Sydney FC held their nerve through extra time and penalties to book their place in the Grand Final in dramatic fashion having earlier succumbed to a 94th minute equaliser as the Jets levelled the semi-final 2-2 on aggregate and 1-1 on the night.
Sydney FC 1 (2) (4 pens) def. Newcastle Jets 1 (2) (2 pens) on penalties.
Moments That Mattered:
2’ | GARUCCIO SET PIECE – Garuccio whips a delicate ball into the opposition box, meeting the head of Popovic, who heads it slightly wide.
15’ | AKOL CROSS – the young talent whips a sharp cross into the Newcastle box, however Shaughnessy is best to it, handing Sydney FC a corner which comes to nothing.
24’ | GARUCCIO DENIES NEWCASTLE- Newcastle send a cross across goal looking for Rose, however Garuccio times his intervention perfectly to deny the opportunity.
32’ | QUINTAL ATTACKS TENACIOUSLY- Quintal attacks Newcastle’s Natta with tenacity, forcing the defender to make a mistake. Finding himself one on one with Delianov, Quintal’s shot is parried away.
52’ | STAMATELOPOLOUS ONE ON ONE- Stamatelopolous beats the Newcastle defence, and opts to chip Delianov, only for the chance to be denied by the Newcastle keeper.
63’ | QUISPE GOAL- Akol’s shot is parried away by Delianov, however Quipse collects the scraps and scores, making it 1-0 to Sydney and sending the away end into raptures.
81’ | STAMATELOPOLOUS HEADER- A pinpoint cross from Ben Garuccio meets the head of the lone striker, however delianov makes a crucial save to deny Sydney FC.
90’ | WOOD CHARGES AT GOAL – Pat Wood runs through Newcastle’s defence through on goal, only for Delianov to come out quick and deny the opportunity.
95’| NEWCASTLE GOAL- Newcastle whip a cross into the Sydney box, finding Eli Adams who equalises the game late.
105’ | DEVENISH-MEARES SAVE- Newcastle’s Adams tries his luck and shoots from distance, however Devenish-Meares makes a crucial save and knocks the ball out of play.
116’ | POPOVIC HEADER- A beautifully whipped corner arrives on the head of Popovic, whose header is unfortunately denied by the Jets keeper.
PENALTIES –
Sydney FC
Lolley ❌
Youlley ✅
Campuzano ✅
Grant ✅
Garuccio ✅
Newcastle Jets
Grozos ❌
Mizunuma ✅
Gibson ✅
Bertoncello ❌
Match Report:
Sydney FC booked their place in the Grand Final in dramatic fashion, overcoming Newcastle Jets in a tense semi-final clash that required extra time and penalties to separate the two sides.
Sydney FC now turn their attention to the Grand Final in Auckland against former boss and Hall Of Famer Steve Corica.
Kisnorbo showed faith in his side’s first-leg display, opting to retain an unchanged eleven for the decisive second leg.
Sydney FC started on the front foot, pressing high from the opening whistle and forcing Newcastle deep into their own half. Kisnorbo’s decision to name an unchanged side from last week’s Elimination Final looked to be paying off early, with the Sky Blues settling into the contest quickly.
Sydney FC continued to threaten midway through the half, with Akon whipping a dangerous cross into the box before Shaughnessy cleared behind for a corner, while at the other end Garuccio produced a perfectly timed intervention to deny Rose from a dangerous Newcastle delivery across goal.
The Sky Blues came close to breaking the deadlock through Quintal, whose relentless pressure forced Natta into a costly mistake deep in Newcastle’s half. The youngster capitalised immediately, driving into the box and finding himself one-on-one with Delianov, however the Jets goalkeeper reacted well to parry the effort away.
With neither side able to find a breakthrough before the interval, the first half ended level as the intensity and atmosphere continued to rise heading into the second half.
The second half began at a frantic pace, with Stamatelopoulos bursting through the Newcastle defence moments after the restart before attempting to chip Delianov one-on-one, however the Jets keeper reacted well to deny the chance.
