survivor from the inaugural Championship. That day, it was Dwight Yorke who set up current assistant coach Steve Corica for the historic inaugural A-League crown.

On Sunday night, Carney was the catalyst.

His vision, confidence and desire to drive forward changed the dynamic of the game; his energy upped Sydney’s tempo and suddenly the game started to stretch a little. Although that also meant we saw a little more threat from the likes of James Troisi, it also meant Milos Ninkovic – who was the target of heavy treatment throughout the contest, and Brosque, were starting to exert their influence.

As Sydney pushed and probed for that coveted equaliser, it was Carney who unleashed a shot in a crowded box that Lawrence Thomas could not hold. Rhyan Grant has catapulted himself into Socceroos reckoning with his displays this season, so there were few more deserving candidates to prod the ball home and help Sydney FC become the first side to come from behind at half-time to win the A-League decider.

Carney might have changed the dynamic of a game that Filip Holosko struggled to influence.

But he would also have been relieved that his side went on to win after he fluffed a gilt-edged shooting chance late in extra-time, slicing a shot from inside the box after he found himself unmarked and with time to pick his spot.

It sounds cliché every time a Sydney FC player talks about the spirit in the club, or that the well-stocked bench are ready to contribute despite their disappointment at not being in the XI.

“I hate sitting on the bench - I want to be out there doing things,” he told foxsports.com.a u earlier in 2017.

“You’re not always happy every game. It’s one of those, when you get your chance, you need to deliver. There’ll be times I’ll be called upon and need to deliver. It’s important you stick together.”

DID MUSCAT GET HIS SUBS WRONG?

While Victory boss Muscat concocted a game plan that pushed Sydney all the way, there have been two questions asked afterwards: why did he go to penalties with two subs up his sleeve, and why did Besart Berisha not step up to the mark, while a clearly leg weary Carl Valeri and Marco Rojas did?

Muscat revealed that he had to leave his star men out there because of the temptation that they could conjure a moment of magic to win a game in a split second – as Troisi almost did when he rattled the upright late in extra-time.

Berisha, meanwhile, was pencilled in to step up for the crucial fifth penalty. But Victory did not make it that far.

“I was preparing for the next one,” Berisha said after the match. “This is what we did a long time ago, we wanted to line up like this. We were a bit unlucky.”</s>Sydney FC are in search of the last piece of a record-breaking puzzle for the 2016/17 season, but arch-rivals Melbourne Victory will be standing in their way come kickoff on Sunday.

The top two sides of the regular season will battle it out of the title this week, but who? Where? When?

We’re here to answer all your A-League grand final questions.

Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are the original A-League rivalry. They’ve competed over premierships, championships, players, coaches and shirt colours in the competitions short but packed history.

The Sky Blues make the final off the back of the greatest A-League season of all time, bagging a host of records on their way to the Premiers Plate, including most wins, points scored, goal difference, winning streaks, clean sheets, fewest goals conceded.

You get the point.

After a week off for the prelims, Sydney brushed aside Perth in a controversial 3-0 semi-final win, one that brought the new goal referral technology right up to the surface.

For the Victory, they too found success after a week off, sneaking past the Brisbane Roar thanks to a second half goal to Besart Berisha, securing a 1-0 win and a passage into the final.

The game will be played inside Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

The A-League grand final isn’t like the AFL, where the big game is played at the same place every year regardless of who’s playing.

The A-League has a home-and-away system that not only runs through the preliminary finals, but also into the big dance.

Sydney’s top spot finish at the end of the regular season means they had rights to all finals being played at home.

So, despite finishing second on the ladder, the Victory will have to cop that and make the trip north.

This will be the fourth time the grand final will be played at Allianz, but just the second for Sydney FC, following up their 1-0 win over the Mariners in the first ever A-League final in 2006.

May 7 is the date to mark on the calendar this year.

Like last year’s decider between Adelaide and Western Sydney, the game is on a Sunday, however, the start time will be a little different.

The 4pm (AEST) kickoff time of last year has been shuffled back one hour. The 2016/17 grand final at Allianz will kickoff at 5pm.

If you’re looking to watch the game on TV, online or catch the radio broadcast, then you can check out our full viewer’s guide here.

In short, Foxtel will broadcast the game live, with a pre and post-show on either side of the contest.

SBS Viceland will show the full game as well, but on a one-hour delay for free TV.</s>For much of a combustible, often ugly, evening at Allianz Stadium, it seemed a record-breaking season, recent head-to-head form and home advantage would count for naught. But Sydney FC, the heavy pre-grand final favourites, proved they possess a steel underpinning their much-lauded style by overcoming an early punch to the guts delivered by Besart Berisha and going on to win a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of football ended 1-1.

Fittingly, Miloš Ninković, the Johnny Warren medal winner and star of this 2016-17 A-League season, converted the winning penalty, although the Serbian was largely contained on a night not suited to his artistry on the ball. The platform for Ninković to deliver the knockout blow had been set by another star of Sydney’s campaign, goalkeeper Danny Vukovic, who saved Marco Rojas’ spot kick.

Rhyan Grant had got Sydney back into the game on 69 minutes, prodding home from close range to restore parity after a moment of individual wizardry from Berisha, the man who seems to revel in these high stakes games, had lit up the match.

But Berisha’s brilliance could not prevent Sydney’s third A-League title, secured in a mostly jubilant, but uniformly breathless, arena that had witnessed fireworks – both metaphorical and literal – from start to finish. It also went some way to eliminate painful memories of the last time these two sides met in a grand final, two years ago in Melbourne.

It was far from a classic encounter between these two old rivals but what it lacked in class or guile, it made up for in brawn and, by the end of the night, drama. From the first whistle, Sydney FC captain Alex Brosque set the tone, leaving a high foot in on Daniel Georgievski’s thigh and what ensued during a niggly, and at times spiteful, game should have come as no surprise.

