View source for 2020 A-League Grand Final

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox football match
| title      = 2020 A-League Grand Final
| image      = 
| image_size = 
| event      = [[2019–20 A-League]]
| team1      = [[Sydney FC]]
| team2      = [[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]]
| team1score = 1
| team2score = 0
| details    = 
| date       = 30 August 2020
| stadium    = [[Western Sydney Stadium|Bankwest Stadium]]
| city       = [[Sydney]]
| man_of_the_match1a = [[Rhyan Grant]]
| man_of_the_match1aname = [[Joe Marston Medal]]
| referee    = [[Chris Beath]] 
| attendance = 7,051
| weather    = 
| previous   = [[2019 A-League Grand Final|2019]]
| next       = [[2021 A-League Grand Final|2021]]
}}
The '''2020 A-League Grand Final''' was the fifteenth [[A-League Grand Final]], the championship-deciding match of the Australian [[A-League]] and the culmination of the [[2019–20 A-League|2019–20 season]]. The match was originally scheduled to be played in May 2020 but was postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Australia|COVID-19 pandemic]], and was played on 30 August 2020 between [[Sydney FC]] and [[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]] at [[Western Sydney Stadium|Bankwest Stadium]] in the western [[Sydney]] suburb of [[Parramatta, New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-16/a-league-confirms-season-to-resume-on-july-16/12359184|title=A-League to resume season with Melbourne Victory v Western United on July 16|work=ABC News|date=16 June 2020}}</ref>

[[Sydney FC]] defeated Melbourne City, who were appearing in their first Grand Final, by 1 goal to nil. The win meant Sydney claimed their fifth A-League championship, a [[List of Australian soccer champions|record amount]] for any club in Australian domestic league football.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://7news.com.au/sport/soccer/sydney-fc-win-2019-20-a-league-grand-final-c-1278352.amp|title=Sydney FC claim fifth A-League grand final|publisher=AAP|work=7News|date=30 August 2020}}</ref>

==Teams==
''In the following table, finals until 2004 were in the National Soccer League era, since 2006 were in the A-League era.''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Team
!Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners)
|-
|[[Sydney FC]]
|5 ('''[[2006 A-League Grand Final|2006]]''', '''[[2010 A-League Grand Final|2010]]''', [[2015 A-League Grand Final|2015]], '''[[2017 A-League Grand Final|2017]]''', '''[[2019 A-League Grand Final|2019]]''')
|-
|[[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]]
|None
|}

==Route to the final==
{{See also|2019–20 A-League|2019–20 Sydney FC season|2019–20 Melbourne City FC season}}

The 2019–20 season was the league's fifteenth since its inception in 2005, and the 43rd season of top-flight association football in [[Australia]]. Eleven teams competed in the regular season, with each team playing a total of 26 matches, resulting in an uneven fixture that involved some clubs meeting three times and others meeting only twice. The top six teams qualified for the finals series, which were played in a straight-knockout format, with the top two teams earning an automatic place in the semi-finals and the bottom four teams playing off in elimination finals. The two winners of the semi-finals met in the grand final. [[Sydney FC]] and [[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]] qualified for the semi-finals by virtue of finishing first and second respectively, whilst [[Wellington Phoenix FC|Wellington Phoenix]] (third) met [[Perth Glory FC|Perth Glory]] (sixth) in the first elimination final and [[Brisbane Roar FC|Brisbane Roar]] (fourth) took on [[Western United FC|Western United]] (fifth) in the second elimination final. Perth and Western United won their respective matches by one goal to nil. As the top-ranked team Sydney FC were paired with and defeated Perth, the lowest-ranked winning team, for their semi-final, whilst Melbourne City were victorious against Western United in the other semi-final. 

