Melbourne Victory beat Sydney FC to W-League title at the death of extra-time – as it happened

The Victory players have all received their medal but we didn’t get to hear from captain Angie Beard unfortunately because the Fox broadcast cut to an ad just as she was introduced. Go figure. On that note I am going to love you and leave you. Samantha Lewis’ wrap-up will be live from very early tomorrow morning to analyse all we have just witnessed. Bye for now.

Sky Blues captain Teresa Polias is gracious in defeat. She thanks the crowd for turning up, congratulates Victory.

“To our group, hold your heads high ladies. What a season we’ve had. What an amazing group you are. Ante, thank you. Four grand finals in a row, that’s something special, so well done to you. But girls, we keep going. You keep your heads very high. You deserve to. Today didn’t go our way unfortunately but you’ll take lessons from today and I know you’ll continue to be successful, so well done and I can’t wait to see us go again next season.”

Wyman has won player of the grand final, and fair enough too. She made five saves.

Here are a couple ...

Here is Cooney-Cross’ winning corner, and below is the player herself describing it ...

“I was just thinking I didn’t want it to go to penalties,” she says. “I was stressing about that since we went to extra-time. We had so many chances, we hit a lot of crossbars. Kudos to Jada, she did a lot of saves, some big ones. I think we deserved to win.”

Scenes at Jubilee Stadium! That corner from Cooney-Cross was something to behold! Sydney had called for a goal kick then but Victory were awarded the corner. We’ll never know because there’s no VAR but on the balance of play Victory should have won that. Whyman has her head in her gloves and is being consoled by teammates. The Victory players are in raptures.

View image in fullscreen

120 mins Green takes a throw-in from about the same spot as before, in front of Sydney’s bench. A flurry of movement ensues before Wheeler flicks the ball over Bunge. It comes to nothing but Sydney have numbers in dangerous zones and this could yet be anyone’s. Victory have a corner in the final minute of extra-time. The ball pings this way and that before being cleared for another corner. We’re in the last seconds now. This is it. The corner comes in, all and sundry are in the goalmouth and Cooney-Cross SCORES! Whyman can’t believe it. She’s been superb, but she is beaten in the final seconds.

117 mins De Vanna twists and turns in search of an opening. She finds one and is helped along by Prior, who attemps to intercept but air swings. This is moment for Victory, surely. Whyman is off her line, the goal is open and beckoning but the Sydney custodian is also all over Ayres as she inexplicably diverts a would-be goal wide. She can’t believe it.

114 mins Polias and Cooney-Cross tussle in the centre before Toby runs onto a ball, tucks it inside and takes a shot. Time for a shots count: Sydney FC 13-28 Victory. Taylor Ray is being introduced for Hawkesby as time ticks down to penalties.

112 mins Privitelli is the latest to attempt to break this stalemate with a hopeful cross that actually shoots straight to Polias and the ball sails all the way up to Garton. Juric is outside his technical area to give the ball to Green, who is up for a throw-in. In doing so he brings her forward quite some distance and she’s called back by the referee.

108 mins Tobin stops another Victory moment after a De Vanna backheel releases Longo. Tobin has been strong.

95+1 mins Longo is going to have Jada Whyman nightmares tonight because the Sydney goalkeeper keeps doing her best work against her. Longo brings the ball down with a superb first touch and hits a long-range shot on the half-volley, only to watch Whyman get serious air again to keep the encounter scoreless.

Oh wait, this could be the moment! Privitelli’s fresh legs drive the ball right to the line and cuts back to Cooney-Cross. Whyman can thank Prior this time for intervening before she has to.

104 mins Polias has another corner and this one is better executed. Tobin makes contact with her head from around the top of the box with no result. Everyone is looking a bit tired now.

101 mins Green is defending with her head, quite literally, and runs onto the second to try and play out. But it leaves space behind that Victory fill. Cooney-Cross takes Victory’s 22nd shot of the game. Of course, it doesn’t go in. Actually scoring isn’t a thing this match. Longo is on the sideline now with cramp.

