A-League grand final live blog

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ROAR WIN

Take no prisoners: Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners go into battle for the 2011 A-League grand final trophy.Credit: Chris Hyde

Brisbane wins 4-2 on penalties after the scores were 0-0 at the end of regular time and 2-2 at the end of extra time. Theoklitos saves shots from McBreen and Bojic and it's the most incredible comeback you may ever have the pleasure of witnessing. This is a side that simply won't lose. They were gone, gone and gone and have done it. A superb end to a superb season and surely one of the great moments in Queensland sport.

"You can't get any better than this," says Matt McKay. He can barely talk.

"I have no idea what happened," says Erik Paartalu "To be honest, I gave up hope." You probably weren't the only one, big fella.

"I love penalties," says Michael Theoklitos. He'll love them even more after seeing some of those replays. Superhero stuff in the Brisbane goal. Spare a thought for the Mariners too - they must have thought they had pulled it off.

On that note, I'll sign off from Suncorp Stadium. A huge thanks to everyone who was kind enough to tune in to the blog and well done to the Roar and the Mariners, who took part in a game for the ages. Brisbane have the icing on the cake of their glorious season. What a ride it was. The Mariners can only win fans after an effort like that. Thanks again and we'll keep the comment thread open for anyone who wants to add their two cents.

Here we go with the penalties. I'll update after every kick.

Hutchinson for the Mariners - scores

Franjic for the Roar - scores

Wilkinson for the Mariners - scores

Paartalu for the Roar - scores

McBreen for the Mariners - saved by Theoklitos

McKay for the Roar - scores

Bojic for the Mariners - saved by Theoklitos

Henrique for the Roar and the win - scores. Roar win.

It's going to penalties Paartalu's header off the corner was the very last play of the game. The crowd has blown the roof off the stadium. This is going right down to the death now. One of the most amazing games you've ever seen - in any code.

120th minute Roar score. 2-2. Paartalu last-second header to equalise. I kid you not. Amazing.

117th minute The Roar are back. Henrique gives them a bolter's chance and it's 2-1.

114th minute Pure frustration from McKay. Sends in a cross but way off the mark. Very unlike him and he knows it. The Roar really do need a miracle now. Their dream date at home has become a nightmare.

110 minute Matt Ryan saves the day once again. Good chance from Broich but Ryan is a rock once again. Huge afternoon from the kid. Has every reason to be very proud of his work today.

108th minute I have to say the urgency just isn't there for the Roar. It's the Mariners that have all the run in their legs. Brisbane really have to throw the textbook out the window here and try something drastic. The clock is ticking very loudly.

105th minute That's the first period of extra time over. Brisbane must conjure two goals two take this to penalties. The Mariners are 15 minutes over from a massive boilover. Not a great night for the Roar to lose their first match in 28 outings really.

103rd minute It's 2-0. Oliver Bozanic scores for the Mariners and this looks all over. CCM are in raptures. The Roar cannot believe what is unfolding before their eyes. They are getting torn apart on the counter and the Mariners are attacking in numbers.

100th minute Brisbane are refusing to panic here but the Mariners are creating all of the chances. The Roar continue to be measured and are backing the formations that have helped them all season. McKay goes close as I type with a long-range shot. Milan Susak off and Rocky Visconte on. Striker for a defender. Says it all.

96th minute Goal to Kwasnik! Mariners lead 1-0! Roar are stunned. Amazing few minutes. Bojic knocked it back off the corner and Theo misreads. Falls to Kwasnik and he buries it from point blank. Brilliant from the Mariners. Can the Roar find a way out of this? Ibini-Isei has been brilliant since he came on. Has turned the match for the Central Coast.

95th minute Ahhhhhhh! Here he goes again! Incredible stuff! Ibini-Isei is off again and it's another sensational save from Theo.

92nd minute Whoa! Super chance for the Mariners just stopped by Theoklitos! Ibini-Isei was cut loose and just flattened a ball at the Roar keeper on the run. Theo gets the touch and it sprays wide. That was so very, very close. I can only imagine the scenes at the Gosford RSL.

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Fulltime That's fulltime folks and it's 0-0. This one is going the extra mile. Buckle yourself in. We'll be back live again very soon.

Injury time A great chance for the Mariners goes begging in the final minutes! The seemed to have it for an eternity in the Roar box and were clearly fishing for the penalty. In the end, McGlinchey teed it up and shanked it awfully. A big waste of a great chance to be a hero.

90th minute Solorzano has a ping, Ryan saves and the deflection is there for the taking! Where was the follow-up from the Roar? The game could have been decided there and then. Ryan has been fantastic today - and he's only 18.