Due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Australia|COVID-19 pandemic]], all finals matches and the grand final were played at [[Western Sydney Stadium|Bankwest Stadium]] in [[New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/a-league-heads-to-new-south-wales-hub-due-to-covid-19-curbs/ar-BB16b109|title=A-League heads to New South Wales 'hub' due to COVID-19 curbs|agency=Reuters|publisher=MSN News|date=1 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/var-to-return-for-a-league-finals-at-bankwest-stadium-20200818-p55myn.html|title=VAR to return for A-League finals at Bankwest Stadium|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=18 August 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |[[Sydney FC]]
!Round
! colspan="2" |[[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]]
|-
| colspan="2" valign="top" |1st place{{2019–20 A-League table|only_pld_pts=yes|show_limit=5|showteam=SYD}}
| style="background:#c1e0ff" |[[2019–20 A-League|Regular season]]
| colspan="2" valign="top" |2nd place{{2019–20 A-League table|only_pld_pts=yes|show_limit=5|showteam=MCY}}
|- style="background:#c1e0ff"
|Opponent
|Score
|
|Opponent
|Score
|-
| align="left" |Bye week
|N/A
| style="background:#c1e0ff" |Elimination finals
| align="left" |Bye week
|N/A
|-
| align="left" |[[Perth Glory FC|Perth Glory]]
|2–0
| style="background:#c1e0ff" |Semi-finals
| align="left" |[[Western United FC|Western United]]
|2–0
|}

==Pre-match==
[[File:WesternSydneyStadiumNorthEastCorner.jpg|thumb|[[Western Sydney Stadium|Bankwest Stadium]] in [[Sydney]] hosted the Grand Final]]

===Venue===
The Grand Final was held at [[Western Sydney Stadium|Bankwest Stadium]], [[Sydney]], New South Wales.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-08-18|title=Bankwest Stadium to host Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series|url=https://www.a-league.com.au/news/bankwest-stadium-host-hyundai-a-league-2020-finals-series|access-date=2020-08-18|publisher=A-League|language=en}}</ref> It was the first Grand Final held at the venue.

===Attendance===
Most A-League matches played after the season's resumption in mid-July were played [[Behind closed doors (sport)|behind closed doors]], with others played before limited crowds in size due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed on sporting events by the [[Government of New South Wales|New South Wales Government]]. A limited number of people were permitted into Bankwest Stadium for the Grand Final.<ref name=":0" />

==Match==
===Summary===
The match started with Melbourne City attacking repeatedly, with five shots in the first ten minutes, including many close chances. They nearly scored the first goal in the eighteenth minute with a [[Harrison Delbridge]] strike, however the [[Video assistant referee|video assistant referee (VAR)]] ruled that [[Lachlan Wales]], who was in an [[Offside (association football)|offside]] position, obstructed the sight of Sydney FC's goalkeeper [[Andrew Redmayne]], meaning that the goal would not stand. Soon after, Sydney FC's [[Adam Le Fondre]] was seen to have been pulled down in the box by City's [[Curtis Good]], however penalty shouts were ignored by referee [[Chris Beath]] and the VAR asserted this assessment. As the game progressed, Sydney eased into it however both teams still had a plethora of attacking opportunities, none of which were able to settle the result inside regular time due to exemplary showings from both Redmayne and City goalkeeper [[Tom Glover (soccer)|Tom Glover]]. The deadlock was eventually broken when [[Rhyan Grant]] of Sydney FC managed to rebound the ball of his chest and into the goal off a pass from [[Luke Brattan]] in the 100th minute. Controversially, Grant then covered his face with his shirt, an offence that the laws of the game require to be punished with a yellow card, one that would have seen him sent off for a second bookable offence. After the game the referees boss Strebre Delovski stated that doing so would have been "very harsh" as the reason for not doing so. More chances came and went however the match ended 1–0, with the regular season premiers prevailing for the fifth time, the most championships of any side in the history of Australia's top flight.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-30|title=A-League final 2020: Sydney FC vs Melbourne City, score, result, video, highlights|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/aleague-final-2020-sydney-fc-vs-melbourne-city-live-score-start-time-how-to-watch-video/news-story/0a0f9714a80f245486435be6b00e82c3|access-date=2020-08-31|website=Fox Sports|language=en-AU}}</ref> Meanwhile, the [[Joe Marston Medal]] was awarded to the only goalscorer on the night, Rhyan Grant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/football/live/2020/aug/30/a-league-2020-grand-final-sydney-fc-v-melbourne-city-live|title=A-League 2020 grand final: Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne City (aet) – as it happened|work=The Guardian|date=30 August 2020}}</ref>

