3 minute read

Perth Glory's hopes of a maiden A-League Championship came to a crushing halt against Sydney FC in the grand final on Sunday.

No amount of purple hamburgers could take away the heartbreak Perth Glory fans were feeling on Sunday.

Western Australia was whipped into Glory fever heading into the grand final against Sydney FC at Optus Stadium.

Fans attending the match could even purchase a specially-made burger featuring a purple bun.

But for the record 56,371 crowd - the biggest ever at an A-League grand final - only one thing truly mattered - victory.

With the game locked at 0-0 after extra time, it meant penalties would decide the champion.

Glory survived a nailbiting shootout against Adelaide a week earlier.

But there was no happy ending this time around, with Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne becoming the hero.

Redmayne put his team in the box seat with a sharp save to deny Andy Keogh.

And he held his nerve to save Brendon Santalab's cheeky chip.

When Reza Ghoochannejhad whipped his penalty home, the title was Sydney's.

Glory have endured a somewhat tortured history when it comes to grand finals, despite snaring the last two titles in the now-defunct NSL.

In the 2000 NSL grand final, Glory led Wollongong Wolves 3-0 at half-time before losing on penalties.

And in 2012, Glory led Brisbane 1-0 in the title decider before two late Besart Berisha goals sunk Perth's hopes.

Berisha's second - nailed from the spot in the dying moments - remains the A-League's most controversial penalty ever awarded.

Hopes were high Glory could end their Championship drought under the watch of master coach Tony Popovic.

But the fans will have to wait at least another year for that drought to end.

And spare a thought for Popovic, who has now lost all four of his A-League grand finals, three of which were at Western Sydney.

Sunday's crowd beat the previous record for an A-League grand final - the 55,436 that were on hand for Melbourne Victory's crushing 6-0 win over Adelaide United in the 2006/07 decider.

The record for any A-League fixture is the 61,880 set for Sydney's 4-0 win over Western Sydney at ANZ Stadium in October 2016.

LARGEST EVER SOCCER CROWDS (NSL and A-LEAGUE)

*61,880 - Sydney FC v Western Sydney in round one, 2016/17 at ANZ Stadium

*56,371 - Perth Glory v Sydney FC 2019 grand final at Optus Stadium

*55,436 Melbourne Victory v Adelaide 2007 grand final at Marvel Stadium

*53,273 Melbourne Victory v Adelaide 2009 grand final at Marvel Stadium