Latest news with #Melbourne
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
Melbourne City edge crosstown rivals to win A-League title
Yonatan Cohen (C) celebrates after scoring the goal which secured Melbourne City's victory in the A-League grand final against Melbourne Victory (William WEST) Israeli forward Yonatan Cohen proved the hero as Melbourne City claimed the bragging rights over crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory with a 1-0 victory to lift the A-League title on Saturday. In front of a sell-out crowd of 29,902 at AAMI Park, Cohen scored in the 10th minute before the disciplined City shut down Victory with gritty defending in a nerve-jangling second-half. Advertisement City claimed their second title having reached the grand final for the fifth time in the last six years. "It's amazing to do it against our rivals," City defender Nathaniel Atkinson said. "We got that early goal and we knew with our defence that we could keep a clean sheet." It was a bitter disappointment for Victory, who lost at the final hurdle for the second straight season to once again fall short of equalling Sydney FC's record of five titles. "It's really tough to be in this position two years in a row," Victory defender Roderick Miranda said. "We had chances in the beginning, but in the second-half they defended really well." Advertisement The powerhouse clubs had never previously met in a grand final since the A-League replaced the National Soccer League in 2005 as Australia's top football competition. The blockbuster decider was a tonic for a competition that has been mired by financial strain and declining popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic. A heavy police presence was visible before the game as opposing supporters marched through the streets and set off flares, but there were no reports of violence. Amid a febrile atmosphere inside the stadium, Victory made the early running with striker Daniel Arzani providing headaches for City's defence. Advertisement But City, entering with an unbeaten eight-game streak, pounced against the run of play on their first foray forward. Max Caputo's bullet rifled off the upright and straight to Israel international Cohen, who hammered the third fastest goal in A-League grand final history. City continued to threaten on the counterattack and a powerful header from Mathew Leckie was on target until a desperate dive from goalkeeper Jack Duncan came to Victory's rescue. The tireless Arzani tried to will an equaliser for Victory, but he had little room to weave his silky skills against the swarming City defence. Advertisement Cohen opened the second-half with a wickedly curling strike from the edge of the box only for Duncan to produce another outstanding full-stretched save. Tensions flared between the teams as City missed several golden opportunities to end Victory's resistance. But their steely defence held up as City erupted in jubilation when the whistle sounded. tl/mtp
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory
Jubilation for one side of Melbourne, despair for the other. Melbourne City are champions of the A-League Men after defeating Melbourne Victory 1-0 at AAMI Park on Saturday. As the final whistle rang out, Joe Marston Medalist Mat Leckie moved to embrace young teammate Alessandro Lopane. On the sideline, coach Aurelio Vidmar – who had never previously beaten Victory as City coach and lost to Victory in the 2009 decider as coach of Adelaide – was embraced in a bearhug by City director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Paul Pezos and Scott Jamison. Advertisement Related: Melbourne City defeat Melbourne Victory in A-League Men grand final Normal service has resumed in the A-League Men. Melbourne City stand atop the mountaintop, their fifth trophy in five years secured. In the end, they didn't do it in the type of grand final that will go down in the annals for the quality of its play – these high-stakes games rarely do, after all. But it was a game played with tension, with fire and, at times, with controversy. The prospect of City and Victory clashing produced one of the most anticipated deciders in recent memory and a sense of electricity permeated the air well before kickoff, with the Victory fans that made up a large proportion of the 29,902 fans in attendance drowning out City's 'Happy Together' anthem. But a dampener was placed on their buzz just ten minutes in when Aziz Behich marauded down the left and backheeled the ball to Andreas Kuen, who squared the ball for Max Caputo. The teenager's resulting effort careened off the crossbar, but this reprieve was short-lived, as the ball sat up for Yonatan Cohen to drive between the legs of Kasey Bos and give his side the lead. Advertisement Victory had started the contest breathing fire but now found themselves down the first time their foes had got the ball into their penalty area. Making matters worse was that this wasn't just any opponent but the most miserly defence in the A-League Men and, under Vidmar, the most well-organised of any City side in recent years. Illustrative of this, Santos would muscle his way past the City skipper nine minutes later and cut the ball back for Zinédine Machach, only for the Frenchman's effort to be blocked by a desperate diving lunge from Leckie. Outside of questions surrounding his fitness, few would have been surprised coming into the game that the Socceroo would be best afield. One of the most accomplished attackers in Australia, the 34-year-old was deployed in an unexpected holding midfield role in the grand final and responded by