===Details===
<onlyinclude>
{{football box
| date = 30 August 2020
| time = 18:30 [[UTC+10:00|AEST]]
| team1 = [[Sydney FC]]
| score = 1–0
| aet = yes
| report = https://aleagues.com.au/match/a-league-men/sydney-vs-melbourne-city-30-08-2020/
| team2 = [[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]]
| goals1 = [[Rhyan Grant|Grant]] {{goal|100}}
| location = [[Sydney]]
| stadium = [[Western Sydney Stadium|Bankwest Stadium]]
| attendance = 7,051
| referee = [[Chris Beath]]
}}
</onlyinclude>

{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Football kit
 | pattern_la = _sydney1920h
 | pattern_b  = _sydney1920h
 | pattern_ra = _sydney1920h
 | pattern_sh = _sydney1920h
 | pattern_so = _sydney1819h
 | leftarm= 77BBFF
 | body = 77BBFF
 | rightarm= 77BBFF
 | shorts = 002F5E
 | socks= 77BBFF
 |title     = Sydney FC
}}
|{{Football kit
| pattern_la = _skenderbeu1819h
| pattern_b= _melbcity1920t
| pattern_ra = _skenderbeu1819h
| pattern_sh = _melbcity1920t
| pattern_so= 
| leftarm= FF0000
| body = FF0000
| rightarm= FF0000
| shorts = FF0000
| socks= FF0000
 |title      = {{nowrap|Melbourne City}}
}}
|}

{| width="100%"
|valign="top" width="40%"|
{| style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
!width=25| !!width=25|
|-
|GK||'''1''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Andrew Redmayne]]
|-
|RB||'''23'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Rhyan Grant]]||{{yel|97}}
|-
|CB||'''4''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Alex Wilkinson]] ([[Captain (association football)|c]])
|-
|CB||'''6''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ryan McGowan]]
|-
|LB||'''16'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Joel King]]
|-
|RM||'''17'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Anthony Caceres]]|| ||{{suboff|87}}
|-
|MF||'''8''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Paulo Retre]]||{{yel|53}}
|-
|MF||'''26'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Luke Brattan]]
|-
|LM||'''10'''||{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Milos Ninkovic]]
|-
|CF||'''11'''||{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Kosta Barbarouses]]|| ||{{suboff|87}}
|-
|CF||'''26'''||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Adam Le Fondre]]
|-
|colspan=3|'''Substitutes:'''
|-
|GK||'''20'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Thomas Heward-Belle]]
|-
|DF||'''3''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ben Warland]]
|-
|DF||'''21'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Harry Van Der Saag]]
|-
|MF||'''5''' ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Alexander Baumjohann]]|| ||{{subon|87}}
|-
|MF||'''19'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Chris Zuvela]]
|-
|FW||'''12'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Trent Buhagiar]]|| ||{{subon|87}}
|-
|FW||'''18'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Luke Ivanovic]]
|-
|colspan=3|'''Head coach:'''
|-
|colspan=3|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Steve Corica]]
|-
|colspan=4|
|}
|valign="top"|
|valign="top" width="50%"|
{| style="font-size:90%;margin:auto" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
!width=25| !!width=25|
|-
|GK||'''1''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Tom Glover (soccer)|Tom Glover]]
|-
|RB||'''4''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Harrison Delbridge]] || || {{suboff|72}}
|-
|DF||'''40'''||{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Richard Windbichler]] ||{{yel|103}}|| {{suboff|116}}
|-
|DF||'''22'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Curtis Good]]
|-
|LB||'''13'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Nathaniel Atkinson]]||{{yel|117}}
|-
|MF||'''20'''||{{flagicon|URU}} [[Adrián Luna]] || ||{{suboff|106}}
|-
|MF||'''6''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Joshua Brillante]] ([[Captain (association football)|c]])
|-
|MF||'''8''' ||{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Florin Berenguer]] || || {{suboff|77}}
|-
|RW||'''19'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Lachlan Wales]] || || {{suboff|86}}
|-
|FW||'''9''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jamie Maclaren]]
|-
|LW||'''11'''||{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Craig Noone]] || || {{suboff|106}}
|-
|colspan=3|'''Substitutes:'''
|-
|GK||'''46'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Joe Gauci]]
|-
|DF||'''2''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Scott Galloway (soccer)|Scott Galloway]] || || {{subon|72}}
|-
|MF||'''7''' ||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Rostyn Griffiths]] || || {{subon|116}}
|-
|MF||'''21'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ramy Najjarine]] || || {{subon|86}}
|-
|MF||'''30'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Moudi Najjar]] || || {{subon|106}}
|-
|MF||'''34'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Connor Metcalfe]] || || {{subon|77}}
|-
|FW||'''49'''||{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Stefan Colakovski]] || || {{subon|106}}
|-
|colspan=3|'''Head coach:'''
|-
|colspan=3|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Erick Mombaerts]]
|-
|colspan=4|
|}
|}
{| width=100% style="font-size:90%"
|
'''[[Joe Marston Medal]]:'''
<br />[[Rhyan Grant]] (Sydney FC)

