Melbourne Victory have staged one of the most remarkable A-League Women's finals comebacks with a stunning 2-1 win over Sydney FC to win their second consecutive championship.
After barely scraping into fourth spot after injuries, illnesses, fatigue, and a backlog of games forced them to play half their season in the space of a month, Victory reached the final the hard way.
They overcame both a red-hot Adelaide United in the semi-final and second-placed Melbourne City in the elimination final to return to Jubilee Stadium in Sydney for a grand final rematch against premiers Sydney FC on Sunday.
The Sky Blues dominated the opening half in both possession and opportunities, but Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont — who was named player of the match — made a number of crucial saves to keep her side's hopes alive.
Indeed, Sydney threw all it could at the team that snatched last season's championship from under its nose, tallying over twice as many shots as Victory over the course of the match, but the defending champions stood firm.
The opening goal came largely against the run of play with veteran Victory midfielder Amy Jackson popping up at the back post to head home a curling cross from Matildas star Kyra Cooney-Cross in the 49th minute.
While Sydney tried to strike back a number of times, it was Victory who extended their lead just after the hour when American striker Catherine Zimmerman slammed a goal through Jada Mathyssen-Whyman's legs after a sloppy Sky Blues clearance.
The Sky Blues would claw a goal back minutes later through stand-out attacker Cortnee Vine, but unlike her heroics in the semi-final comeback against Melbourne City, her team were not able to find a second to carry the game into extra-time as Victory defended valiantly to the full-time whistle.
With this championship win, Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins has become the most successful coach in the history of the competition with four championship wins, while the club have won their first ever back-to-back trophies since the league's inception in 2008.
Look back at how the action unfolded in our blog.
Live updates
By Samantha L
Thank you everybody so much for following along - not just with this blog, but also with ABC's A-League Women coverage throughout this season.
It's been a pleasure and a privilege to tell the stories of this incredible, bubbling, chaotic, joyful league and the dedicated, resilient players that make it what it is.
But women's football doesn't stop here - in just a few weeks time, the Matildas will take on New Zealand in a two-game friendly series in Townsville and Canberra, and you'd have to think a number of the players we've watched this evening - and throughout this ALW season - will be pulling on the green-and-gold.
I've been Sam, this has been the 2021/22 grand final, and you've been a lovely readership.
Until next time.
By Samantha L
FULL TIME! VICTORY HAVE DONE IT!
They've won their second consecutive A-League Women Championship, and it's come against the same club - on the same ground - where they did it this time last season.
It has been a truly miraculous finals run from the Melbourne side, who barely made it into fourth spot after one of the most disrupted campaigns of all the clubs this season.
They were the underdogs against Adelaide, but they stuck it out to win 2-1.
They were the underdogs against Melbourne City, but they dominated to win 3-1.
They were the underdogs here, against this dazzling Sydney FC side, but they played the game. They took their chances. Then they hung on for dear life.
They're now the first champions of the new A-League Women era.
Sydney FC gave it as much as they could, but sometimes, your everything is not quite enough.
What a moment. What a game. What a season.
Congratulations Melbourne Victory and Jeff Hopkins, now the most successful coach in the history of the competition.
By Samantha L
This is it
The dying moments.
Victory are kicking the ball anywhere they can.
Sydney are trying to stay composed, trying to find avenues to goal.
Paige Satchell charges to the by-line but her cross is too high and is cleared away.
Sydney come back again and again. They're desperate.
Ibini has won a foul 40 yards out.
The final kick.
By Samantha L
Whyman with a ripping save!
Eliadis unleashes a rocket from distance but the SKy Blues keeper makes a stunning diving save out for a corner.
By Samantha L
Five minutes to go
Victory are just pumping it long, trying to keep the ball as far away from their own goal as possible.
By Samantha L
We're into stoppage time
And Victory make a substitution, bringing on HArriet Withers for Lia Privitelli, who's had another outstanding game for the side in her first season as captain.
By Samantha L
88' Rojas!
So close!
The Chilean latches onto a Hawkesby corner at the far post and shoots on the half-volley but it skims over the crossbar.
By Samantha L
87' Subs!
Paige Satchell has come on for Sydney while Alex Chidiac has left the field (to applause and boos in equal measure) for Tiff Eliadis.
By Samantha L
86' CHANCE SYDNEY!
The Sky Blues are in Panic Mode now.
Princess Ibini looks to have been blocked by a wall of navy, but she finds Hawkesby who feeds Rachel Lowe down the right.
Lowe sets herself and fires...
...but the ball fizzes just wide of the far post.
By Samantha L
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Two minutes of complete chaos.
Victory seem to have the ball in the net - with Mathyssen-Whyman herself punching it into the goal herself - but there must have been a foul or an offside called, because Sydney then restarted the game immediately and sprinted up-field, where Taylor Ray was raked down and a Victory player showed a yellow card.
We're all a bit bewildered about what is going on.
By Samantha L
76' Yellow card
Young Sydney full-back Charlie Rule clatters into Casey Dumont when challenging for a corner in the air. The keeper hits the turf very hard and Rule jogs sheepishly away as Lee shows her a deserved yellow.
By Samantha L
73' Chance Sydney!
Vine does what she does best, nipping in behind the back line onto a lovely through-ball from Taylor Ray.
She's been in this moment dozens of times this season; all it takes is an easy side-foot into the near post...
...but she goes far and fizzes it wide.
By Samantha L
71' Sydney substitution
Siemsen finishes her season with fewer goals than she would have liked but she receives a huge round of applause from the home fans as she comes off for veteran Chile international Maria 'Cote' Rojas.
By Samantha L
69' JADA WHAT-MAN?
A wild, spinning ball from Victory totally baffles everybody - including Sydney goalkeeper Jada Mathyssen-Whyman - and looks to be heading into the net but she scrambles back and slaps it out just in time.
Whew!
By Samantha L
65' GOAL SYDNEY!
The Sky Blues strike right back from the following play - and who else but Cortnee Vine is on the spot to poke home after Dumont parries a shot into her feet following a Hawkesby corner.
2-1!
By Samantha L
63' GOAL VICTORY!
Momentum is everything in football, and some poor Sydney FC defending sees some persistent play from Victory striker Melina Ayres deflect right into the path of American Catherine Zimmerman, who slams past Jada Mathyssen-Whyman.
2-0 to the reigning champions.
By Samantha L
An hour down...
Hawkesby in particular is not happy with the refereeing. She's blatantly held back by Victory defender Claudia Bunge, but even though she she wins a foul, Lee keeps her cards in her pocket.
By Samantha L
58' Chance Sydney!
Okay. Here we go. Hawkesby receives a direct through-ball, spins on a dime, and fires low and hard.
But Dumont dives well and slaps it away for a corner that... comes to nothing.
By Samantha L
It's heating up!
Doran and Ibini give each other a bit of a bump off the ball and their respective team-mates come flocking to their defence.
The Sydney FC active group is fired up now, too, singing out a couple chants that are not suitable to publish on the public broadcaster.
By Samantha L
55' Sydney fight back!
They've had three consecutive chances inside VIctory's penalty box but the navy blue defenders have stood tall and firm. Princess Ibini absolutely skinned Polly Doran for a chance that was deflected away, while a cross from Rule down the right was dramatically headed over by Hawkesby.
