Key events
Jonathan Howcroft
Thank you all for joining me for another entry into the A-League hall of fame. Congratulations Central Coast Mariners. Commiserations Melbourne Victory.
I’ll leave you with Joey Lynch’s first take from Gosford and bid you a good night.
Central Coast Mariners are A-League Champions for 2023-24
Vukovic then lifts the championship trophy from its plinth and carries it over to his teammates. In front a sign bearing their achievement he hoists the golden loo lid into the sky as confetti falls from the heavens. Central Coast Mariners are the champions.
Vukovic thanks the sponsors, commiserates Victory, commends his colleagues, then praises the fans. “You got us over the line tonight. This is going to be remembered for a very long time.”
Last to receive his medal is club captain Danny Vukovic. A Mariner on day one back in 2005, one of the competition’s greatest servants, and now the skipper of the back-to-back champions. 39-years-old and still going strong.
Victory’s players trudge reluctantly to accept their runner-up medals. Then the Mariners are cheered one by one as they enjoy their moment of glory. Club legend Adam Kwasnik on hand to give meaty handshakes and back slaps.
Ryan Edmondson wins the Joe Marston medal as the player of the match
On at half-time for the bleeding Alou Kuol, the Englishman sent the grand final into extra time with a late strike, then sealed the deal with an ice cool finish.
Brian Kaltak and Josh Nisbet can feel a little aggrieved their hard work has been overlooked.
Josh Nisbet awarded the Johnny Warren medal as the A-League player of the season
The Central Coast midfielder had a great game tonight as well. He was the man who kept his side moving forward when Victory were in the ascendancy, and then he had a say in the two key goals. Well worth his place in the national team set-up.
“This is why the grand final should never have been sold to Sydney!” emails David McGinniss. “Look at it! The whole Central Coast showing us how it should be done on and off the field.” Amen David. Amen.
Another Victory fan emails in, Paul this time. “From a sad Victory member, I’m so angry about this defensive mindset every second-half. The whole season we’ve watched giving away cheap goals at the end of the game. Poppa’s devastated and I feel for him but it’s his defensive mindset that has meant he’s missed the championship again.”
Five grand finals with three teams is becoming a pretty decent sample size. But I didn’t think that was necessarily the issue tonight. CCM scored with their only shot on target all game, and Victory continued to push after they opened the scoring. As I’ve said below, the only thing you can put your finger on is those substitutions.
“Bit annoyed to give away the lead,” emails Michael, “but you have to have a soft spot for CCM. It’s been end to end since about the 60 minute mark, so they haven’t “stolen” it. Although they’ve been in more GFs than I thought, this is clearly the one they really want.”
It’s incredible to think back to Victory’s control of the tempo and tactics of the match for a good 80 minutes. They were clearly the better side. But once Machach was forced off with cramp and Fornaroli was withdrawn in the belief some fresh legs would help see out the game, the Mariners found an extra gear. A smash and grab ten minute period either side of the final whistle and bish bash bosh: a shiny toilet seat.
Away from the mass of bodies the Victory players stand and slump dejectedly. They had one hand on the toilet seat.
Brian Kaltak takes his turn on the mic. The Vanuatuan centre-half is on my shortlist for player of the match, along with his defensive partner Dan Hall, and midfield dynamo Josh NIsbet. Watching them all be mobbed by fans is magnificent.
The Industree Group Stadium pitch is now just a sea of jubilant Mariners fans. Yellow everywhere. Danny Vukovic is mobbed by supporters as he speaks to the host broadcaster. Supersub Ryan Edmondson has a Leeds United scarf draped around his neck. The Harrogate-born striker knew Mark Jackson from their time together at the Elland Road youth system.
The defending champions go back-to-back. Despite losing their coach and half a team in the offseason. Despite losing their opening four games. Despite trailing in the grand final after 90 minutes. Incredible.
Tony Popovic looks haunted.
Fans stream onto the pitch from all sides.
Full-time: Central Coast Mariners 3-1 Melbourne Victory (AET)
The Mariners have won the treble!
120+2 mins Victory were exposed with men upfield. The long punt downfield found Edmondson alone with the goal at his mercy. Nisbet was on hand if he opted to pass but the big Yorkshireman only had eyes for goal and slotted calmly beyond Izzo to put the result beyond doubt.
GOAL! Central Coast Mariners 3-1 Melbourne Victory (Edmondson, 120+2)
Edmondson seals it for the Mariners!
120 +1 mins: Three minutes of injury time left as Barcellos carries the ball 50 metres and into the Victory box but his low cross dribbles across the face of goal with no other Mariner up in support.
120 mins: Kaltak – who else – powers a mighty header clear.
120 mins: Izzo belts the ball downfield. A Mariner heads it clear but only as far as Bonevacia – whose shot is deflected for a corner.
119 mins: Balard is down with cramp in Victory’s half. “We are champions” reverberates around the stadium. Seconds remaining.
118 mins: Victory are running out of options. The Mariners still have plenty of running in midfield to close down Velupillay.
117 mins: After a long period under the cosh the Mariners have inched the game back to halfway. Jackson whips up the crowd. Three minutes left.
116 mins: Bronx cheers from the crowd and more precious time wasted as Miranda sends a ball out of play.
115 mins: Brimmer does aim for Chapman but the ball misses its mark and Vukovic gathers, taking pressure seconds off the clock.
