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RNZ News
29-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Melbourne duo gear up for derby clash in A-League championship decider
Zinédine Machach of Melbourne Victory celebrates his goal with Bruno Fornaroli. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory will battle in an historic A-League Grand Final on Saturday in the first local derby to determine Australia's champions in 20 years. The meeting at a sold-out Melbourne Rectangular Stadium pits Victory, one of the competition's best-supported clubs, against a club who lost significant sections of their support base after an unpopular takeover in 2014. "I still can't believe, after 20 years, it's the first derby in a Grand Final," said City coach Aurelio Vidmar. "And you know what the derby is like, they're always intense, so we just have to try to prepare for anything and everything. "We prepared so well this year, we're ready. So whatever happens on the night, we'll be ready." Owned by the City Football Group since the Abu Dhabi-based operation purchased Melbourne Heart in 2014 and gave the club a controversial identity overhaul, City have won a solitary championship despite appearing in four of the last five finals. Victory, by contrast, will be attempting to tie Sydney FC's record haul of five titles and secure their first since 2018, having lost to Central Coast Mariners in last year's decider. Melbourne Victory's Jack Duncan clears under pressure from Auckland FC, 1 January, 2025. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Victory will go into the game with the majority of the 30,000 crowd behind them and in possession of the better head-to-head record between the teams in recent meetings. They have not lost to City since April 2023 and the teams shared a 2-2 draw in December, although Vidmar's side finished five points clear of their neighbours in the regular season. Victory have doubts hanging over the availability of Nishan Velupillay after the Australia winger, who has scored seven times for his club this season, sustained an ankle injury in the 2-0 semi-final second leg win over Auckland FC last weekend. The involvement of Mitch Langerak is also uncertain after a foot injury kept the former Nagoya Grampus goalkeeper out of both legs of the semi-final but both Adama Traore and Kasey Bos are expected to be available. "For Australian football it's huge, for our club it's massive," Victory coach Arthur Diles said of the all-Melbourne final. "Irrespective that we've been here many times before, you never take that for granted. "Every Grand Final you can play is massive and this week will be no different. I expect on Saturday night that this place will be shaking and we're looking forward to that." - Reuters
Economic Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Bruno Fornaroli's heroics help Melbourne end Auckland's historic run
Getty Images Bruno Fornaroli celebrates after delivering a knockout blow to Auckland FC's dream season, guiding Melbourne Victory into the A-League Grand Final with a moment of pure class In the biggest moments, Bruno Fornaroli doesn't just play, he defines the game. On a night that was meant to celebrate Auckland FC's historic rise, the Melbourne Victory veteran stepped up with trademark composure and class, delivering the goal that shattered a nation's hopes and carried his side to the A-League Grand Final. At Auckland's Go Media Stadium, Melbourne Victory overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to defeat Auckland FC 2-0, securing a 2-1 aggregate win and a spot in the A-League Grand Final. The match, witnessed by a record crowd of 29,148, marked a heartbreaking end to Auckland FC's inaugural season. The game's momentum shifted dramatically in the second half. In the 55th minute, Melbourne's Zinedine Machach unleashed a shot from 30 meters, which deflected off Auckland defender Nando Pijnaker, leaving goalkeeper Alex Paulsen helpless as the ball found the five minutes later, Bruno Fornaroli capitalized on a precise pass from Jordi Valadon, turning and firing the ball past Paulsen to double Victory's lead. Auckland FC, needing just a draw to advance, struggled to regain composure. Despite late efforts, including a disallowed goal by Logan Rogerson and a last-minute clearance off the line, they couldn't breach Melbourne's defense. Coach Steve Corica's substitutions, including the introduction of Jake Brimmer and Neyder Moreno, failed to alter the outcome. The match wasn't without controversy. A first-half incident saw a 19-man altercation after Paulsen confronted Machach over a perceived foul, resulting in a yellow card for the Auckland Victory's experience in high-stakes matches proved decisive. Their tactical discipline and composure under pressure highlighted the gap between the seasoned Australian side and the ambitious New Zealand Auckland FC, the season ends with the consolation of the Premiers' Plate, awarded for finishing first in the regular season. However, the abrupt playoff exit underscores the challenges ahead as they aim to establish themselves in the Victory now prepares for the Grand Final, seeking to add another championship to their storied history.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Victory's stunning win in Auckland sets up all-Melbourne A-League grand final
Melbourne Victory dashed Auckland FC's hopes of a fairytale A-League men's grand final appearance, upsetting the expansion franchise 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final to secure a 2-1 aggregate win and place in next week's decider. Goals from Zinedine Machach and Bruno Fornaroli overturned the AAMI Park deficit in the space of five second-half minutes, silencing a sold-out Mount Smart Stadium and ensuring next week's final will be an all-Melbourne affair. Regardless of whether Arthur Diles' side is joined by Melbourne City or Western United, the former holding a 3-0 lead heading into the second leg of their semi, the clash will be staged at AAMI Park next Saturday night. It marks a second-straight grand final appearance for the Victory after they lost to Central Coast in last year's decider and represents a remarkable turnaround from December, when coach Patrick Kisnorbo's abrupt exit to take up a position in Japan sparked a six-game winless run. Their joy came at the expense of Auckland's hopes of securing a historic premiership and championship double in their debut season. But the Victory face the prospect of being without Nishan Velupillay for next week after the attacker suffered a potentially serious injury at the end of a spiteful first half. Hurting his lower right leg in the incident, the Socceroo emerged to watch the second half on crutches, with serious questions now hovering over his availability for crunch World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia next month. The visitors rallied without the attacker and took the lead ten minutes into the second stanza when a long-range effort from Machach took a wicked deflection off Nando Pijnaker, wrong-footing keeper Alex Paulsen and finding the net.
