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The 2008 A-League Grand Final took place at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia on February 24, 2008.
The first half of the game ended in a draw with neither sides scoring a goal, though each had good scoring opportunities. Gary van Egmond made a risky change to his sides starting formation, playing a with a back three. In the 64th minute Mark Bridge scored the only goal after Tony Vidmar slipped, gifting the ball to Bridge in the last quarter.
The game ended in controversy after Central Coast earned a corner late into extra time in the second half. As the ball was crossed into Newcastle's penalty area, it appeared to hit Newcastle player James Holland on the right arm, before it was cleared away. Mariners players immediately demanded a penalty, yet referee Mark Shield decided not to award one. Video replays showed that the ball clearly hit Holland on the forearm. The Mariners players, enraged, continued to scream at Shields, pressuring him for a penalty. Mariners keeper Danny Vukovic as a result of this frustration, hit Shields' arm away when the referee was penalising one of Vukovic's teammates with a yellowcard. Shields then immediately awarded Vukovic with a red card. Vukovic would later be charged with striking a match official by the FFA, and was subsequently banned for 9 months, 3 of those months suspended. This means Vukovic will miss a significant portion of the next A-League season as well as the Olympic Games (most likely).
[edit] Match Details
[edit] Match Statistics
|
Central Coast |
Newcastle |
| Attempts at goal |
13 |
6 |
| Attempts on target |
1 |
3 |
| Attempts off target |
12 |
3 |
| Attempts - Woodwork |
0 |
0 |
| Keeper saves |
1 |
1 |
| Ball possession |
42% |
58% |
| Corners |
1 |
6 |
| Fouls committed |
18 |
15 |
| Offsides |
1 |
4 |
| Yellow cards |
3 |
2 |
| Red cards |
1 |
0 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
64'