98 mins Prior has gone down to do something, we’re not sure. Perhaps just to ensure Sydney don’t continue with 10 while she fixes herself up. Whyman has just pulled out a top-drawer save, a leap to the heavens to stop Longo’s effort from some distance. Toby makes an impressive run in a Sydney attack that fizzles out.

95 mins Polias is excellent with the dead ball but this corner drops onto the top of the net. Zimmerman looks to be down with what looks like a leg injury. She is soon off and replaced by Lia Privitelli. She had a good shift, did Zimmerman.

93 mins Extra-time is probably a blessing for Sydney, who had the momentum against them and can no re-set. Beard makes her move but is caught by Polias and Sydney are off and away until Ayres stops Wheeler in her tracks.

90+5 mins If there was ever a chance for Victory to FINALLY convert one of their myriad chances, this is it. Cooney-Cross whips in a corner that Whyman DROPS! The ball is there, hovering on the goal line, waiting for a Victory player to poke it home. Sydney have four bodies in goal and Prior comes to the rescue to hook it clear. Stay in your seats, we’re here for another half an hour at least.

90+2 mins There are four minutes of added time and Polias is tackled with force. This is going to extra-time for sure.

90 mins Mclean has done her dash. Officials are taking no chances if it’s concussion, which means Angelique Hristodoulou is on the field. Don’t envy her; it’s rather tense out there at the minute.

88 mins In the final five minutes now and Hopkins cuts a stern figure before Whyman ducks out of her goal for another two sparkling saves, the latter of which cleans up Mclean. She’s checking on her injured teammate, who has been hit in the head, and the physio is back out there.

85 mins Holy bananas! Whyman that is some save. Zimmerman floats a cross in to the back post where Cooney-Cross is waiting at point0-blank range. She has her head on it but can’t get past Whyman, who smacks straight into the post and gets tangled in the net before releasing herself just in time for Cooney-Cross to skew her follow-up wide.

83 mins Toby is off the shoulder of Doran now. She doesn’t want Victory to have all the fun, and cuts inside for a right-footed attempt from some distance. My that’s close. Just over the bar in the end but Garton was out of her league.

80 mins Cooney-Cross provides a first-time cross and Tobin is tussling and hussling to clear the ball from the box but Jackson simply redeposits the second ball back in there. Whyman races to intercept and fumbles slightly, popping the ball in front of her and also in front of De Vanna, which is a very bad idea. But De Vanna is on the ground and shaking her head at having failed to capitalise on an open goal.

78 mins Sydney are pinging the ball around in their attacking third for a lot longer than we’ve witnessed this half. Wheeler is feeling confident but her audacious volley is not.

75 mins Polias is preparing for a free-kick, socks down, re-doing her shin pads. Always important. She takes her run-up but the result is easily dealt with by Beard as Victory race off on the counter.

72 mins Cooney-Cross and Ayres have really worked their way into this game after a slow start. Doran is in space and releases a ball into the box. No sooner than she has done that possession is back with Sydney, then back with Victory. Ping pong, anyone?

69 mins This is a deadlock and a half, despite Victory’s clear attacking superiority. They have 16 shots to five now but just can’t seem to convert. One suspects patience will precede a goal at some point before the end of regular time but stranger things have happened in grand finals.

66 mins My De Vanna is precocious, and the fruits go to Ayres but her strike is again off target.

From earlier, De Vanna so close but so far ...

62 mins Wheeler engineers an attacking move for Sydney that looks promising. Siemsen is onside and sends a square ball through to defenders to Lowe, whose shot is blocked by said defenders, specifically Lowe. All-too-rare foray for Sydney. And now the inevitable: Ibini exits with that injury, making way for Toby.

60 mins Green loses the ball to Ayres, who finds De Vanna, then Longo then Beard, only for Green to head clear. Jackson hoiks an attempted strike well wide from deep. After a a brief spell of Sydney possession De Vanna is foraging down the right. Cooney-Cross tries out her left foot in front of goal before Longo’s stronger effort goes up and over.

57 mins The Ibini thing was either her foot or ankle, but she coming back onto the field, though appears to be limping and not moving freely.

