2016 A-League Grand Final
| Company type | Sports event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Soccer |
| Founded | May 1, 2016 |
| Headquarters | Adelaide , Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand (broadcast) |
The 2016 A-League Grand Final marked the eleventh occurrence of the event and took place on 1 May 2016 at Adelaide Oval to determine the champion of the 2015–16 A-League season. The contenders were Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers, who finished first and second respectively in the regular season standings.
Adelaide United triumphed with a 3–1 victory in front of 50,119 fans, capturing their inaugural A-League championship after having lost two previous finals in 2007 and 2009. The Western Sydney Wanderers, making their third final appearance, were still seeking their first title following defeats in 2013 and 2014.
As winners, Adelaide United secured qualification for the group stage of the 2017 AFC Champions League, although they had already qualified based on their league finish.
Teams
Final appearances account for National Soccer League finals up to 2004 and A-League finals from 2006 onward.
| Team | Previous final appearances (bold denotes champions) |
|---|---|
| Adelaide United | 2 (2007, 2009) |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2 (2013, 2014) |
Route to the final
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide United | 49 |
| 2 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 48 |
| 3 | Brisbane Roar | 48 |
| 4 | Melbourne City | 44 |
| 5 | Perth Glory | 43 |
| 6 | Melbourne Victory | 41 |
The finals series featured the top six teams. Those finishing third through sixth—Brisbane Roar FC, Melbourne City FC, Perth Glory FC, and Melbourne Victory FC—competed in elimination finals, while the first and second placed clubs, Adelaide United FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC, advanced directly to the semi-finals.
In the elimination rounds, Melbourne City secured a 2–0 win over Perth Glory thanks to two goals from Bruno Fornaroli, whereas Brisbane Roar narrowly defeated Melbourne Victory 2–1 with a late goal from Thomas Broich.
During the semi-finals, Adelaide United dominated Melbourne City 4–1 at Hindmarsh Stadium, with goals scored by Bruce Djite (including a penalty), Dylan McGowan, and Pablo Sánchez Alberto. Meanwhile, Western Sydney Wanderers staged a remarkable comeback at Parramatta Stadium, overcoming Brisbane Roar 5–4 after extra time despite trailing 0–3 early on. Notable scorers included Romeo Castelen, Brendon Santalab, and substitute Dario Vidosic.
Pre-match
Following Adelaide United’s semi-final victory, Adelaide Oval was chosen as the venue for the 2016 A-League Grand Final. With a seating capacity of 53,583, it significantly surpasses United’s regular home ground, Coopers Stadium, by 37,083 seats. The Oval has previously hosted major fixtures such as friendlies against Málaga CF (attended by 23,254 spectators) and Liverpool FC (drawing 53,008 fans).
The match referee was Jarred Gillett, who had been named the 2015–16 Referee of the Year and is FIFA-listed with prior grand final officiating experience in 2012 and 2015. He was assisted by Matthew Cream and Luke Brennan, with Paul Cetrangolo acting as fourth official and Strebre Delovski along with Chris Beath serving as additional assistants.
By 26 April, ticket sales had surpassed 43,000, including an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 supporters traveling from other states—a figure comparable to attendance at the 2014 Grand Final. This demand led airlines to introduce extra flights between Sydney and Adelaide. Qantas fares surged to nearly $900 one-way for nonstop travel; Virgin Australia added four flights with economy seats starting at $445; Tigerair Australia also increased weekend services offering tickets around $469 one-way.
To accommodate the high demand, FFA opened The Hill section at Adelaide Oval, releasing an additional 1,500 tickets for general admission.
Summary
Adelaide took the lead in the 22nd minute when Bruce Kamau successfully converted a cross delivered by Marcelo Carrusca. Twelve minutes later, Isaías extended the advantage by curling a free kick beyond Wanderers goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.
Early in the second half, Adelaide came close to scoring a third goal. However, Western Sydney's Scott Neville rekindled their hopes with a strike in the 58th minute, assisted by Romeo Castelen and Brendon Šantalab. Although Adelaide appeared to have reestablished a two-goal cushion later on, the goal was disallowed due to offside. Despite persistent attempts from the Wanderers to level the score, Pablo Sanchez sealed the victory for Adelaide in the closing moments by shooting across Redmayne to finalize the score at 3–1.
The man of the match honors and the Joe Marston Medal were awarded to Isaías.
Details
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Joe Marston Medal:
Assistant referees:
Fourth official:
Additional assistant referees:
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Statistics
| Adelaide United | Western Sydney Wanderers | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 3 | 1 |
| Total attempts | 15 | 10 |
| Shots on goal | 7 | 3 |
| Possession of ball | 35.7% | 64.3% |
| Corner kicks awarded | 5 | 6 |
| Fouls committed | 18 | 14 |
| Offside calls | 1 | 3 |
| Yellow cards received | 0 | 4 |
| Red cards received | 0 | 0 |
Broadcasting
In Australia, the 2016 A-League Grand Final was televised live on Foxtel and also shown on free-to-air television, with SBS providing a delayed broadcast one hour after the event. Additionally, the match was broadcast in real-time on ABC NewsRadio. Viewers in New Zealand could watch the game live via Sky Sport.