| Event | 2017–18 A-League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 5 May 2018 | ||||||
| Venue | McDonald Jones Stadium,Newcastle | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Lawrence Thomas | ||||||
| Referee | Jarred Gillett | ||||||
| Attendance | 29,410 | ||||||
←2017 2019 → | |||||||
The2018 A-League Grand Final was the thirteenthA-LeagueGrand Final, played on 5 May 2018. The match took place atMcDonald Jones Stadium, withNewcastle Jets hostingMelbourne Victory, the first A-League grand final held outside a metropolitan city.[1]
Kosta Barbarouses scored the only goal of the game, in the 9th minute. It was a controversial goal, as replays showed that there was an offside offence in the lead up to the goal, but theVideo Assistant Referee system had gone down for technical reasons and the goal was allowed to stand.
In the following table, finals until 2004 were in the National Soccer League era, since 2006 were in the A-League era.
| Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|
| Newcastle Jets | 1 (2008) |
| Melbourne Victory | 5 (2007,2009,2010,2015,2017) |
Kosta Barbarouses's 9th-minute goal was the fastest ever goal scored in an A-League Grand Final.[2]
Kosta Barbarouses's 9th-minute goal was the equal 3rd fastest goal ever scored in any previous National Soccer League Grand Final & A-League Grand Final history behindJohn Anastasiadis in 1998 forSouth Melbourne against Carlton at Olympic Park,Mile Sterjovski in 1999 forSydney United against South Melbourne at Olympic Park, andMark Koussas in 1984 forSydney Olympic against South Melbourne at Olympic Park.
Melbourne Victory became the first ever team to qualify for the A-League Grand Final from outside the top 3. With their win, the Victory became the first team in A-League history to win 4 championships, and the first team in A-League history to win the Championship from outside the top 2.[3]
Melbourne Victory also became the first team to win the championship from outside the top 2 positions after regular season since Adelaide City won the 1994 NSL Grand Final from 5th spot on the ladder and Melbourne Victory are only just the 9th team in history to win an away from home Grand Final in 34-year history of season deciders in NSL & A-League history and were just only the 7th team in history to win the NSL Grand Final & A-League Grand Final from outside the top 2 positions after regular season.
Melbourne Victory equal the record for most NSL & A-League championships on four titles along with Hakoah Sydney City (1977, 1980, 1981, 1982), Marconi Stallions (1979, 1988, 1989, 1993), and South Melbourne (1984, 1991, 1998, 1999).
The crowd of 29,410 was Newcastle's biggest ever home attendance.
Kosta Barbarouses's goal in the 9th minute of the game came about via a header fromJames Donachie, however Donachie wasoffside whenLeroy George took the free kick which Donachie passed to Barbarouses. The game'svideo assistant referee (VAR) system failed to detect Donachie's offside position as its video feed had failed in the thirty seconds leading up to the goal. By the time the system was restored, the game had resumed, meaning the decision to allow the goal stood. TheFootball Federation Australia later acknowledged the technical issues, but offered no real apology to the Newcastle team or fans.[4]It was discovered that theVAR system had lost access to the camera views which would have allowed for the offside ruling. The incident only happened once throughout the season.FFA's Head ofHyundaiA-League andWestfield W-League, Greg O'Rourke, stated "This is important not just for the Hyundai A-League but for other leagues around the world and for the2018 FIFA World Cup inRussia at which VAR will be used for the first time."[5]
Roy O'Donovan was immediately issued a red card, and later on a 10 game ban, for the high kick he delivered against Victory goal keeperLawrence Thomas's face in the 93rd minute of the final.[6]
Following the 3 days of deliberation after the hearing, theFootball Federation Australia's disciplinary andethics committee decided on the harsh punishment for theNewcastle striker. It is the second-biggest ban ever given in theA-League, over the 8-game ban he had been given two years earlier for headbuttingWellington'sManny Muscat. O'Donovan's representation agreed that his actions were "careless" but also argued that he had been playing the ball in desperation to score an equaliser in the game's final seconds. Arguments which the disciplinary committee dismissed, insisting that his intention was clearly to injure Thomas as he was rushing for the ball. Ivan Griscti,FIFA's counsel, stated that "it does appear that the player is looking at the goalkeeper". O'Donovan attempted to plead his case via video link, stating that his vision at the time was blurred having been elbowed in the face fromBesart Berisha only moments before, and that he had not realized that he had made contact with Thomas' head.[7]
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney FC | 64 |
| 2 | Newcastle Jets | 50 |
| 3 | Melbourne City | 43 |
| 4 | Melbourne Victory | 41 |
| 5 | Adelaide United | 39 |
| 6 | Brisbane Roar | 35 |
| Elimination-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | |||||||||
| Sydney FC | 2 | ||||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 2 | Melbourne Victory | 3 | ||||||||
| Adelaide United | 1 | Newcastle Jets | 0 | ||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 1 | ||||||||||
| Newcastle Jets | 2 | ||||||||||
| Melbourne City | 2 | Melbourne City | 1 | ||||||||
| Brisbane Roar | 0 | ||||||||||
| Newcastle Jets | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory |
|---|---|---|
| Reports[8] |
|
          Newcastle Jets |      Melbourne Victory |
|
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Joe Marston Medal: Assistant referees: | Match rules
|
| A-League 2018 Champions |
|---|
 |
| Melbourne Victory Fourth Title |
| Newcastle Jets | Melbourne Victory | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 0 | 1 |
| Total shots | 14 | 7 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 2 |
| Ball possession | 58.3% | 41.7% |
| Corner kicks | 4 | 5 |
| Fouls Conceded | 12 | 17 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 1 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 |
The Grand Final was broadcast live throughout Australia onFox Sports andNetwork Ten.[10]
