[Archive 2009-03-01] Australian football: Melbourne Victory win A-League grand final

Historical archive — originally published 2009-03-01. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Melbourne Victory has won the A-League Grand Final against Adelaide United at the Telstra Dome. Melbourne came into the match with a 6-0 (2-0, 4-0) win over Adelaide United in their two legged semi final. Adelaide United came into the match with a win against Queensland Roar in the preliminary final.

The A-League uses the Page playoff system where the winner of the major semi final (1st vs. 2nd) qualifies for the grand final, while the loser plays the winner of the minor semi final (3rd vs. 4th) for the remaining place.

Melbourne midfielder Tom Pondeljak scored the only goal for the match with a long range strike on sixty minutes.

Adelaide were reduced to ten men after ten minutes when Cristiano landed a clumsy elbow to the head of an opposing player. Melbourne was reduced to ten men twenty minutes from time when Danny Allsopp was sent off due to a late fracas.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Australian football: Melbourne Victory win A-League grand final by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.