We look at the key moments from the 2017/18 Hyundai A-League season that shaped our run to the 2018 Championship.
To see a home loss in a series of ‘defining moments’ on the way to a Championship will surprise many.
But Melbourne Victory’s Round 20 defeat to Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park was clearly a turning point in the season.
Despite finding form in December after a slow start to the season, Melbourne’s results had once again taken a turn for the worse.
Victory came into the match on the back of two consecutive losses and desperately wanted to turn things around.
A match against then seventh-placed Brisbane, Besart Berisha’s 100th for the club, seemed the perfect time to bounce back.
While James Troisi scored a goal of the season contender late in the game, first-half goals from Massimo Maccarone and Brett Holman sealed a 2-1 win for the visitors.
WATCH: James Troisi’s rocket against Brisbane
The only highlight from a disappointing evening #MVFC pic.twitter.com/RDQiCms656
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) February 9, 2018
Victory had hit rock bottom and things didn’t get better immediately.
Two AFC Champions League games followed, a home draw with Ulsan and an away loss to Shanghai.
Domestically, it was a different story.
After the Brisbane result Kevin Muscat’s side was written off as a genuine contender, most believed it was a two-horse race between Sydney FC and Newcastle for the Championship.
Against all odds, however, Victory would go on to win eight of its following 10 Hyundai A-League matches.
That run included Derby success against Melbourne City, as well as stunning wins against Adelaide United in the Elimination Final and Sydney FC in the Semi Final.
Victory’s unlikely run to the Championship was sealed with a 1-0 win over the Newcastle Jets in the Grand Final, and that loss to Brisbane felt like a long, long time ago.