55 mins Doran has absolutely pounded Ibini into submission. The forward is on the ground and now the sideline being attended to by a club physio. Looks like Allira Toby has been approached on the bench and could get her chance.

52 mins The ball is changing hands faster than toilet paper rolls during Covid. Sydney have it now as Wheeler runs in behind onto a delightfully threaded ball. Remy Siemsen is ready in the middle but Bunge stops the cross.

50 mins Victory are back in possession but not for long. Longo delivers to Zimmerman but her pass to Cooney-Cross is intercepted by Polias. Ibini is preparing for another rampage and is stopped only by a nicely timed challenge from Bunge.

49 mins Prior has a chance up the other end as the ball drops in front of her but Whyman gathers with little fuss.

47 mins Victory emerge with renewed intent as Beard whips a ball into Sydney’s box and De Vanna and Zimmerman both attemp shots.

It was a half of two halves as both Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory ebbed and flowed into the game at various points. Like Sydney’s semi-final against Canberra, their game-plan seems to be a slow twisting of the knife, particularly with the thrust of Clare Wheeler coming from midfield and the glint of Princess Ibini, but it’s Melbourne Victory who are unlucky not to be ahead after strikes by mentor and mentee, Lisa De Vanna and Kyra Cooney-Cross, each came off the crossbar on either side of the half.

It’s been a game fitting of the occasion itself, rippling with the season’s major storylines, with a half-time celebration of Rhali Dobson’s love-story in between. Let’s see whether the second half can write a fitting conclusion.

45+1 mins Polias wraps up the opening stanza with a corner that gets away from Tobin and Prior and out of play. Mclean has barely taken the ensuing throw-in before the whistle goes.

44 mins The loose ball is hooked to Ibini at about halfway and she attempts to freight train her way through. Doran is in her wake, forcing Jackson to make a professional foul that earns her a booking.

43 mins Polias misjudges the wind for a corner that takes a little excursion into the outside netting. Possession is back with Victory and Beard has the throw-in. Annalie Longo tries to strike but swipes and pops up the ball.

42 mins Green is straight back into the action, teasing the defence in her path as the Sky Blues get numbers into Victory’s box. The clearance is made. Possession is 46% Sydney to Victory’s 54%. Shots are 2-4.

38 mins Green has hit the deck and hasn’t moved as Victory plough on, through the halfway line and into Sydney’s third. An attacking foray culminates in a shot that yields nothing just as Green gets back to her feet.

Here’s that Cooney-Cross chance

34 mins Sydney work the ball to the edge of the area and Lowe has a crack at a first-time strike from the top of the box but there are Victory bodies everywhere. We are not a million miles away from half-time and no goal as yet.

But wait! Claudia Bunge has just been ransacked by Wheeler, who races forward and takes a shot which is easily gathered by Garton. Bunge atoned by engaging in the footrace and exerting just enough pressure as Wheeler took perhaps a fraction longer than needed.

30 mins Ibini is a bright spark for this young Sydney side who’ve been a touch nervous. Her boot is on the ball and her gaze forward, searching for options. She plays a through ball that Mackenzie Hawkesby has the forethought to leave for Mclean cross-field on the right. Good chance but she waits a little too long and Zimmerman tracks well. Sydney have a corner that goes unrewarded.

27 mins Ibini is hassling Victory again, rushing forward and engaging in a cute one-two with Rachel Lowe, forcing the visitors to redistribute defensive resources. Claudia Bunge clears.

26 mins Teresa Polias gets a sniff, her first really. Natasha Prior regained possession inside Sydney’s half and Polias ensured it got out of there quick smart.

23 mins Angie Beard sends in a free-kick. It’s a curler which the wind plays havoc with a little, and Wheeler deals with it commensurately. Good thing, too, as Jada Whyman didn’t look quite ready.

20 mins Melina Ayres finally injects herself into the game, pivoting for a deep cross to Zimmerman. Green is there to avert the danger.

17 mins Ally Green rushes into space and utilises it well, passing to Ibini, who is clipped mid-run by Amy Jackson. It’s a little cold out despite the sun, and Juric is in a puffer jacket, a touchline picture of concentration.

