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The Grand Final will take place at Goodwin Park on Sunday at 6.00pm.
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| The behugged Antonio Murray (#9) will spearhead City (Photo: Keith Eigeland/Football Queensland) |
Sunshine Coast FC 0
Brisbane City scored twice in stoppage time at Spencer Park on Saturday to overcome Sunshine Coast FC and book their Grand Final berth.
It took 103 minutes for a mazy Ken Dougall dribble to draw a slice of luck and break the deadlock, before a ridiculous loss of discipline from Paul Arnison cost Fire a man and ultimately the concession of a match-winning second.
It was second versus third in the first Semi-Final and as such City held hosting rights, but at a ground at which Sunshine Coast had rattled them 6-1 less than a month earlier.
Leon Dwyer, scorer of a hattrick in that match, came close in the 18th minute when his follow-up was deflected agonisingly wide, while the hosts spurned a good chance seven minutes later as a charging Matt Biggins headed a cross wide on the stretch.
The visitors' continued to have several half-chances towards the break, though the most tangible result they could manage at half-time was keeping the opposition quiet.
Few opportunities arose after the break, the best of which was Fire's three-person passing move in the 82nd minute that resulted in Dywer sliding a shot wide from inside the penalty area.
Former Brisbane Roar youth Dougall forced the opener 13 minutes into stoppage time when he won possession, jinked past three players to the byline and saw his cutback deflect off Arnison and sneak inside the near post.
Arnison's rush of blood came seven minutes after the ET restart when he wrenched Alistair Pase around the neck and hauled the City winger to the ground, receiving a straight red card despite already being on a yellow.
The disadvantage proved to great for Sunshine Coast to recover from; substitute Daniel Sharov turning home Pase's cutback to seal Brisbane City's place in the decider.
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| Attacking trio Smits, Ingham and Byrne will hope to channel Godzilla in destroying a City (Photo: Alannah Pearson/Olympic FC) |
Olympic FC 2 (Smits 65' M.Byrne 67')
Brisbane Strikers 0
Olympic FC confirmed the Grand Final contestants on Sunday evening with a 2-0 defeat of Brisbane Strikers at Goodwin Park, putting the visitors away with both goals in three minutes.
Premiers Olympic were chasing Grand Final hosting rights when fourth-placed finishers Strikers visited in the second Semi-Final and they got their wish thanks to Tim Smits and Matt Byrne's second-half strikes.
Despite having fallen to their hosts 7-2 and 6-2 in the regular season, Strikers should have taken the lead in the 13th minute via Jonti Richter - the winger was released into a one-on-one by an inch-perfect Chay Hews ball from deep but couldn't find a way past Olympic 'keeper Mario Aparicio, who spread himself low for the save.
The only other true chance of a cagey opening 45 came when the onrushing Tim Smits found space on the six yard box but headed over Jai Ingham's clipped cross from the right.
Much of the action instead came after the restart as the league winners began to gain the initiative and made it count on the scoreboard with two goals in quick succession.
The opener came when winger Ingham was gifted space on the right to deliver an accurate cross onto the head of Smits, who atoned for his earlier miss by directing a header too powerful for 'keeper David Chambers to hold and prevent marginally crossing the line.
Just seconds later Olympic had their sealer, fullback Matt Byrne following the move he started on halfway to profit from combinations between Jake McLean and Smits by finishing from inside the penalty area.
While the hosts made have a third, the visitors wondered how they didn't claw one back near stoppage time as a deflected Chris Roulston effort struck the inside of the post and bounced across the goal face.
The match utlimately ended at 2-0 meaning a Goodwin Park Grand Final for Olympic FC, the venue at which they suffered the first of three losses for the regular season to none other than Brisbane City.