Melbourne City Secures Narrow Win Against Crosstown Rivals to Claim A-League Title

Israeli forward Yonatan Cohen emerged as the hero as Melbourne City triumphed over crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory with a 1-0 win, securing the A-League title on Saturday.

With a capacity crowd of 29,902 at AAMI Park, Cohen netted the decisive goal in the 10th minute. From there, the resolute City defence held firm, thwarting Victory’s attempts during a tense second half.

This victory marks City’s second championship, having reached the grand final for the fifth time in six years.

“It’s incredible to achieve this against our rivals,” said City defender Nathaniel Atkinson.

“We scored early on and had faith in our defence to maintain a clean sheet.”

For Victory, the defeat was a painful pill to swallow, finishing as runners-up for the second consecutive season and missing the chance to match Sydney FC’s record of five titles.

“It’s really disappointing to find ourselves in this position for two years in a row,” remarked Victory defender Roderick Miranda.

“We had opportunities at the start, but they defended exceptionally well in the second half.”

These powerhouse clubs had never faced each other in a grand final prior to this, following the shift from the National Soccer League to the A-League in 2005 as Australia’s premier football competition.

This thrilling decider provided a boost for a league that has been grappling with financial issues and dwindling interest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A strong police presence was noticeable before the match, as rival fans marched through the streets lighting flares, although no violent incidents were reported.

Inside the stadium, amidst a charged atmosphere, Victory made an aggressive start, with striker Daniel Arzani causing problems for City’s backline.

However, City, entering the match on an unbeaten streak of eight games, seized the moment during their first attack.

Max Caputo’s powerful shot rebounded off the post straight to Cohen, who scored the third fastest goal in A-League grand final history.

City continued to pose a threat on the counter, with Mathew Leckie’s powerful header on target until a desperate dive from goalkeeper Jack Duncan saved the day for Victory.

The relentless Arzani fought hard to carve out an equaliser for Victory, but found little space against the tightly-knit City defence.

Cohen nearly doubled the lead early in the second half with a stunning curler from outside the box, only for Duncan to pull off another brilliant save.

As tensions rose between both teams, City missed several key chances that could have sealed the match.

Yet, their robust defence stood strong, and when the final whistle blew, City erupted in celebration.