Sydney FC claim A-League crown on penalties

VINCE CALIGIURI/The Age

THE A TEAM: Sydney FC captain Terry McFlynn holds the A-League trophy, while team-mates celebrate at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne after winning the grand final on penalties 4-2.

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Last weekend it was the hand of Payne that saved Sydney FC. This weekend it was the hand of their goalkeeper Clint Bolton, saving a critical penalty to secure the A-League championship over Melbourne Victory in an epic grand final decided in a penalty shootout.

Sydney FC triumphed 4-2 on penalties after the match was deadlocked at 1-1 after 120 minutes of gripping, physical football bordering on brutal at times.

A grand final most expected to be filled with deft swordplay and neat footwork turned into trench warfare and Sydney FC emerged victorious to claim their second title in the competition's five-year history.

Predictably for a game so warlike in intensity, it ended in a shootout, with Bolton the hero as he saved Victory striker Marvin Angulo's penalty in what proved the match's decisive moment.

But the keeper was keen to share the spotlight with his teammates.

"It was good to save the penalty at the time but this year has been all about the team," he said.

"That's what's won us the title."

Sydney had their noses in front throughout the shootout - skipper Kevin Muscat missing a rare penalty with the Victory's first attempt to leave them chasing.

But Victory keeper Mitch Langerak produced a remarkable diving save to turn away Shannon Cole's spot-kick, with Grant Brebner then putting his chance away.

Hayden Foxe struck his penalty successfully for Sydney, before Bolton turned away Angulo's attempt.

Then Karol Kisel and Korean Byun Sung-Hwan converted their chances to ensure Sydney FC victory.

The match started in drama, with the Victory losing star striker Archie Thompson to a serious knee injury after just 12 minutes.

After few clear cut chances in the first 60 minutes, the match then erupted in a two-minute frenzy just after the hour.

A heavy Simon Colosimo challenge on Nick Ward led to Muscat being booked for abusing fourth official Matthew Breeze and sending tempers flaring.

Seconds later, Victory centre-half Rodrigo Vargas had the ball in the net but it was disallowed for offside, before Sydney landed a sucker punch with the very next piece of play.

Alex Brosque got behind the Victory defence and swung in a cross for Mark Bridge to head home from close range and silence the 45,000-strong crowd.

For all but the final nine minutes of normal time Bridge's goal looked like being the winner, before Adrian Leijer rose to head home a Muscat free-kick and salvage the Victory's hopes.

Melbourne could have won in normal time, with substitute Aziz Behich appearing to fall over one metre from goal as the ball came into his path.

That sent the match to extra-time - the first A-League decider to go beyond 90 minutes.

Langerak and Bolton produced important saves to keep their sides afloat in the second period of extra-time - the Victory keeper from Bridge and his Sydney counterpart from a Carlos Hernandez free-kick.

Colosimo was named man-of-the-match, winning the Joe Marston Medal, and Sydney skipper Terry McFlynn expressed the delight his team were feeling.

"It's a fantastic feeling amongst all the boys," he said.

"I think it showed we are the best two teams in the competition.

"After 120 minutes we couldn't be separated and it's come down to the dreaded penalty shootout.

"Someone had to win and fortunately it was us."

- AAP