Victory hands Sydney FC extra-time heartbreak to reach grand final
Related Story: 'Greatest A-League goal ever': McGree lights up finals with stupendous scorpion kick
Terry Antonis moved from hero to villain and back again as Melbourne Victory beat premiers Sydney FC 3-2 after extra-time in an unforgettable A-League semi-final to set up a meeting with the Newcastle Jets.
Antonis was the game's standout player from the outset, but it was his sliced clearance that flew into his own net with only 20 seconds of regulation time remaining to bring the score to 2-2 and prevent the Victory from completing the job.
But, with momentum against his side, Antonis put his team on his back with a tremendous solo run from the halfway line and into the penalty area, where his deflected chip at goal sailed over Sydney keeper Andrew Redmayne and into the net.
As farce descended on the closing stages of the match — two Victory coaches were sent to the stands for coming onto the field and engaging in a physical altercation with Sydney player David Carney — Kevin Muscat's side held on to complete the win and move into the grand final.
It was a remarkable night to complete a remarkable weekend of A-League football, after Riley McGree's mind-blowing goal for Newcastle on Friday night sealed its passage to the grand final and made international headlines.
Graham Arnold's side was the clear favourite in a home semi-final, having romped to the Premier's Plate in its defence of the 2016/17 championship, but was blanketed from the outset by an organised and determined Victory side.
Sydney stars Adrian Mierzejewski and Milos Ninkovic were well marshalled by the Victory midfield, while Antonis took control of the tempo and brought Melbourne forward on numerous occasions.
But it would be the Sky Blues who took the lead when Mierzejewski's flat free kick was deflected into the net by Victory defender Stefan Nigro — a late call up to the team after Rhys Williams went down with an injury in the warm up.
The lead would not last long though, with Kosta Barbarouses producing a trademark run cutting in from the left and hitting a deflected shot past Redmayne.
Sydney struggled to get a grip on the game with its usual space denied, and straight after the half-time break the pressure told and a poor Josh Brillante pass at the back eventually led to James Troisi being played in for a tap in.
Victory looked solid for much of the second half but eventually began to drop deeper, surrendering possession and allowing Sydney the opportunity to dominate.
It looked like the pressure would be for nothing, until one last launch forward led to Antonis' costly mistake from a Mierzejewski cross.
Extra-time was a cagey affair with both teams seemingly settling for penalties, only for Antonis to once again make his mark on the game with an unforgettable winner.
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ABC .net
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