Referee Jarred Gillett had his work cut out – nearly every decision he made was vociferously contested by one side or the other, and the opening period ended with five names in his notebook. He had accrued a total of 11 by the time the shootout arrived. Meanwhile, Graham Arnold and Kevin Muscat spent much of their time stalking the touchline and berating the fourth official.

The flow of the game suffered from the regular stoppages, playacting and constant recriminations – and arguably the state of the pitch, which had been used for a Super Rugby fixture the previous night despite a last-ditch attempt to shift that fixture elsewhere. With both team’s more creative players stifled, the likes of Ninković and Rojas were unable to stamp their authority in the way they might have been expected.

With supply lines cut, scoring opportunities were few and far between. Fahid Ben Khalfallah found Rojas at the back post with pinpoint accuracy after 11 minutes, but the New Zealand international’s pull back across the face of goal was turned over the bar by a Sydney defender.

Ninković was able, fleetingly, to give a glimpse of what he is capable of when he delivered a teasing ball across the face of goal on 16 minutes, the kind that must have been in mind when the term “corridor of uncertainty” was invented. Victory survived, but it led to a brief period when Sydney began to flex their muscles for the first time.

Berisha soon put paid to that with his individual moment of brilliance. The Kosovo international took on the Sydney defence with the kind of single-minded intent that has become his trademark in the A-League. The way he scythed through Sydney’s backline showed scant regard for a defence that had, to that point, conceded just 12 goals all season. He has now scored in each of the four grand finals he has appeared in.

The initial spate of bookings came soon after the deadlock had been broken and it took just over 20 minutes for Khalfallah and James Troisi to been shown yellow, along with Sydney’s Josh Brillante, Ninković and Filip Hološko. Three of those names were taken following an ugly 20-man coming together in the centre circle as tempers boiled over in a moment that typified the first half.

Any hopes that cooler heads would emerge after the break soon evaporated as Victory skipper Carl Valeri levelled the booking ledger by becoming Victory’s third man into the book, for a crude challenge that might have warranted a straight red on another day.

Football was, however, occasionally allowed to shine through amid the pervading fug. Most of it came from Sydney early in the second half and it was the home side who fashioned the better chances – first Hološko ballooned over from close range when he should really have done better, and then David Carney, on for Hološko, saw an effort saved by Thomas.

Carney, who won the title 11 years ago during his first stint with Sydney, played a key role moments later. It was his curling shot that Lawrence Thomas tipped onto the inside of the post, leaving a desperate, prone Berisha to head feebly into the path of the onrushing Grant. The right-back tapped gleefully home.

The goal invigorated Sydney, yet try as they might and amid much huffing and puffing they were unable to blow down Victory’s door again in regulation time. Indeed, they could have been caught on the break, as Rojas and Troisi combined well, but the latter lacked a finishing touch.

To extra-time and Victory pulses again quickened, momentarily, when a high ball was launched into the box before it skewed away from a posse of players and brushed the outside of the post; the flag was up, regardless.

After the changeover, and with tired limbs in evidence all over the pitch, Troisi dug deep and mustered what so nearly could have been the defining moment of the game – a truly brilliant volley that arguably deserved to be the winner, but he saw it cannon back off Vukovic’s upright.

At the other end, Carney had a chance to settle it with five minutes remaining but he sliced his shot horribly to leave the expectant home crowd frustrated – and preparing to accept that their entire season, which had been so dominant, would come down to one, decisive penalty shootout. This time for Sydney, they will feel justice was served.</s>Milos Ninkovic converted the winning penalty as Sydney FC capped a record-breaking season with a 4-2 shootout triumph against Melbourne Victory to clinch a at Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.

Ninkovic, voted the league's best player, had stepped up immediately after his goalkeeper Danny Vukovic saved a Marco Rojas attempt in the shootout, following a scrappy Grand Final that had ended locked at 1-1 after extra time.

Sydney's Alex Wilkinson and Melbourne captain Carl Valeri also missed their attempts in the shootout.

'That penalty shootout went so quickly and I can't believe we have won it,' Vukovic said. 'Pure elation. I don't know what I would have done had I lost my fourth.

'That was my fourth grand final and we've done it and done it in style.'

The spiteful match was blighted by almost 60 fouls and 11 yellow cards, and ended deadlocked after Melbourne's Besart Barisha had opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Sydney's Rhyan Grant equalised with 20 minutes remaining.

Melbourne's James Troisi was unlucky not to win the game in the 109th minute when his right foot volley cannoned off Vukovic's right post, while Sydney's David Carney wasted an opportunity when he sliced his shot wide in the 115th minute.

Sydney had recorded the most dominant season in the competition's 12-year history with 20 wins and one defeat in 27 matches and Melbourne, despite finishing second in the league, had been given little chance of securing their fourth title.

Victory, however, refused to give Sydney any time on the ball from the outset with their players flying into tackles, which created several confrontations.

Kosovo international Berisha opened the scoring when he was given space to run at the Sydney defence, turned his marker and unleashed a left foot shot from the edge of the box past Vukovic.

Tensions boiled over in the 34th minute following a clumsy challenge by Melbourne's Leigh Broxham on Ninkovic that prompted an all-in melee and ended with referee Jarred Gillett issuing yellow cards to Ninkovic, Sydney midfielder Filip Holosko and Melbourne's James Troisi.

Sydney dominated the second half and finally equalised when a shot from Carney was parried by Lawrence Thomas onto his post and cleared off the line by Berisha only for defender Grant to poke the ball home.
In association football, Sydney FC defeats the Melbourne Victory 4-2 in the A-League Grand Final after a penalty shootout.