89th minute Bernie Ibini-Isei on for the Mariners with Griffiths off. Big call from Arnie there, throwing the teenager in there with the game on the line and looking destined for extra time.

85th minute Broich winds up and gets a deflection, which sails over the Mariner goal. Ther German has been a hero for Brisbane before and the Roar have a knack for conjuring late goals. They've dominated the second half here for no reward.

82nd minute Nichols' afternoon comes to an end and Mass Murdocca into the action with about 10 minutes to go in regular time. Postecoglou really looking to break the deadlock now. The longer it goes, the more nervous things are going to get.

80th minute Solorzano goes down and looks genuine this time. May just be cramping up. Both sides running out of puff a little here. Some zing has gone out of the contest and you can also lay some blame on the heavy conditions. Crowd is the fourth-largest in A-League history.

74th minute And there's been a send-off! Not on the field - in the stands. An orange smoke bomb goes off behind the Roar goal and the security guards charge in like Custer at Little Bighorn. Stern words being said down there. Hope you enjoyed the afternoon, young man. Straight to the Caxton for you.

72nd minute Henrique, aka the Slippery Fish, comes on for Barbarouses. The little Brazilian turned the game for the Roar in the semi-final here against the Mariners. Stay tuned. Matt Simon comes off for the Mariners, McBreen on. Simon will be kicking himself for that bad miss earlier.

67th minute The timekeeper's needlework is coming along well. One prominent journalist suggested it looks like Jabba the Hutt being attacked by soldiers.

66th minute Update: Solorzano has just been offered a role in Jennifer Aniston's next movie on the back of that emotional performance.

65th minute Confusing scramble in front of the Mariners goal. A trio of Roar players had the chance to rocket it home from a few metres in front and they all tumble down after running into each other. Didn't look like Roarcelona there. Solorzano flops as it all winds up and is lucky he didn't get a card for acting there.

59th minute How the Mariners are hanging on here, I have no idea. The goal is getting peppered. Paartalu's header just goes wide. I wonder how his new-age flat-top is holding up in the rain?

57th minute Dare I say it, these wet conditions are ideal for the Slippery Fish. I suspect his injection is coming very soon. In other developments, the crowd is 50,168. What a sensational effort from Brisbane fans. It's only the posh members that have let the team down here. Some of the very best seats in the house are vacant.

54th minute Franjic steams in on a weak side for the Mariners and hits one first time. Got enough boot on it but there was too much angle - it sizzles past the far post and Ryan had no chance if it was on target. The defence jsut evaporated there.

49th minute A big save from Ryan in the wet! Solorzano unleashes at close range and it bangs right into Ryan's chest. Great save in these conditions.

48th minute And that is officially bucketing down. Just pelting in Brisbane now. Looks more like Blackburn or Middlesbrough. On a serious note, this will be a big test of the drainage here if it keeps hammering down.

47th minute Ange has his customary coffee in hand as he watches the start of the second half. Looking fairly black out there - not Ange's coffee, the weather. Lights are on as the rain tumbles down.

46th minute As I wonder whether Matt McKay has ever had the need to shave in his adult life, we are back on in Brisbane. There has been a fairly heavy shower and normally, the pitch here at Suncorp would eat that sort of moisture for breakfast and drain very quickly. The flood has changed things a little so the surface could be a little slick for the second half and, perhaps, beyond.

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45th minute That's halftime folks and it's nil-all. Love to have you back on deck when things get underway in the second. Both sides had great chances in the first 45 minutes and hard to believe there isn't a goal. It's a fantastic, fast-paced contest worthy of a game of this magnitude.

44th minute Nichols gets the bounce and flies through on the attack. Had a tough angle at short range and should have pulled the trigger earlier on that one. As it was, he got the corner but the Mariners manage to keep it together. A bit of an afternoon shower starting to fall at Milton now.

41st minute Could the tide be turning? After the Mariners' miss, that's another good chance for the Roar. Broich gets the pass from McKay and hits one right out of the screws. Ryan had it covered this time but it wasn't lacking in power. A foot or two either side and that's 1-0.

38th minute Hard to keep up here. Matt Ryan drops a corner, Mitch Nichols hits a great volley that bangs off the crossbar. Ivan Franjic fires in the rebound, gets the deflection and only mad scrambling from Ryan, getting around on his hands and knees at this point, gets them out of trouble. Phew.

37th minute Oh no! Heads in hands Mariners fans! Matt Simon just butchers a shot right in front of goal when he had Theoklitos on toast. Gets a delicious cross along the deck from Kwasnik and barely makes contact with it when it gets to his feet. A huge miss - best chance of the match and then some.

