Adelaide United defeats Western Sydney Wanderers in A-League grand final to win first championship
ADELAIDE United has won its first A-League grand final, defeating the Western Sydney Wanderers in a thrilling contest at Adelaide Oval.
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CHAMPIONS, CAMPIONS, CAMPEONES, CAMPIONI, MAGINBWA.
That’s how you write the word champions in the five mother tongues of Adelaide United’s 23 man squad.
Australians, Spaniards with Catalonian roots, Spaniards, an Argentine, an Italian and one Kenyan-born Australian are now the undisputed A-League champions of Australia.
Adelaide United captured its first championship in grand final style setting a number of records at Adelaide’s very own Colosseum where the gladiators wore red for a special 90 minutes.
With Adelaide Oval hosting its first showcase national football grand final United last night had the honour of hoisting the trophy in their home town which the grounds usual tenants Crows or Port Adelaide will never do in SA unless the AFL ditches the MCG as its exclusive grand final venue.
Adelaide claimed a 3-1 grand final win over Western Sydney Wanderers in front of a an SA A-League record 50,119 crowd at Adelaide Oval.
Winger Bruce Kamau then created another slice of history scoring United’s first ever grand final goal after Adelaide lost its two previous encounters 0-6 in 2007 and 0-1 in 2009 to Melbourne Victory at the Docklands.
Isaias then made it 2-0 in the 34th minute with a stunning goal from a dead ball before Wanderers’ Scott Neville’ goal sent shudders down the spine of the Reds in the 59th minute.
Super substitute Pablo Sanchez made it 3-1 in the 90th minute, four minutes after replacing Marcelo Carrusca, as Adelaide also made it to the final whistle without having a man sent off like it did in its two previous grand finals.
But it took 202 minutes to register Adelaide’s maiden grand final goal and it was one of the best of the season.
Playmaker Carrusca instigated the move on the halfway line when he involved Craig Goodwin at left back.
Goodwin relayed the ball to Stefan Mauk who spotted Carrusca on an overlapping run before the Argentine hit the penalty box.
He looked up and with Kamau lurking on the edge of the box he waited for his winger to get inside Wanderers left back Scott Jamieson before the winger smacked the ball from 6m into the back of the net with the game 22 minutes old.
If that goal rattled Wanderers — the away side did show some signs of life sporadically when Brendon Santalab found an opening for Mitch Nichols which he botched before the striker missed the target with a free header from a Dimas corner — they were on their knees in the 34th minute.
Kamau’s pace flustered Wanderers captain Nicolai Topor-Stanley who floored the super quick winger just outside the box.
The free kick was slightly to the right of goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne’s goal — perfect for Isaias.
The Spaniard who scored a cracking free kick against Melbourne City in round 27 which was a goal to help clinch the Premier’s Plate must have licked his lips when he saw where the ball was positioned.
With Carrusca standing alongside him before the set piece was taken, Isaias stepped up and curled the ball over the wall to leave Redmayne flat footed when the leather crashed into the back of the net.
In the 13th encounter between the sides Adelaide headed to the dressing room for half time refreshments with a spring in its step after the previous 12 matches were locked and four wins a piece fours draw including three this year.
Adelaide had Wanderers by the throat early in the second half pinning the visitors deep as Sergio Cirio forced Redmayne into a brilliant save from an 8m volley from a Michael Marrone cross before Goodwin wreaked havoc overlapping on the left.
With Adelaide unable to score a third the Reds dropped off allowing Wanderers to push forward but United held firm as former Reds attacker Dario Vidosic entered the fray to a huge chorus of boos in the 56th minute for Mitch Nichols.
Three minutes later Neville pegged back the deficit with a cracking 15m strike into the top corner after combination play from Romeo Castelen and Santalab breathed life back into the visitors.
But Adelaide again had the ball in the back of the net in the 90th minute when super sub Sanchez scored from an acute angle to seal the victory after a Wanderers error.
A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL
Adelaide United 3 (Bruce Kamau 22m, Isaias 34m, Pablo Sanchez 90m) Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Scott Neville 59m) at Adelaide Oval — Referee: Jarred Gillett — Crowd: 50,119.
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