Newest club aiming to complete the double after wrapping up the Premiers’ Plate.
The Western Sydney Wanderers have capped a remarkable debut A-League season by claiming the Premiers’ Plate with an emphatic 3-0 win over the Newcastle Jets at a packed Hunter Stadium.
A massive contingent of Wanderers fans were on hand to bolster the season-high crowd of 22,518 and they witnessed a wonderful performance as ex-Jet Mark Bridge came back to haunt his old side with two first-half goals as Western Sydney led 2-0 at the break.
The Jets mounted a brave fightback attempt in the second half but the Wanderers defence held firm and a Rocco Visconte rocket sealed the deserved win 10 minutes from full-time
The Central Coast Mariners will head into the finals on a three-game winning streak after dispatching a 10-man Melbourne Heart 2-1 in Gosford.
A goal in each half to what was effectively Mariners’ second side now sees them turn their attention to two AFC Champions League fixtures before their A-League finals campaign begins on April 14.
The decisive moment came in the 34th minute when Heart defender Patrick Gerhardt became the team’s third player sent off this season after he used his hand to stop a goal-bound strike from Mile Sterjovski before Daniel McBreen drilled the penalty safely into the net for his 17th goal of the season.
Melbourne Victory have secured third place on the A-League ladder and consigned Wellington Phoenix to the wooden spoon with a 3-2 victory at Westpac Stadium.
With less than 10 minutes to go it looked like the teams were heading for a draw, which would have lifted the Phoenix above Melbourne Heart following their loss to Central Coast the previous day.
But Archie Thompson’s 84th minute strike sealed Wellington’s fate and brought a disappointing close to a horror season which had promised so much but failed to deliver.
Adrian Zahra’s first goal in a Perth Glory shirt helped secure the club’s spot in the A-League finals series as they drew 1-1 with Adelaide United in a thrilling conclusion on Saturday night.
With Glory needing only a draw to pip Sydney FC to sixth place on the ladder, a packed NIB Stadium was understandably edgy throughout, and a Jake Barker-Daish equaliser for the Reds in the final minute of normal time made things interesting right up to the final whistle.
Adelaide had the chance to claim all three points in the fourth minute of added time as Dario Vidosic lined up a free kick, but when Danny Vukovic beat away his goalbound effort with the final act of the night, Perth’s position in the play-offs for a second consecutive year was assured.
In the final clash. a 3-1 win to the Brisbane Roar denied Sydney FC a chance to win the title as they finished seventh, one spot shy of extending their season.
Check out all of the goals from round 27 below.
Source: Fox Sports
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