helping to shut down much of the flow or rhythm to Victory's play. Collected by an inadvertent boot from Zinedine Machach minutes into the second half, he would spend the second stanza with blood seeping from a bandage hastily wrapped around his face, providing the grand final with yet another bloodied, bruised and triumphant hero. With Victory's midfield largely neutralised – City adapting quickly to referee Adam Kersey's permissive whistle – it fell to Daniel Arzani to try and spark Victory into action. The Socceroo had more touches than anyone in the game, many of them of the fancy variety we've come to expect, but his growing sense of desperation couldn't produce a leveller. His side thought they should have had a penalty in the 80th minute when Germán Ferreyra – taking a break from being a wrecking ball – had a clearing header from Kai Trewin clatter off his arm, only for VAR to clear the incident. At the same time, however, Victory was kept alive by City's repeated failed efforts to land a killer blow. Just seconds into the second stanza, Jack Duncan flew to his right to deny Cohen's bending attempt for a second. In the 64th minute, Caputo opted to turn and shoot wide rather than square the ball to a wide-open Steven Ugarkovic. In the 76th, Marco Tilio dropped a cross onto the head of an open Cohen at the back post, only for the winger to send his header across the face of the goal. In the end, though, it didn't matter. After one of the great nights of Australian football, City are champions.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory
Jubilation for one side of Melbourne, despair for the other. Melbourne City are champions of the A-League Men after defeating Melbourne Victory 1-0 at AAMI Park on Saturday. As the final whistle rang out, Joe Marston Medalist Mat Leckie moved to embrace young teammate Alessandro Lopane. On the sideline, coach Aurelio Vidmar – who had never previously beaten Victory as City coach and lost to Victory in the 2009 decider as coach of Adelaide – was embraced in a bearhug by City director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Paul Pezos and Scott Jamison. Normal service has resumed in the A-League Men. Melbourne City stand atop the mountaintop, their fifth trophy in five years secured. In the end, they didn't do it in the type of grand final that will go down in the annals for the quality of its play – these high-stakes games rarely do, after all. But it was a game played with tension, with fire and, at times, with controversy. The prospect of City and Victory clashing produced one of the most anticipated deciders in recent memory and a sense of electricity permeated the air well before kickoff, with the Victory fans that made up a large proportion of the 29,902 fans in attendance drowning out City's 'Happy Together' anthem. But a dampener was placed on their buzz just ten minutes in when Aziz Behich marauded down the left and backheeled the ball to Andreas Kuen, who squared the ball for Max Caputo. The teenager's resulting effort careened off the crossbar, but this reprieve was short-lived, as the ball sat up for Yonatan Cohen to drive between the legs of Kasey Bos and give his side the lead. Victory had started the contest breathing fire but now found themselves down the first time their foes had got the ball into their penalty area. Making matters worse was that this wasn't just any opponent but the most miserly defence in the A-League Men and, under Vidmar, the most well-organised of any City side in recent years. Illustrative of this, Santos would muscle his way past the City skipper nine minutes later and cut the ball back for Zinédine Machach, only for the Frenchman's effort to be blocked by a desperate diving lunge from Leckie. Outside of questions surrounding his fitness, few would have been surprised coming into the game that the Socceroo would be best afield. One of the most accomplished attackers in Australia, the 34-year-old was deployed in an unexpected holding midfield role in the grand final and responded by helping to shut down much of the flow or rhythm to Victory's play. Collected by an inadvertent boot from Zinedine Machach minutes into the second half, he would spend the second stanza with blood seeping from a bandage hastily wrapped around his face, providing the grand final with yet another bloodied, bruised and triumphant hero. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion With Victory's midfield largely neutralised – City adapting quickly to referee Adam Kersey's permissive whistle – it fell to Daniel Arzani to try and spark Victory into action. The Socceroo had more touches than anyone in the game, many of them of the fancy variety we've come to expect, but his growing sense of desperation couldn't produce a leveller. His side thought they should have had a penalty in the 80th minute when Germán Ferreyra – taking a break from being a wrecking ball – had a clearing header from Kai Trewin clatter off his arm, only for VAR to clear the incident. At the same time, however, Victory was kept alive by City's repeated failed efforts to land a killer blow. Just seconds into the second stanza, Jack Duncan flew to his right to deny Cohen's bending attempt for a second. In the 64th minute, Caputo opted to turn and shoot wide rather than square the ball to a wide-open Steven Ugarkovic. In the 76th, Marco Tilio dropped a cross onto the head of an open Cohen at the back post, only for the winger to send his header across the face of the goal. In the end, though, it didn't matter. After one of the great nights of Australian football, City are champions.
