Melbourne Victory Men fell at the last step in the first-ever Melbourne Derby Isuzu Ute A-Leagues Grand Final, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Melbourne City.
Returning from a miraculous 2-0 win over premiers Auckland FC in New Zealand, Victory had found themselves in the Grand Final seemingly out of nowhere.
Matching Melbourne City in the big dance, AAMI Park was filled to the brim in a history-making game.
Recovering from battle in Auckland, Socceroos winger Nishan Velupillay sadly missed out on action for the Grand Final with injury, alongside Brendan Hamill.
Meanwhile, young fullback Kasey Bos was reinstated into the XI, eager to continue his breakout season.
Kicking off action after an impressive pre-game display, Victory looked to start strong.
Daniel Arzani started positively on the left-wing, driving by his opponents and looking to deliver balls into the box.
While Victory were lively, it was the Citizens who capitalise on an early chance.
Hitting the byline, Andreas Kuen cut the ball back to Max Caputo, who struck the crossbar with his effort.
Pouncing on the rebound, Yonatan Cohen found the back of the net and sent his side ahead after 10 minutes.
Clinically converting, it was the perfect start for City.
While going down, Victory sought to keep their heads up and find a way back into the game.
Santos’ speed and power caused issues down the right wing, while Zinédine Machach fired an array of efforts goalwards.
On the other end, Jack Duncan made some important stops to deny City a second, while Roderick Miranda pulled off a vital last ditch challenge to stop Marco Tilio in his tracks.
Victory held more possession in the first 45 and had recorded nine to their opponents three shots at goal, but struggled to create clear cut chances.
It was all or nothing in the second half for the Vuck, needing to turn around the game.
Jack Duncan stepped in early with a flying save, producing another top save on the big stage.
Struggling to take a handle on the play, young attacking-midfielder Alex Badolato was introduced from the bench on the hour mark.
Victory began to apply pressure on the Citizens, attacking in front of the loud North End.
Daniel Arzani and Zinédine Machach continued to threaten around the box, earning a number of set-pieces to be delivered.
Nikos Vergos and Joshua Inserra were next to enter from the bench, as a quarter of an hour remained in regulation time.
While Victory controlled territory, City posed dangers on the counter attack.
On the end of a whipped cross, Cohen’s wide header was a let-off for the Vuck in the 76th minute.
Piling on the hosts with attack after attack, Victory seemed so close to a leveler.
In the 81st minute, a clearing header struck the outstreched arm of a City defender, earning wide protests across the ground.
Despite the appeals, play was shortly continued as time continued to evaporate.
Attackers Reno Piscopo and Jing Reec were substituted on as a minimum of seven additional minutes was to come.
Delivering an inswinging cross with his left foot, Ryan Teague’s delivery met the head of Josh Rawlins, but the young defender couldn’t direct his header on target.
City were happy to see out the game and use some gamesmanship, defending valiantly and denying space in the penalty area for the Navy Blues.
The final whistle was eventually blown, crushing the hearts of the Victory faithful who had turned out in full force.
Fighting until the end in a season filled with surprises, Melbourne Victory were devastatingly close to capping off the 2024/25 season with silverware.
Arthur Diles reflected on the action post-game, praising his side’s efforts and looking ahead to our next campaign.
“We gave it everything, it was intense; it was a typical final.
“I can’t thank my playing group enough, my coaching staff and everyone involved.
“It’s been a tremendous effort this year to get to a final… the club’s support for me, the staff and the players has been immense; the fans turning up every week.
“In the end, we lose the Grand Final, but for me it’s still a successful season, something we should all be proud of and look forward to going one better next year.”
Match Details
Isuzu Ute A-League Grand Final
Melbourne City 1 (Cohen 10′)
Melbourne Victory 0
Melbourne City Starting XI: 33. Patrick BEACH (GK), 6. Steven UGARKOVIC, 7. Mathew LECKIE, 10. Yonatan COHEN, 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 17. Max CAPUTO, 22. German FERREYRA, 23. Marco TILIO, 27. Kai TREWIN, 30. Andreas KUEN
Substitutes: 18. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 2. Callum TALBOT (97′), 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 21. Alessandro LOPANE (79′), 35. Medin MEMETI (66′), 41. Lawrence WONG, 47. Kavian RAHMANI
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 6. Ryan TEAGUE, 7. Daniel ARZANI, 8. Zinedine MACHACH, 10. Bruno FORNAROLI, 11. SANTOS, 14. Jordi VALADON, 21. Roderick MIRANDA (C), 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 28. Kasey BOS
Substitutes: 1. Mitchell LANGERAK (GK), 3. Adama TRAORE, 9. Nikos VERGOS (74′), 16. Joshua INSERRA (74′), 19. Jing REEC (89′), 23. Alexander BADOLATO (60′), 27. Reno PISCOPO (89′)
