A-League Men Grand Final: Highlights from Western United's first-ever championship

Joshua Mayne

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A-League Men Grand Final: Highlights from Western United's first-ever championship image

Western United claimed their first-ever championship with a 2-0 win over Melbourne City in the A-League Men Grand Final on Saturday night.

John Aloisi's side scored twice in the first half - courtesy of a Nuno Reis own goal and a thumping Aleksandar Prijović strike - and never looked like giving up their lead from then on. 

Take a look back through all the action with The Sporting News' live blog below.

A-League Men Grand Final full-time score and goals

Team First half Second half Final score
Melbourne City 0 0 0
Western United 2 0 2

Goals: Nuno Reis [OG] (2'), Aleksandar Prijović (30')

A-League Men Grand Final commentary, goals and highlights

Champions! Western United lift the A-League Men championship trophy, with an injured Alessandro Diamanti hilariously changing into his full kit for the celebrations.

FULL TIME: Western United 2-0. What a confident and professional performance from the team in green and black! They outplayed the reigning champions, and are thoroughly deserving of the win. 

Aleksandar Prijović delivered on the big stage, and Jamie Young put on a faultless display between the sticks.

92nd min: Into added time now, and Western United keep clearing their lines. They can smell victory.

86th min: Another chance for Andrew Nabbout, but his curled shot from the edge of the box is fairly time. City running out of time now.

84th min: Tonight's attendance is announced as 22,495, short of AAMI Park's 30,050 seat capacity.

80th min: Chance! Scott Galloway fires a long-range effort, but it is confidently saved by Jamie Young.

78th min: Substitution for Melbourne City. Taras Gomulka replaces Connor Metcalfe.

75th min: Melbourne City are beginning to rush things now. They hurry to take a throw-in and end up being called offside.

70th min: Andrew Nabbout takes a shot from outside the box which sails wide, much to the delight of the active Western United fans behind the goal. 

67th min: The game is definitely on edge now. Box to box action, and it's impossible to know who will score next.

65th min: Substitution for Melbourne City. Marco Tilio comes on for Rostyn Griffiths. Will this spark some more opportunities in attack?

64th min: Dylan Wenzel-Halls picks up a yellow card for a clear foul in the middle of the park.

62nd min: Substitution for Western United. Steven Lustica is replaced by Jerry Skotadis.

60th min: Chance! Mathew Leckie has a few big opportunities to score his team's first goal, but can't execute in the box. Western United escape with some scrambling defence.

58th min: Florin Berenguer overhits a cross in a promising attacking position, and it seems like Marco Tilio is preparing to come on as his replacement.

52nd min: Melbourne City have started the second period well, and seem committed to making a comeback. Good signs for their fans.

48th min: Chance! City nearly start the second half in emphatic fashion, but Curtis Good's header rattles off the crossbar. Terrific free-kick cross from Scott Jamieson, too.

46th min: We're underway again! Scott Galloway has come on to replace Carl Jenkinson. Can Melbourne City claw their way back into this one?

Half time: 2-0 Western United. Not many could have seen that coming. A confident performance from John Aloisi's side, who have made the most of their opportunities.

44th min: Bizarre little incident between Carl Jenkinson and Connor Pain. The pair were having a face-to-face altercation before Jenkinson made a gentle headbutting motion. It's checked by VAR, but no cards are given out.

43rd min: Another chance! This time for Melbourne City. Andrew Nabbout skillfully makes his way into the box and dinks in a ball with the outside of his boot. Goes just beyond Jamie Maclaren at the far post, though.

41st min: Chance! Steven Lustica finds himself in space but shoots over the bar. That would've nearly put the game beyond doubt.

39th min: More top-notch goalkeeping from Jamie Young. He emphatically punches away a dangerous cross.

37th min: Josh Risdon appears to still be struggling with a hip injury. He is carrying on and refusing to give up but is grimacing regularly. 

30th min: GOAL! Aleksandar Prijović thumps home a rebounded shot to give Western United a deserved 2-0 lead. It was originally ruled out for offside, but a quick review sees Chris Beath award a goal. This is a thoroughly impressive first-half performance from a side considered pre-match underdogs.

26th min: Chance! The momentum has shifted back to Western United. Aleksandar Prijović bends a shot in, and it nearly falls at the feet of his teammates for a tap-in. Curtis Good was on hand to hastily clear away any danger, though.

23rd min: Scott Jamieson whips in a corner, but it is taken comfortably by Jamie Young. Western United's veteran goalkeeper has looked very composed in these early stages.

19th min: City are gaining some more control now and taking their time in possession. A crafty lob pass from halfway nearly creates an opportunity.

16th min: Melbourne City not looking as tidy in attack as we've seen this season. Still plenty of time to get into a rhythm, though.

10th min: Now Josh Risdon is down being treated for a hip injury, but the Western United skipper is cleared by the team's medics.

9th min: A few nervy moments in defence for Western United. Josh Risdon makes an error attempting to clear, and Nabbout nearly pounces.

6th min: Plenty of counter-attacking opportunities for both sides already. With Melbourne City chasing, this is set to be an entertaining match. 

2nd min: GOAL! What a start for Western United! The match's first corner is flicked on via a header and hits the back of the net. Aleksandar Prijović claims it initially, but it is deemed to be a Nuno Reis own goal. The earliest ever goal in an A-League Men Grand Final.

Kick-off: We're underway in the decider! 

5 mins to kick-off: It's now time for the Welcome to Country, followed by the Australian national anthem.

15 mins to kick-off: The pre-match entertainment has wrapped up, and AAMI Park is buzzing with anticipation. Not much longer now.

60 mins to kick-off: Team sheets are out!

Melbourne City have made one change from their last match, with Rostyn Griffiths replacing Taras Gomulka in the midfield.

Steven Lustica has recovered from injury concerns to make Western United's starting side at the expense of Jerry Skotadis.

Full starting XIs can be viewed at the bottom of this blog.

90 mins to kick-off: Western United players are in the house, too.

2 hours to kick-off: Melbourne City players have arrived.  

3 hours to kick-off: Both of tonight's teams are led at the front by high-quality strikers. Will Jamie Maclaren (Melbourne City) and Aleksandar Prijović (Western United) get on the scoresheet tonight?

5 hours to kick-off: Welcome to tonight's A-League Men Grand Final live blog! Melbourne City will be coming into this match as favourites, but you simply can't write off an exciting Western United side in only their third season.

The temperature in Melbourne will drop to about 11 degrees by kick-off, but no rain or heavy wind is expected at AAMI Park.

Melbourne City v Western United line-ups

Melbourne City starting XI: Tom Glover, Scott Jamieson, Curtis Good, Nuno Reis, Carl Jenkinson, Rostyn Griffiths, Connor Metcalfe, Florin Berenguer, Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren, Andrew Nabbout

Western United starting XI: Jamie Young, Josh Risdon, Léo Lacroix, Tomoki Imai, Ben Garuccio, Neil Kilkenny, Steven Lustica, Connor Pain, Lachlan Wales, Dylan Wenzel-Halls, Aleksandar Prijović

How to watch the A-League Men Grand Final

Date Time Match Stadium Broadcast
Sat. May 28 7.45pm Melbourne City vs. Western United AAMI Park Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne Photo

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News Australia based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and journalist at Ministry of Sport. While Joshua’s main passions are football, rugby league, basketball and F1, he will watch any sport that's on. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again.