Superb semi keeps the momentum growing
By Michael Cockerill (Sydney Morning Herald)
February 20, 2006
ANALYSIS
Does it get any better than this?
Maybe, if you're an Adelaide United fan, it might. But even the Reds supporters, in their lucid moments, will accept that yesterday's second leg of the major semi-final was the ultimate advertisement for Australia's reborn national competition, the A-League. And for the fans of Sydney FC, it was sheer, unbridled delight.
The two best teams in the competition again went head to head at Aussie Stadium. Again there was a record crowd - this time just over 30,000 - to witness it. And, as always, not a soul left before the final whistle.
Five times these teams have met, and never have they been separated by more than a goal. Sadly for Adelaide, that one goal again proved the difference when they travelled to Sydney for the third time this season. But Adelaide's performance and the quality of their play suggest they are edging closer to ending their Aussie Stadium drought.
Maybe they'll get the opportunity in the grand final in a fortnight, although red-hot Central Coast Mariners will have something to say about that in the preliminary final next Sunday. At least Adelaide get the chance to win their way through before their own supporters at Hindmarsh Stadium. They may be unloved in Sydney, where "The Cove" vociferously barracked the visitors throughout the match, but at home and elsewhere around the country they are appreciated for what they are. A very good football team.
But this was a day that belonged to Sydney FC. Australia's biggest city has consistently drawn the biggest crowds, and now it has the grand final. Football Federation Australia will no doubt be relieved by the fact. And nobody can dispute that Sydney have earned it.
However, yesterday was an occasion not about numbers, but about heart and soul. And nobody epitomised it more than Mark Rudan, the towering Sydney defender whose goal got his team through their toughest examination. Rudan has been in some good teams in a distinguished career, but he has never won a championship.
His mantra before the inaugural season kicked off was that he wanted a medal before he retired, and preferably he wanted it this season. But for long periods it seemed he might not play a meaningful role in whatever Sydney FC might achieve. For three months, coach Pierre Littbarski refused to pick him, even when the evidence was overwhelmingly in his favour. Less dignified players might have spat the dummy, or walked out. But Rudan kept his head down, trained hard, and waited. Finally, a suspension to Iain Fyfe opened the door, and now he has closed it shut. This was his second goal in a month, but by far the most important he has ever scored. If you're looking for a hero on a night of heroics, here it is. The cub captain leading magnificently by example on an occasion he will never forget.
Unforgettable as it was, though, spare a thought for Mark Milligan. Five players went into yesterday's match sitting on a potential suspension, but Milligan was the unlucky one. He can have few complaints about the decision of referee Mark Shield - his challenge on Travis Dodd was both late and high. But the yellow card means he will miss the decider and the chance to savour the biggest game of his short career.
Just who Sydney will play is anyone's guess. Adelaide were the better team yesterday, and lost. In theory, in front of their own fans they will start favourites against Central Coast, whose coach Lawrie McKinna was perhaps the most interested spectator at the ground yesterday. But the Mariners are unbeaten in 11 games, and perhaps the team Adelaide most respect. Week three of an epic finals series looms as another must-see event.
Sydney have the luxury of a one-week rest, and skipper Dwight Yorke will be able to please two masters at once - playing for Trinidad and Tobago in London next week before returning to Sydney two days before the grand final. Not ideal but better than the alternative, which might have seen Yorke miss the preliminary final.
Instead, he will be back for the biggest game of the season before what will certainly be the biggest crowd of the campaign. It is a crowd appreciated by Littbarski, who sat in a chair in front of The Cove before the kick-off, then called his players across to unfurl a banner that read: "To the Best Fans - Thanks." It was a gesture appreciated by most in the stadium, but not Reds coach John Kosmina, who let Littbarski know his views in no uncertain terms at the final whistle.