15 mins Let’s just talk about Cooney-Cross for moment, because she is 19 and in formidable form and surely, – surely – not far away from a Matildas call-up. De Vanna turns on a dime again, runs off the shoulder onto her favoured left foot and takes a shot. Sydney clear.

12 mins Cooney-Cross! She tucks away a shot that makes contact with the lower edge of the crossbar! That was unbelievably close, millimetres lower and that’s the opening goal for Victory.

10 mins Victory are playing out well partly thanks to Kyra Cooney-Cross. And De Vanna is on the move again. My she is still quick in short bursts, but Charlotte Mclean matches her and makes a key clearance in the box.

6 mins Clare Wheeler breaks down the line and Ibini is there again. If we are judging form on the opening several minutes the Sky Blues are moving about well. Cohesively, even. Right on cue, Victory have an opening for De Vanna, who takes a turn and offers a hint that she is going to be a problem for the hosts today.

4 mins Princess Ibini is already away fown the left flank, shirking opponents on her way. But she can’t get away from Zimmerman, whose crunching tackle gives Sydney a corner. The erstwhile Teresa Polias takes it and very nearly scores, forcing Gabriela Garton to tip the ball over the bar. How about this for a start./

The Welcome to Country and national anthem is followed by a minute’s silence for the late Prince Philip. Take what you want from that.

Victory might be humming in attack but they’ll challenged by a Sydney defensive unit that has conceded a league-low 11 goals in 13 games this season. Ante Juric’s Sky Blues have also scored 26 – one more than Victory. So yeah, swings and roundabouts. This one is tough to call.

Ready for some teams? Of course you are.

Victory coach Jeff Hopkins is feeling confident after last week’s performance against the Roar.

“It’s great for you to know that your strikers are really in form. We created a lot of chances against a very good side. The spirit in the camp has been really good and we’ve hit good form just at the right time.”

He is, of course, referring to his attacking treble of De Vanna, Melina Ayres and Catherine Zimmerman, De Vanna scoring a brace and adding an assist against Brisbane, Ayres netting a hat-trick and Zimmerman a goal of her own.

Hopkins has also done the prerequisite study of Sydney.

“We’ve looked at a number of things. The one thing they did really well against us in the last game was transition to attack. They broke quickly on us. We’ve been working a fair bit on that this week, just making sure when we’re attacking we set up a structure that doesn’t allow them to break quickly on us.”

And on De Vanna being in a wheelchair this week. Hopkins said, with a glint in his eye, that the 36-year-old Matildas veteran is “very old”.

“She was just making a little bit of a fuss. She likes to be spoiled a little bit as well. It was more done in jest really. She’s pulled up really. All season we’ve just had to manage her a little bit differently. She’s probably the most dynamic player in the league, puts a lot more into the games and takes a little bit longer to come out.”

Welcome to our live coverage of the 2021 W-League grand final, a battle of all proportions between Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar.

Victory are hunting their first championship in a decade in their first decider since 2013-14, when they were champions. The last three years they didn’t even qualify for the finals but this season have been on song, demonstrated by a 6-2 semi-final win over Brisbane Roar. Pressure.

The Sky Blues have trodden a different trajectory, this being their fourth straight grand final appearance having just secured their first premiers’ plate in 10 years and now attempting the double. Canberra United were comfortably dispatched 3-0 in their semi but Victory present a very different kettle of fish. Pressure.

The thing about pressure is it tends to manifest in many ways, and whichever form it takes for each side will go some way to deciding this encounter at Jubilee Stadium. Lisa De Vanna is born to play big games and, despite the exodus overseas of so many other big-game enthusiasts, young players have thrived, in a testament to consistency in both teams.

The sides have met once this season, less than a fortnight ago, when Sydney won 2-1 courtesy of a Teresa Polias free-kick and Princess Ibini penalty.

All six of today’s referees will be women, with Rebecca Durcau in the centre and joined by assistants Laura Moya and Lauren Hargrave, additional assistants Lara Lee and Isabella Blaess and fourth official Sarah Ho.

Join us for live coverage of all the action. We get under way at 4.05pm AEST.