'''[[Assistant referee (association football)|Assistant referees]]:'''
<br />Scott Edeling 
<br />Kearney Robinson 
<br />'''[[Assistant referee (association football)#Fourth official|Fourth official]]:'''
<br />[[Alex King (referee)|Alex King]]
<br />'''[[Assistant referee (association football)#Fifth official|Fifth official]]:'''
<br />Ryan Gallagher
<br />'''[[Video assistant referee]]:'''
<br /> [[Kris Griffiths-Jones]]
|style="width:60%; vertical-align:top"|
'''Match rules'''
*90 minutes.
*30 minutes of [[Overtime (sports)#Association football|extra time]] if necessary.
*[[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|Penalty shoot-out]] if scores still level.
*Seven named substitutes.
*Maximum of five substitutions, and one additional substitute if extra time is played.
|}

===Statistics===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Overall statistics
|-
!width=100|
!width=80 | Sydney FC
!width=80 | Melbourne City
|-
|Goals scored || 1 || 0
|-
|Total shots || 15 || 20
|-
|Shots on target || 10 || 8
|-
|{{nowrap|Ball possession}} || 48.1% || 51.9%
|-
|Corner kicks || 7 || 9
|-
|Fouls conceded|| 18 || 19
|-
|Offsides || 1 || 1
|-
|Yellow cards || 2 || 2
|-
|Red cards || 0 || 0
|}

==Broadcasting==
The Grand Final was broadcast throughout Australia live on [[Fox Sports Australia|Fox Sports]] and delayed on [[ABC Me]]. The radio rights for the match were held by [[ABC Radio Grandstand]] as well as [[Sports Entertainment Network|SEN]] & [[SWR Triple 9 FM]].

It was also shown on [[ESPN+]] in the [[United States]], as a simulcast of the Fox Sports broadcast.

==See also==
* [[2019–20 A-League]]
* [[List of A-League honours]]

==External links==
* [https://www.a-league.com.au/ Official A-League website]\

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{notelist}}

{{A-League Grand Finals}}
{{Melbourne City FC matches}}
{{Sydney FC matches}}
{{2019–20 in Australian soccer}}

[[Category:2019–20 A-League season]]
[[Category:A-League Men Grand Finals]]
[[Category:August 2020 sports events in Australia|A-League Grand Finals]]
[[Category:Soccer competitions in Sydney]]
[[Category:Association football events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic|A-League, 2020]]
[[Category:Sydney FC matches]]
[[Category:Melbourne City FC matches]]
[[Category:A-League Men matches]]
[[Category:2020s in Sydney]]