It was remarkable. It was incredible. It featured the type of grandstand finish one dare not suggest as a possibility beforehand, lest you be dismissed for self-indulgence. And when South Melbourne emerged as champions of the Australia Cup after a heart-stopping penalty shootout, what was left was pure magic distilled into one of the great nights in the history of Australian domestic football.
The reverberations of what unfolded at AAMI Park on Saturday night have the potential to linger for decades. Never before has a team from outside the A-League won the Australia Cup – until now. And not only has a team from outside the closed-shop top flight of Australian football now finally broken through this glass ceiling, but it’s Hellas that has done it.
