One of the most remarkable sporting stories in Australian history has one page still to be written.
The Western Sydney Wanderers tonight qualified for the A-League Grand Final next weekend with a 2-0 win over Brisbane in front of a massive crowd at Parramatta Stadium.
The stunning victory was highlighted by a piece of magic from Japanese import Shinji Ono mid-way through the second half. The Wanderers were up 1-0, and under immense pressure, but the remarkable world class goal – perhaps the best the A-League has ever seen – ensured the Western Sydney parade would continue for another week.
After winning the Premier’s Plate a fortnight ago with a big win over Newcastle, the Wanderers went into tonight’s game knowing that just 90 minutes stood between them and an unthinkable grand final appearance in their first season.
They took just 15 minutes to assert their authority, going up 1-0 when Mark Bridge’s fancy footwork and a smart cross led to Dino Kresinger bagging his second goal for the season.
The Wanderers held their nerve for the rest of the first half – escaping having to defend what looked to be a certain penalty to Brisbane – and maintained the 1-goal advantage at the break.
The Roar came out for the second half with plenty of energy but the Wanderers’ defence remained strong despite the visitors enjoying most of the possession. In fact, Brisbane were lucky not to concede another goal in the 57th minute when the Wanderers launched a flurry of shots in an exciting moment of the game – it was only quick-thinking goal keeping and luck that stopped a second Western Sydney goal.
It was Brisbane though who had the best of the attacking chances, but they just couldn’t get the point they desperately needed to level the game, and very quickly, the clock became their enemy.
Then, with 20 minutes left, the moment that Western Sydney’s dream became a reality.
Shinji Ono, despite the attention of two defenders, produced the greatest goal of the season, showing incredible technique to slot the ball into the top right of the net – so good, the goalkeeper could only watch in awe as the goal was scored.
But the celebrations turned somewhat sour soon after, when Yousef Hersi was given a red card – destroying his own personal Grand Final dream and giving the Roar a slight sniff of a comeback.
It wasn’t to be, however, and with the crowd only getting more vocal, there was a feeling that no matter what was thrown at them in the final stages – even five minutes of injury time – the Wanderers wouldn’t be toppled.
As the seconds ticked down, the noise got louder, and as officials began gathering on the touchline to present the Wanderers with the Premier’s Plate, a much more important task began to emerge – winning the Grand Final.
Had the Wanderers lost tonight, it still would have been considered a remarkable season with some extraordinary moments. Their victory means that they have the opportunity to go from remarkable to unbelievable and write a piece of history that may never, ever be challenged.
Next Sunday’s Grand Final will be at Allianz Stadium on Sunday at 4pm. The Wanderers will play either the Central Coast or Melbourne Victory.
