8m ago 08.19 BST Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the A-League Men grand final between Auckland FC and Sydney FC at Go Media Stadium. History is being made, for better and worse, with this the first A-Leagues decider to be staged in New Zealand. On the other hand, it is also the first men’s final to be held without either of the top two teams from the premiership campaign earning a spot in the last game of the season.
The finalists are both well worth their place in the championship decider though, after Auckland steamrolled Adelaide United away from home in the second leg of their semi-final and then Sydney broke Newcastle hearts in a penalty shootout the following night.
Kick off in Auckland is 8.10pm local / 6.10pm AEST. I’ll be back shortly with the starting XIs and more shortly. But now is the time to hit me up with your thoughts – shoot me an email, or find me on X @martinpegan and Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!
View image in fullscreen: Auckland FC captain Hiroki Sakai and Sydney FC skipper Rhyan Grant with the A-League Men championship trophy before the grand final. Photograph: Blake Armstrong/AAP
