Sydney FC falls just short in an unbelievably close A-League Grand Final despite a valiant effort.
Sydney FC 0 defeated by Auckland FC 1 (Howieson 60’).
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
5’ | AKOL SHOT – An inward drive from Tiago Quintal sees the ball played through to the feet of Akol for a shot on target, however, the run was mistimed and the offside flag is raised.
27’ | KAMIJO DEFENSIVE BRILLIANCE – After a pass played short by Devenish-Meares, Kamijo puts his body on the line on the 18 yard box to maintain possession for the Sky Blues and keep both teams searching for an opener.
38’ | POPOVIC CLEARANCE – Randall chases down a ball from above sent by Girdwood-Reich into Sydney FC’s box but Popovic beats him to it to clear the ball for an Auckland corner which Devenish-Meares claims in the air to end Auckland’s attack.
45’ | DEVENISH-MEARES SAVE – Devenish-Meares performs well under pressure after a shot from Randall lands on target. However, the Sydney FC goalkeeper stays calm to collect the ball for the Sky Blues.
50’ | QUINTAL FORWARD RUN – A Quintal and Quispe 1-2 in Auckland’s box looks promising but the return ball from Quispe is slightly too heavy and the ball is collected by the New Zealanders.
58’ | GARUCCIO FREE KICK – After Akon is fouled with the ball outside the box, a Sydney FC free kick is awarded, seemingly taken by Quispe but Garuccio is the one to strike the ball, however the shot is sent just high over the bar.
60’ | AUCKLAND GOAL – After a scrappy fight for the ball in Sydney FC’s box, the ball falls to the left foot of Howieson, outside the box who strike the ball on the volley with his left which deflects off the foot of Courtney-Perkins to slide past Devenish-Meares and open the scoring for Auckland.
82’ – DEVENSIH-MEARES DOES WELL – A free kick taken quickly by Randall sees the Auckland striker face to face with Devenish-Meares, but the Sky-Blue keeper does well to close the angle and force the shot high over the crossbar.
84’ | GRANT HEADER – A loose ball is controlled on the right by Joe Lolley is shot across goal and finds the head of Rhyan Grant for a crucial chance to equalise, however the captain is unable to find the back of the net.
90 + 4’ | OKON JNR SHOT – An eager Sydney FC presses high and finds the feet of Okon JNR for one last chance to send the game to extra time, but the shot flies high above the bar and the game ends for Sydney FC in heartbreak.
MATCH REPORT
Sydney FC come up just short in a 1-0 defeat to Auckland FC despite an unbreakable effort.
Patrick Kisnorbo’s Sydney FC head to Go Media Stadium to face off against Steve Corica’s Auckland FC in the 2025/26 A-League Grand Final.
Sydney FC’s squad sees no change from their penalty shootout win against minor premiers Newcastle Jets last week, securing Akol Akon the title of youngest ever player to start a Grand Final at just 17 years and 2 days old, as well as seeing superstar Joe Lolley eagerly waiting on the bench.
Rhyan Grant enters his 5th Grand Final as captain of the Sky Blues as they seek to earn their 6th A-League championship away from home.
The opening of the game saw Sydney FC putting pressure on Auckland’s backline with fast breaks on the wings and balls being played through Quintal to the likes of Akon, Stamatelopoulos and Quispe.
The 5th minute of the game saw youngsters Quintal and Akon combine for a chance at goal however a mistimed run leaves the Sky Blues searching for an opener.
As the first half continued, the Sydney FC defenders were tested by the Auckland FC forwards however Grant and Popovic work hard on the right to keep chances to a minimum.
When Randall receives the ball in the 45th minute, a shot is taken on Sydney FC’s goal, but Devenish-Meares remains calm and collected under pressure to see out the first half, the scoreboard sitting the way it started at 0-0.
The second half saw a messy scramble in the box land 20 yards out at the feet of Howieson who is able to strike the ball on the volley to the right of the goal which is deflected along the way by the foot of Courtney Perkins and out of the reach of Devenish-Meares to open the scoring for Auckland FC.
Sydney FC show their hunger to find an equaliser when Joe Lolley controls a bouncing ball on the right wing and beats his man to cross the ball onto the head of Grant however the ball is unable to find the back of the net.
The fourth minute of injury time saw one last chance for Sydney FC as Okon JNR is able to take a shot from outside the box to extend the game, but the ball flies high and Sydney FC’s season comes to an end.
WHAT THEY SAID: Patrick KISNORBO
“Obviously the initial thought is disappointment but when I rewind it back and digest everything, it is pretty remarkable that we’ve ended up in a Grand Final especially considering where we started and where the group was at.”
“I’m very proud of the boys and the club and all the players involved … but these boys have done a great job getting to the final tonight.”
“They’ll learn from nights like this as much as it hurts because they’ll learn what it takes to be successful.”
LINEUPS SYDNEY FC | 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 7. Piero QUISPE (9. Victor CAMPUZANO (72’)), 8. Wataru KAMIJO (70. Ahmet ARSLAN (84’)), 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES (GK), 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 20. Tiago QUINTAL (36. Rhys YOULLEY (72’)), 23. Rhyan GRANT (captain), 24. Paul OKON JNR, 41. Alexandar POPOVIC, 44. Akol AKON (10. Joe LOLLEY (64’)), 80. Apostolos STAMATELOSPOULOUS (13. Pat WOOD (84’)).
Unused Substitutions | 1. Gus HOEFSLOOT (GK), 16. Joel KING.
Yellow Cards | 9. Victor CAMPUZANO (76’).
Red Cards | N/A
Manager | Patrick KISNORBO
Auckland FC | 1. Michael WOUD, 2. Hiroki SAKAI, 3. Jake GIRDWOOD-REICH, 4. Nando PIJNAKER, 6. Louis VERSTRAETE, 7. Cameron HOWIESON, 9. Sam COSGROVE, 17. Callan ELLIOT (15. Francis DE VRIES (72’)), 21. Jesse RANDALL (14. Liam GILLION (90’)), 23. Dan HALL, 77. Lachlan BROOK (27. Logan ROGERSON (72)).
Unused Substitutions | 8. Felipe GALLEGOS, 12. Jimmy HILTON, 52. Luka VICELICH, 57. Van FITZHARRIS.
Yellow Cards | 4. Nando PIJNAKER (31’), 6. Louis VERSTRAETE (53’), 23. Dan HALL (56’), 9. Sam COSGROVE (56’), 17. Callan ELLIOT (58’).
Red Cards | N/A
Manager | Steve CORICA
Referee | Alex KING
Venue | Go Media Stadium
Attendance | 28,374
