Victor skipper Muscat 'shattered' by penalty miss

Melbourne skipper Kevin Muscat admits he will be haunted by a crucial penalty shootout miss in the Victory's A-League grand final defeat.

Muscat said he was "shattered" by hitting the post with his spot-kick - only his second missed penalty in five years.

It was a moment pivotal in the match swinging Sydney FC's way - the Sky Blues going on to win a classic 4-2 on penalties at Etihad Stadium after the scores were locked 1-1 after extra-time.

A colossus for the 120 minutes prior, the 36-year-old felt he had let down the Victory's fans with his uncharacteristic miss.

"Shattered. For missing the penalty, I feel like I've let the fans down," he said.

"I'm sure they'll be proud of us regardless, but missing that one tonight on the big stage, it's going to haunt me for a while.

"I was positive. I sent Clint (Bolton) the other way - I executed it well, too well maybe and dragged it.

"I've taken the pats on the back when I've scored. I'm big enough to take the criticism when I miss them."

Now Muscat and his teammates face the unenviable task of picking themselves up for a must-win Asian Champions League group match against Kawasaki Frontale in Japan on Tuesday.

The team flew out of Melbourne just three hours after the grand final finished, and must beat the Japanese side to have any hope of progressing to the next stage of the ACL.

Muscat admitted the mental challenge his side faced was going to be difficult.

"I'm not going to try and insult you by telling you we'll be fine and mentally we'll be okay, because we've lost a grand final and it hurts and it hurts deep," Muscat said.

"The mental scars will hang around for a few days but it's our jobs to pick ourselves up and get a result because we need a result in Japan Tuesday night to try and compete."

Victory coach Ernie Merrick said some of his older players' recovery would be closely monitored on arrival in Japan, though midfielder Carlos Hernandez - who was below his best in the grand final - was expected to play.

"Physically I don't know if the boys will come up," Merrick said.

"We're taking a squad of 18 over - obviously Archie's not going. But I don't know whether a few of the senior boys will come up."

- AAP