114 mins: Victory are throwing everything at this equaliser. Velupillay is lively, Brimmer is bossing midfield, they’re not out of it yet. And they have gone to three at the back with Traore making way for Chapman – who will presumably be a makeshift targetman up front.
113 mins: Velupillay executes a lovely flick but Bonevacia can’t gather in his stride and the Mariners clear. Victory come straight back through the busy Brimmer, but Kaltak steps out. The massive defender is at it again with a sliding clearance in the box that HAD to be inch perfect or Folami was down for a certain penalty. These final minutes will take an age for the home fans.
112 mins: Offside against Ikonomidis after bright work from Traore down the left.
110 mins: Edmondson and Miranda get into a tussle near Victory’s left corner flag. Doka is ordered off the field to deal with blood on his cheek and his shirt. Vukovic has a sit down in a bid to allow the physio onto the field to treat his “cramp” and let the mayhem around him settle down. What else would you rather be doing at 10:30 on a Saturday night?
109 mins: Brimmer drills it into the wall. Teague sees the follow-up charged down. The crowd is living every kick of the ball. The clearance still isn’t complete and Ikonomidis now has a swing but hie effort is blocked by a Mariner. This is superb cup-tie much and bullets stuff.
108 mins: Central Coast settle the tempo but then get stuck trying to clear their lines as Victory swarm over them. Velupillay profits, taking the ball on the burst and running at the yellow jerseys before hitting the deck under pressure. King blows his whistle and the visitors have a direct free-kick 25m from goal.
106 mins: Da Silva, who is losing his cool – and is already fortunate to not yet be in King’s book – does finally receive a yellow card for tugging back Barcellos.
106 mins: Back under way in Gosford. Can Victory force penalties?
Goals in minutes 90+1 and 97 have turned this match on its head. Tony Popovic is imploring his side to do more in the final 15 minutes, but he may just have to accept that, in his fifth grand final, curses are real and he is very cursed.
THIS IS THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF! 🙌🇦🇺
18-year-old Miguel Di Pizio puts the Central Coast Mariners on the cusp of a treble- and becomes the youngest ever goal scorer in a Grand Final.
An unbelievable story is unfolding in Gosford.
Catch the Isuzu UTE A-League 2024 Grand… pic.twitter.com/kNHk2XI6xe
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) May 25, 2024
HT Extra Time: Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Melbourne Victory
The Mariners are 15 minutes away from a momentous comeback championship victory.
105 mins: Jackson is urging his team up the field and squeeze the pitch after Nisbet wins a foul in the middle third.
104 mins: Brimmer misplaces a pass in midfield and Nisbet seizes the opportunity to jog the ball into space then recycle possession to take the sting out of the game and milk the clock.
103 mins: Still Victory push. Brimmer is increasingly influential in midfield and he slips in Velupillay but Hall and Kaltak will not be beaten and a decent chance is blocked clear.
102 mins: Bonevacia swings it in but Vukovic stands tall and takes a superb contested mark off Geria’s forehead.
101 mins: Victory have now decided to up the tempo. A cross flashes out of Vukovic’s reach. Folami smashes a long range effort high. And now there’s a corner on the left.
100 mins: You have to admire the grit of the Mariners and Josh Nisbet in particular. He huffed and puffed for 90 minutes, trying his darnedest to prise an opening, keeping the ball moving, refusing to panic. Now he’s had a hand in two goals that have set his side on course for history.
98 mins: The momentum of that final 10-15 minutes of normal time has carried over into extra time. Central Coast have found a burst of energy and Victory look leaden footed and lacking in structure without Fornaroli and Machach.
GOAL! Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Melbourne Victory (Di Pizio 97)
Unbelievable. Central Coast take the lead in Gosford! The ball is played through midfield with finesse to Nisbet, who times his pass perfectly to Barcellos outside him. The cross is drilled low over the penalty spot for the onrushing Di Pizio to smash past Izzo. Delirium in New South Wales!
94 mins: Close! Victory spring the offside trap superbly thanks to Brimmer’s vision. Folami has a head-start against Hall in a foot race, but the big defender doesn’t give up, the forward is indecisive, and eventually a weak shot is smothered by defender and goalkeeper. That was a very good opening.
93 mins: Hall strides out of defence like Franz Beckenbauer, dragging Victory out of shape, but after spreading the ball to the right there’s no end product and the move fizzles out.
92 mins: Central Coast resume on the front foot with Barcellos muscling his way into the left corner. The Brazilian has made an impact off the bench.
91 mins: We’re back underway in Gosford. Two 15-minute halves of extra time to come.
The glorious unpredictability of sport on full display in Gosford. Central Coast managed just four shots all night, and only one of them was on target, but that was all they needed to keep the grand final alive in the 91st minute.
Victory were the better team before they opened the scoring and looked firmly in control after Geria’s belter, keeping their hosts at arm’s length as the clock ticked down to an inevitable triumph. But the Mariners kept plugging away, and the redoubtable Nisbet belatedly found accomplices in a couple of substitutes to keep the treble dream alive.
Full-time: Central Coast Mariners 1-1 Melbourne Victory
To extra time we go.
90+7 mins: Is Tony Popovic cursed? His side have been clearly the better over the 90 minutes and the Mariners score with their only shot of the match… in injury time.
