Sydney FC through to Grand Final

Sydney FC will host the inaugural A-League grand final after defeating Adelaide United 2-1, in the second leg of the major semi final, at Aussie Stadium in Sydney tonight.

Prior to kick off, Sydney Manager Pierre Littbarski surprised the fans by casually sitting down in front of the ‘The Cove’, only for the players to then unfurl a banner thanking the Sydney fans for their support this season.

In what was another tense encounter, Adelaide dominated the early exchanges, before a Sasho Petrovksi goal in the 29th minute brought the crowd to their feet, and gave Sydney the early advantage.

If the A-League record crowd of 30,377 sensed déjà vu, they were not mistaken as Adelaide United Striker Shengqing Qu struck a blow back for the Reds, in the 60th minute, and coolly slotted home past Sydney keeper Clint Bolton after once again coming in from the left channel.

Despite solid Adelaide pressure, in the 76th minute Sydney FC defender Mark Rudan popped up on the near post to head home a Mark Milligan cross to effectively end Adelaide’s chances of progressing directly through to the grand final.

Only minutes later the crowd thought Sydney had scored again, only to be brought back to earth with the sight of the linesman’s flag for offside.

In the 90th minute, Adelaide had their final attacking foray into the Sydney half, and a resultant free kick gave the travelling Red’s fans some hope, only to see Fernando Rech’s effort land comfortably into the safe hands of Clint Bolton.

Adelaide United now regroup for a Preliminary Final showdown with the Central Coast Mariners next Sunday in Adelaide.

The winner will book themselves a dream date with Sydney and the chance for the ultimate prize of becoming A-League champion.

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