The Australian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Australian
Melbourne streets turned red as A-League's fans set flares, taunt police
The streets of Melbourne have been turned red and yellow, with rowdy soccer fans setting of flares to a strong police presence amid the A-League decider. Incredible photos have captured the chaotic scenes, with soccer fans descending on AAMI park to watch the showdown between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City FC. No one has been accused of any wrongdoing. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele Members of the Public Order Response Team with Victoria Police arrive outside a pub where hundreds of Melbourne Victory football fans gather ahead of the A-League final. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele Crowds of fans bundled up in soccer scarfs appeared to be taunting officers, who turned out in big numbers ahead of the match. Some shouted anti-police chants, The Herald Sun reported. Past matches between the two teams have erupted in chaos, including in 2022 where about 150 spectators stormed the field. Goalkeeper Tom Glover was allegedly struck in the head with a metal bucket during the incident. Some were handed down life bans following the match. No one has been accused of any wrongdoing. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele Police are out in force. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele Victoria Police CBD acting commander Zorka Dunstan said some fans barred from attending Saturday night's big game following 'reckless' behaviour earlier in the year. 'The majority of supporters do the right thing and create an incredible environment for everyone in attendance, including families,' Mr Dunstan said in a statement ahead of the match. 'However, at times this year we have seen a very small group of supporters engage in reckless and anti-social behaviour. Police are set to maintain a strong presence throughout Saturday night. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele 'Due to their actions, some of these people are barred from attending this Saturday's big game. 'We don't want this small group to tarnish the event for the rest of the soccer community.' He said those in Richmond — particularly on Swan St — could expect a 'strong and dedicated police presence throughout the entire night'. 'There will be an unbelievable atmosphere on Saturday night as two traditional Melbourne rivals meet in the Grand Final for the first time,' Mr Dunstan said. 'The bumper crowd can expect to see plenty of police on the way to the game and at the ground itself.' Soccer fans allegedly lit flares under a Swan St bridge on the way to a game just two weeks ago. Clareese Packer Cadet Journalist Clareese is a Cadet Journalist at Newscorp and has worked across several mastheads since July 2023. She graduated with a Bachelor of Media and Communications (Journalism) from La Trobe University, where she was editor of the student magazine and interned at the Herald Sun. Since beginning her cadetship, Clareese has covered a range of topics from crime and finance to entertainment. Clareese Packer
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE It's a property trick surrounded by stigma. But this expert reveals why it's the 'best way' for young Aussies to buy their first home
A buyer's agent has revealed the clever way young Australians can get into the property market without having to save a cent for a deposit. Melbourne-based Ella Cas, 24, admitted her biggest mistake when buying her first home was not using a guarantor loan. A guarantor is someone, usually a close family member, who helps you secure a home loan by agreeing to use their property as security for your mortgage. Ms Cas, who works for Mecca Property Group, used the entirety of her $80,000 savings as a deposit to purchase her first property, but now advises her clients to consider guarantor loans instead. 'If I could do it again I would hold onto my cash,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'That was my life savings and instead I could have used my mum's house for the guarantor loan and held onto the money to invest in shares or buy a second property.' Ms Cas said there was stigma around guarantor loans due to the risks involved. 'With your parents as guarantor their house is the security for the loan so there is some stigma around it as people think it's slightly unsafe due to that risk,' she said. 'However, in my opinion, it is simply the best way to get into the market as a young person and the best way to help your son or daughter to get into the market. 'I have clients that are in their twenties, they've got a full-time job, they're earning $100,000 and they have a borrowing capacity of $500,000, which is a good borrowing power. 'But, the majority of 25-year-olds, with the cost of living can't save a 20 per cent deposit. Who is saving that money these days? No one.' For a $500,000 property, a buyer would need $100,000 for a 20 per cent deposit. Ms Cas explained buyers who take out guarantor loans are able to refinance and release their parents as guarantors when the value of their property increases. She said it's 'very important' to choose a location with a strong rental yield and a focus on capital growth for a first time investor. The buyer's agent pointed out that although buyers don't need a deposit for a guarantor loan, they do need to be mindful of upfront costs such as stamp duty, and be sure they can service the loan. Although this is a popular option for younger buyers, Ms Cas said she has a client in his 50s who recently used his mum as a guarantor. The divorcee sold his properties and wanted to get back into the market while still holding onto his cash. 'If you do it right it's the best way to do it,' she said. Mortgage broker Bill Childs, 28, who now owns eight properties across two states, also wishes he had used a guarantor loan for his first property at the age of 21. 'When I started buying properties myself I saved for deposits and used equity on my own properties to buy more,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'But, if I look back my dad had property with equity so I could have used him as a guarantor and I wish I had because it would have helped me. A lot of people are worried some will say you've had a handout if you do it this way but people say that anyway if you're successful. 'Parents want to help their children into the property market and I do see parents give their children cash but that takes away from their retirement so this is a better option.' Mr Childs said using a guarantor loan is a great way to start a property portfolio as you can save a potential deposit for your second investment property. 'If you've borrowed the maximum that you can, make sure you're not in a situation where you're stressed on repayments, which are going to be higher because your loan is higher,' he warned. He also warned that buyers can get into 'trouble' if they buy in a 'risky market'. 'If you buy somewhere risky like a mining town and your property goes down in value, you're stuck and that's where it can go wrong,' he said.