Sydney finally broke the deadlock in dramatic fashion as Akol’s strike forced Delianov into a desperate save, only for Quipse to pounce on the rebound and slam home from close range, sparking wild celebrations among the travelling Sky Blues supporters as Sydney surged into a 1-0 lead.
With a place in the Grand Final on the line, the intensity of the contest continued to build throughout the second half as both sides fought relentlessly to keep their season alive.
Sydney came agonisingly close to extending their lead in the closing stages when Ben Garuccio delivered a pinpoint cross into the box for Stamatelopoulos, whose powerful header forced Delianov into a crucial save to keep Newcastle in the game.
Sydney threatened again late in the contest when Pat Wood burst through the Newcastle defence and charged in on goal, however Delianov reacted quickly off his line to produce another save and deny the Sky Blues a second.
Newcastle struck dramatically deep into stoppage time when a dangerous cross into the Sydney area found Eli Adams, who converted to level the contest late and force the game into extra time.
Newcastle threatened late in the first half of extra time through Adams, who unleashed a long-range effort towards goal, however Devenish-Meares produced a crucial save to tip the ball out of play and keep Sydney level.
Despite chances for Sydney FC in extra time, neither team could find a decisive breakthrough, with the tense contest ultimately needing penalties to separate the two sides.
Garuccio emerged the hero, burying the winning penalty to send Sydney FC into the Grand final with Devenish-Meares having saved two Jets attempts.
What They Said: What They Said: Patrick Kisnorbo:- “The players showed real resilience and belief.
“We’ve always talked about being adaptable, and that’s what we did tonight, I’m super proud of the players.
“I walked into a dressing room that lacked a bit of confidence and belief, I wanted to show how good the players were individually and collectively.
“They’ve done everything I’ve asked for, i cant be prouder and happier.
“To concede with a minute and a half left can break teams- it didn’t break us.
“The resilience and mental toughness the players showed in those high pressure moments was something i was very pleased with.
“Benny and Rhyan with their wealth and experience , really showed leadership tonight.
“With Young kids you throw the in and they either Sink or swim.”
Sydney FC | 12. Harrison Devenish-Meares (GK), 4. Jordan Courtney-Perkins, 7. Piero Quispe (9. Victor Campuzano 75’), 8. Wataru Kamijo (70. Ahmet Arslan 95’), 17. Ben Garuccio, 20. Tiago Quintal (36. Rhys Youlley 71’) , 23. Rhyan Grant (captain), 24. Paul Okon Jnr, 41. Alexander Popovic, 44. Akol Akon (10. Joe Lolley 95’), 80. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (13. PAT Wood 86’ )
Unused Subs | 1. Gus Hoefsloot (GK), 16. Joel King,
Head Coach | Patrick KISNORBO
Yellow Cards | 7. Piero Quispe 55’, 24. Paul Okon Jnr 82’, 13. Pat Wood 117’
Red Cards | N/A
Newcastle Jets FC | 1. James Delianov (GK), 5. Joseph Shaughnessy, 7. Eli Adams, 8. Lachlan Bayliss ( 10. Zach Clough, 100’), 9. Lachlan Rose (11. Ben Gibson 79’), 13. Clayton Taylor ( 18. Kota Mizunuma 90’), 14. Max Burgess (Captain) ( 17. Kostandinos Grozos 100’), 22. Joel Bertolissio, 23. Daniel Wilmering, 28. Will Dobson (43. Xavier Bertoncello 69’), 33. Mark Natta
Unused Subs | 20. Alex Nassiep (GK), 24. Alexandro Nunes
Head Coach | Mark MILLIGAN
Yellow Cards | 14. Max Burgess 20’, 23. Daniel Wilmering 45’, 28. Will Dobson 56’, 9. Lachlan Rose 78’, 33. Mark Natta 86’, 22. Joel Bertolissio 102’,
Red Cards | N/A
Venue | McDonald Jones Stadium
Referee | Shaun Evans
Attendance | 25,082
