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Sydney F.C. down Melbourne Victory in nail-biting Australian Grand Final

Xinhua, May 7, 2017 Adjust font size:

Sydney F.C. defeated Melbourne Victory on penalties on Sunday to win Australian Football's biggest prize- the A-League Grand Final.

In a physical and often spiteful affair that saw 11 yellow cards, first blood was drawn in the 20th minute by Victory's superstar striker Besart Berisha, with a stunning individual effort on his left foot.

It took the Sydneysiders until the 69th minute to equalise with a scrappy goal from Rhyan Grant inside the six yard box.

Far from the goal score bonanza football fans were expecting, the match was a tight, nail-biting tussle that left the sold out crowd of 42,000 at Sydney's Allianz Stadium on the edge of their seat.

"We knew what they were going to do and we weren't gonna take a backwards step," Sydney F.C. Manager Graham Arnold told Xinhua.

"There were a lot of fouls and we had to match the fight, well we matched the fight."

"That got us over the line."

After 90 minutes of regular play and 30 minutes of extra time, the gloves of Sydney FC goalkeeper Daniel Vukovic proved the difference, denying Melbourne twice in the shootout.

The result was sealed when Milos Ninkovic drilled the last penalty past Victory Keeper Lawrence Thomas, in the bottom left corner, with the final score finishing Sydney FC 1 (4), Melbourne Victory 1 (2).

Sydney F.C. will now set their sights on next season's Asian Champions League campaign and upcoming friendly matches against Liverpool and Arsenal. Endit