31st minute Broich goes down like he was hit by a truck. Instead, he barely brushed the shoulder of Rostyn Griffiths. That wasn't a completely endearing piece of play. McKay and the Roar appeal like Warne just trapped Daryll Cullinan in front with a flipper but Breeze sends them away like naughty little schoolkids.

29th minute Kwasnik tries to catch out Theoklitos with a 40m chip. "Audacious" is the word being dinked about in the media box. The Roar keeper scrambles back and it lands on the top of the net. That really would have been embarassing, especially in a grand final.

27th minute You just get the feeling something has to crack here. Amini fires one well over the top as I right that. But both sides are producing lots of little through-balls that are just off the mark, or the first touch just a fraction off. Don't think it will be long before someone gets it spot on.

24th minute Broich again. Creating a lot of hesitation on the CCM defence. Earns the corner for his side and Milan Susak flies through for the far-post header. Looked home - bit of a crowd catch that one - but shaves the right post and safely out of play.

19th minute Barbarouses fires in a half-hearted shot that is easily dealt with by Ryan. Curved right into his arms. No real danger there. Broich looking very dangerous around the box, though.

17th minute The lady at the official timekeeper's bench is doing some sort of needlework instead of watching the game. Big fan obviously.

11th minute McKay saves one on his goal line! Kwasnik heads it to the far post off the McGlinchey corner and must havethought he had the opener. A massive get out of jail for the Roar. And at the other end, McKay's shot is given similar treatment but a desperate Patrick Zwaanswijk. Hectic stuff at both ends of the field.

9th minute Amini and McGlinchey both fire away at the Roar goal and both have their shots clatter off defenders. Roar getting torched down their right edge at the moment but that was good scrambling from Brisbane. A huge sigh of relief from their fans as Matt Smith cleared it away.

5th minute Both sides have come out with good intent here. Both pushing forward and playing with confidence. No reason why this shouldn't be a cracker.

2nd minute (I'll go by the game clock now it's under way) Partaalu plays a lovely ball through to Broich and he's away - only to be called offside. Looked fine in the replay and that's an early bit of luck for the Mariners. He was roaming free on the edge of the box and can find the target.

4.08pm And away we go. The talk stops here and the Roar's magical season doesn't mean anything as of now. Last-minute huddles and it's game on in the A-League decider.

4.04pm Lovely standing ovation as the teams walk out. And a moment of silence for victims of the tragedy in Japan.

4pm Some good early banter between the fans on Caxton St pre-game as well. Probably advantage the Mariners fans, who were singing "Ange is going to Melbourne" and to the Roar bandwagon jumpers, "Where were you when you were sh*t?".

3.57pm The pre-game is over and the real show is about to begin. It's an enormous moment for the Roar, who are going to get the kind of greeting usually reserved for the Queensland Origin team at this ground. For the Mariners, they really have nothing to lose. I'm expecting it to be physical as well. And here they come....

3.49pm The entire bottom tier at the northern end is a sea of orange. After years of average and below average crowds, the Roar faithful must be barely able to believe what they are seeing today. It's 1997 all over again, with another 12,000 people. All Brisbane need to do is win. Huge party as the Gosford RSL if they don't.

3.40pm The Gurge! An early tick for the FFA, who have rolled out Regurgitator for some pre-game entertainment. Nothing says A-League like 90s post-grunge rock. Nice local touch, to be honest. The NRL should take note, given they are probably in the process of booking the Village People or Billy Idol again.

3.37pm Officials today are Matthew Breeze, Ben Wilson and Brad Hobson, btw.

3.35pm Good little pocket of Mariners fans behind the southern goal. They'll need to sing up a storm this afternoon to make any inroads into the orange army. If the visitors can bang in quick goals like they did last time they were here, they'll go through the roof.

3.30pm Both sides are out on the pitch now and warming up. There's a real carnival atmosphere outside of the stadium and the fans are starting to file in and bring the noise. There's a huge sense of expectation from the home fans. Safe to say they'll be heartbroken if Brisbane can't put the exclamation mark on their brilliant season today.

Welcome to our live coverage of the A-League grand final from Suncorp Stadium between the Roar and the Mariners. It's a hot and humid afternoon in Brisbane and it's officially a sell-out crowd. Line-ups are out and are as follows:

Mariners starting XI Ryan, Bojic, Wilkinson, Zwaanswijk, Rose, Griffiths, McGlinchey, Bozanic, Amini, Kwasnik, Simon.

Roar starting XI Theoklitos, Franjic, Smith, Susak, Stefanutto, Paartalu, McKay, Nichols, Broich, Barbarouses, Solorzano.