The Age
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Victory's stunning win in Auckland sets up all-Melbourne A-League grand final
Melbourne Victory dashed Auckland FC's hopes of a fairytale A-League men's grand final appearance, upsetting the expansion franchise 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final to secure a 2-1 aggregate win and place in next week's decider. Goals from Zinedine Machach and Bruno Fornaroli overturned the AAMI Park deficit in the space of five second-half minutes, silencing a sold-out Mount Smart Stadium and ensuring next week's final will be an all-Melbourne affair. Regardless of whether Arthur Diles' side is joined by Melbourne City or Western United, the former holding a 3-0 lead heading into the second leg of their semi, the clash will be staged at AAMI Park next Saturday night. It marks a second-straight grand final appearance for the Victory after they lost to Central Coast in last year's decider and represents a remarkable turnaround from December, when coach Patrick Kisnorbo's abrupt exit to take up a position in Japan sparked a six-game winless run. Their joy came at the expense of Auckland's hopes of securing a historic premiership and championship double in their debut season. But the Victory face the prospect of being without Nishan Velupillay for next week after the attacker suffered a potentially serious injury at the end of a spiteful first half. Hurting his lower right leg in the incident, the Socceroo emerged to watch the second half on crutches, with serious questions now hovering over his availability for crunch World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia next month. The visitors rallied without the attacker and took the lead ten minutes into the second stanza when a long-range effort from Machach took a wicked deflection off Nando Pijnaker, wrong-footing keeper Alex Paulsen and finding the net.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Auckland FC's A-League debut double dream dashed by Melbourne Victory
By Mathew Nash Auckland FC's Logan Rogerson's shot was deemed offside, on Saturday night. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Auckland FC's fairytale inaugural season in the A-League has ended in heartbreaking fashion after a 2-0 defeat to Melbourne Victory at Mount Smart Stadium saw them crash out of the A-League Finals Series semi-finals 2-1 on aggregate. Holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Melbourne, Auckland looked poised to reach the A-League Grand Final in their debut campaign. For 55 minutes, the Black Knights held firm. But in the space of five brutal second-half minutes, their hopes were ripped apart by two sucker-punch goals from the visitors. Victory's first came in sickening fashion. Zinédine Machach let fly from a distance and saw his shot deflect cruelly off Nando Pijnaker's knee, wrong-footing Alex Paulsen and levelling the tie. Before Auckland could recover, Bruno Fornaroli showed his class, to drift into space and hammer home the comeback completer and give Victory the advantage on the night and in the tie. Melbourne Victory's Zinédine Machach and Auckland FC's Luis Leiva, at Go Media Stadium in Auckland, on Saturday. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / From there, Auckland threw everything at their Australian rivals. They thought they had a lifeline when Logan Rogerson headed home after a looping cut-back from Guillermo May - only for the goal to be ruled out, with the ball adjudged to have gone out of play moments earlier. Replays suggested it was marginal, and Auckland will feel aggrieved the decision didn't go their way. In typical Black Knights fashion, they pushed until the final whistle, embodying the 'Late Knights' moniker that has defined much of their campaign. Deep into stoppage time it nearly paid off as Jack Duncan spilled a cross into the path of Pijnaker, only for his effort to be cleared off the line by Josh Rawlins in what proved to be the final blow. Despite the gutting end, Auckland's debut season has been nothing short of remarkable. A record crowd of 29,148 packed into Mount Smart to will their side to history, and while it wasn't to be, the foundations laid in 2025 are promising. For Melbourne Victory, it marks the second consecutive year knocking out a Kiwi side in New Zealand at this stage - first the Wellington Phoenix in 2024, now Auckland 12 months later. Steve Corica and his men will be left to rue what might have been, but they exit the competition with heads held high and a Premier's Plate to be proud of. Relive all the plays, with RNZ's blog: Auckland FC : Alex Paulsen, Hiroki Sakai, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Louis Verstraete, Cameron Howieson, Luis Toomey, Max Mata, Guillermo May, Marlee François, Michael Woud, Liam Gillion, Francis de Vries, Callan Elliot, Jesse Randall, Jake Brimmer, Dan Hall, Neyder Moreno, Logan Rogerson, Luis Felipe Gallegos Melbourne Victory: Mitch Langerak, Adama Traore, Lachlan Jackson, Brendan Hamill, Ryan Teague, Daniel Arzani, Zinedine Machach, Nikolaos Vergos, Bruno Fornaroli, Jordi Valadon, Joshua Inserra, Nishan Velupillay, Fabian Monge, Jing Reec, Roderick Miranda, Joshua Rawlins, Alexander Badolato, Jack Duncan, Luka Kolic, Kasey Bos
