Sydney FC will round off their 2023/2024 Isuzu UTE A-League home-and-away season against the Perth Glory, and this season, they will be fighting for fourth place.
There have been some thrilling final-day matchups over the years, where the Sky Blues have clinched finals by the skin of their teeth or missed out on a Premiership in dramatic circumstances.
Take a trip down memory lane and look at some of Sydney FC’s most memorable final-day ties that have ended in either jubilation or heartbreak.
2009/2010 – Sydney 2 Melbourne Victory 0
In the most recent final day Big Blue match, the Sky Blues hosted the Dark Blues in a top-of-the-table clash, where the Victory sat two points in front of Sydney FC going into the game.
With the Premiership on the line, 25,000 eyes watched on inside Allianz Stadium.
And it wasn’t the start Sydney FC wanted when Steve Corica came off injured 18 minutes in, but Karol Kisel sunk early nerves when he sprung on top of a bouncing ball and lofted it into the roof of the net.
After going into the break 1-0, Vitezslav Lavicka’s men knew that one more goal could decide their premiership hopes.
And come, John Aloisi, four minutes after the break when he received the ball on the halfway line and streamed through the centre of the Victory defence before shooting just outside the box and finding the left side of the net.
Melbourne could not answer, seeing the Sky Blues earn their first Premiership.
They would go on to win their second Championship that season in a final-day rematch against the Victory on penalties.
2007/2008 – Sydney FC 2 Melbourne Victory 2
In just the A-League’s third season, the final matchday saw the top four teams on 31 points, with the Sky Blues sitting second on goal differential.
With finals football secured for the Mariners, Jets, Roar and Sky Blues, the Sydney team took on their Big Blue rivals, Victory.
Knowing a win by two goals would secure them their first Premiership, the stakes couldn’t be higher going into the game.
Ufuk Talay lined up alongside club legends Alex Brosque and Clint Bolton, to name a few, and it was end-to-end football in the opening five minutes.
Mark Milligan lofted the ball into the Sydney box in the fourth minute, and it found the head of a Sky Blue before Steve Corica pounced on it and thrusted it in the back of the net.
The 33,000 season record crowd enjoyed a high-intensity game until the break, as both teams could not find a crucial goal.
Seconds after the halftime whistle, the crowd was stunned when Nick Ward crossed the ball, and it took a deflection off Mark Milligan into the back of the net, levelling the scores.
As rain began to bucket down, Sydney FC’s intensity rose.
Alex Brosque slotted Sydney’s second when he danced around a few defenders before slotting the ball in the bottom corner.
Fifteen minutes later, the Dark Blues equalised again when Danny Allsopp finished a Thompson assist.
Sydney FC had one last-ditch attempt in the box, but the Victory defence blocked the shot, seeing them share the points.
In the end, Sydney finished that season in 3rd place with the Central Coast Mariners taking out the Premiers Plate.
2011/2012: Sydney FC 3 v Newcastle Jets 2
“Win, and you’re in” is a common saying in the sports world, and this was certainly the case in the final matchday between Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets.
With both teams equal on 35 points, a win would secure one finals football whilst the other would sit agonisingly at seventh place.
The Jets did have the advantage on goal difference, meaning a draw would be enough to sneak into sixth place behind Melbourne Heart.
15,000 people filled Allianz Stadium, awaiting the much-anticipated fixture.
After a dominant eleven minutes by Sydney FC, Bruno Cazarine found the ball at his feet, where he released into the bottom right corner, sending the Sky Blues 1-0 up.
Newcastle looked to respond immediately, controlling the next fifteen minutes and putting pressure on Ivan Necesvki until Michael Bridges equalised in the bottom left corner.
In high drama, Joel Chianese pushed the Sky Blues back in front three minutes later when he planted the ball in the top left corner.
And three minutes after that, he doubled Sydney FC’s lead when he received the ball inside the box and dispatched it past Ben Kennedy.
The Sky Blues then held on to the ball for much of the second half, but when Jets winger Ali Abbas lofted the ball onto the head of Jobe Wheelhouse and he scored, it set up a thrilling finish.
Sydney FC were able to hold on, seeing them reach the finals.
2012/2013: Sydney FC 1 Brisbane Roar 3
The final matchday came in the 2011/2012 season, with Sydney FC narrowly leading the Glory and the Jets by one point on the ladder.
The Sky Blues were hanging onto the sixth place by a thread and took on fifth-placed side Brisbane Roar, where if they won, they could overtake them and play Adelaide United in the quarter-finals.
Sydney FC travelled to Brisbane and found themselves 1-0 down 28 minutes after Besart Berisha finished a cross.
The Roar continued to ascend into the Sky Blues half, and eventually, Berisha intercepted a lazy Alessandro Del Piero pass before squaring it to Steven Lustica, who dispatched Brisbane’s second.
Ivan Franjic then provided a stunning strike from outside the box into the bottom left corner to send the Sky Blues packing.
Del Piero did score a late consolation goal, but it wasn’t enough to spark a Sky Blue comeback.
Later on, the Glory would draw to Adelaide, seeing them steal Sydney FC’s sixth place.
2013/2014: Sydney FC 2 vs Perth Glory 1
It was a nervy final match day in the 2013/14 season as Sydney FC hosted Perth at Allianz Stadium, knowing that a draw would see them feature in the finals, but a loss by two or more goals would mean that they miss out.
After the Jets victory 2-0 victory against Adelaide two days before, this game would decide Sydney FC’s season.
After a nervy opening 37 minutes of play, Terry Antonis hit the ball from a long distance and buried it in the bottom left corner, sending the Sky Blue fans into a frenzy.
But, after playing at one minute of injury time, Rostyn Griffiths equalised by finishing from the back post from a corner.
Perth continued to control possession, but Sydney FC created better chances.
And, as full-time beckoned, it seemed that the Sky Blues were out of the woods, but then entered Richard Garcia, who wanted to make sure the Sky Blues would go into the finals on a high.
In the 92nd minute, the striker found himself alone with the ball, took a touch off his chest and fired it into the roof of the net, seeing Sydney FC win 2-1.
Match Details:
Sydney FC v Perth Glory Isuzu UTE A-League, Round 26 Sunday 28th April, 2024 Kick Off: 3:00PM Gates Open: 2:00PM Broadcast Live: Paramount+ and 10BOLD Tickets: Click Here
