Matthew Comito 1624785046,1624793225
Melbourne City are A-League Champions for the first time in the club s 11-season history, after coming from behind to notch a comprehensive 3-1 Grand Final victory over the ten-men of Sydney FC on Sunday, June 27.
The Premiers were on the back foot after Kosta Barbarouses put the visitors 1-0 up in the 21st minute but it was one-way traffic from that moment on, sparked by a Nathaniel Atkinson strike which rattled into the top corner to restore parity just two minutes after Sydney s opening goal.
Luke Brattan received a yellow card from referee Chris Beath in the 25th minute for a dangerous challenge on Aiden O Neill before disaster struck for the pivotal Sky Blues midfielder ten minutes later. Attempting to curtail the dangerous threat of City live-wire Marco Tilio, Brattan flew in to a late challenge with studs raised to catch the attention of Beath for a second time in the first half.
Matthew Comito 1624789568,1624789686
Melbourne City s Nathaniel Atkinson wrote the final chapter in a comeback story for the ages on Sunday night, winning the Joe Marston Medal as best on ground in his side s 3-1 Grand Final triumph over Sydney FC.
It s a remarkable end to an individual season which seemed all-but over in February, when the 22-year-old succumbed to a high-grade hamstring tear in early April.
The Tasmanian was ruled out for two to three months in the club s official statement on April 8. It was a blow that not only put Atkinson s 2020/21 campaign on ice, but his Olympic dream in doubt as the Australian U-23 s continued preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
IT all began on a freezing winter’s evening 11 years ago – for me, and for the club I would fall in love with.
Sunday’s much-anticipated Grand Final between Melbourne City and Sydney FC promises to be a fitting conclusion to one of the most competitive seasons in the competition’s 16-year history.
For City, my team, it offers a reward for the investment and commitment the club’s owners have put in since taking over in 2014.
Every day this week, commentator Simon Hill has looked at some of the key grand final performances over the years.
Here he picks his favourite moments from the 15 occasions he has called a grand final.
“That decision is what everyone remembers,” says Mathew Cheeseman, and he’s right – a penalty in the 94th minute of a grand final to win the game tends to stick in the memory.
That it was a fiercely contested decision, and was decried as wrong by many observers initially, just added to the significance of the moment – never mind the fact that ultimately it would be proved spot on.