FFA Cup 2022 result: Melbourne Victory defeats Central Coast Mariners 2-1 in final
Tony Popovic’s revival of Melbourne Victory is all but complete after adding a shiny new piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet.
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It’s amazing how much can change in the space of eight months.
Wooden spooners in June, FFA Cup champions in February. The Tony Popovic resuscitation of Melbourne Victory is, if it wasn’t already, complete — and they have a shiny new piece of silverware to prove it.
Jason Davidson’s unstoppable free-kick and Chris Ikonomidis’ volley proved to be the difference in their 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners — sealing Victory’s second FFA Cup trophy.
Oliver Bozanic created a nervous finish after he pulled one back minutes after Ikonomidis’ second but Victory did enough to ensure the Cup went home with them.
As a result of where they finished last season, Melbourne had to go down the road less traveled to get to the final — having had to qualify to just be in this year’s tournament.
Six wins later and they got their just reward.
Their first trophy in almost four years, a date against Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe in an Asian Champions League playoff in March and for Popovic — he has finally won in a domestic final.
15,343 filled the terraces at AAMI Park and chants of “we are champions” echoed through the stadium while for some Victory’s fans, their emotions literally spilled over after Ikonomidis scored the second with a horde of fans jumping onto pitchside.
In a Cup first, two players were rewarded the Mark Viduka Medal with both Mariners defender Kye Rowles and Victory midfielder Jake Brimmer taking home the award for best afield.
The Mariners, however, went down with a fight in their first ever Cup final with their resilient defence keeping them right in touching distance for the majority of the contest. However, Victory who were willed on by their vociferous support kept blowing and the dam wall eventually burst.
PENALTY DRAMA
Before Davidson’s stunning free-kick, there was the penalty shout which almost broke the deadlock.
Early in the second-half, Nick D’Agostino was cut down by Mariners forward Moresche and referee Shaun Evans immediately pointed to the spot.
With no VAR to review the decision, it seemed to be a given that the penalty would stand despite the Mariners’ protests. However, the extra assistant referees had other ideas.
Throughout the entirety of the competition, the games have gone ahead without the use of the VAR, with two extra assistants being brought in exclusively for the final in order to make up for the loss of the video assistant.
When the extra assistants were called upon to review D’Agostino’s original penalty call, they reviewed the decision quickly and efficiently - correcting what would have been a stiff penalty call.
GOODBYE FFA CUP, HELLO AUSTRALIA CUP
Just prior to kick-off, Football Australia (FA) announced that the FFA Cup would officially be known as the Australia Cup from the 2022 edition onwards.
The change in name commences a new era for the competition following FA’s own name-change from Football Federation Australia in December 2020, while also integrating Australia’s football history given the original Australia Cup was played between 1962 and 1968.
“Through discussion with Australian football historians, and dialogue with fans and stakeholders of the competition, the consensus was that the name Australia Cup truly speaks to what this competition is and represents,” FA CEO James Johnson said.
“We are pleased that through this process pioneering players, clubs, and officials can feel recognised and connected to the competition.”
The name-change will be ushered in over the coming weeks when the Preliminary Rounds of the 2022 competition get underway.
Originally published as FFA Cup 2022 result: Melbourne Victory defeats Central Coast Mariners 2-1 in final
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