It was a triumphant day for the home side at the Adelaide Oval as the Adelaide United secured a 3-1 victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers.
But who were the players that got the Reds over the line for grand final glory, and who didn’t pull their weight? Read on for full player ratings from the A-League’s biggest match.
More A-League grand final:
» A-League Grand final scores and highlights
» Three big talking points from the grand final
» Match report
GK: Eugene Galekovic – 6
The Adelaide skipper didn’t really have much to do between the sticks as his side dominated possession for large stretches. No keeper would have saved Neville’s 58th minute rocket and Galekovic’s hands were solid throughout. Captained with aplomb.
RB: Michael Marrone – 7
Was solid throughout as he adjusted in coping with the overlapping runs of Scott Jamieson. Got forward well himself at times and was an all-round good contributor to the structure of the Adelaide back line. Went off with an Achilles injury in the 73rd minute and was replaced by Tarek Elrich.
CB: Iacopo La Rocca – 8
A rock at the back. La Rocca handled his former teammates with stunning discipline, making a number of key challenges and marshalling the backline in an organised fashion. The Wanderers will be wishing they had never let him leave!
CB: Dylan McGowan – 7
Partnered La Rocca more than capably in the centre of defence for United. Coped with the threat posed by the Wanderers front three admirably.
LB: Craig Goodwin – 7
Delivered a number of testing crosses from deep into Wanderers territory. There was a question mark as to whether he would be able to cope with the speed and trickery of Castelen but did so with ease before getting forward himself.
CDM: Isaias – 9
Man of the match. Sat deep in the midfield and dictated the tempo of the match. Made a number of interceptions and was always in the right place at the right time. Not to mention his absolute peach of a free kick. Couldn’t have been hit any better. Match winner.
CM: Marcelo Carrusca – 6
His one meaningful influence came early as he skipped down the left and delivered a wonderful ball into the path of Kamau who opened the scoring. Other than that was largely anonymous other than playing his midfield role capably. Was replaced by Sanchez in the 86th minute.
CM: Stefan Mauk – 6
20 year old Mauk showed maturity beyond his years to perform admirably in such a big showpiece match as this. Played a key role in the opening goal, nutmegging a Wanderers player with his no-look pass to put Carrusca into space. Delivered on his role, Amor would be pleased.
RW: Sergio Cirio – 6
Was preoccupied with show ponying and trickery early on but settled in as the game progressed. Was a threat coming in from wide and was unlucky to be denied by Redmayne as his volleyed effort rocketed towards goal. Dangerous.
ST: Bruce Djite – 5
Not the best game for Bruce. Following his goalscoring exploits last week many expected him to be the main goal threat for the Reds. However, he was largely nullified by the Wanderers centre backs, allowing others to get in and find the net. Dropped off well and did his part at centre forward, distributing well.
LW: Bruce Kamau – 7.
21 year old Kamau announced himself on the big stage with his opening goal. His movement was exquisite throughout and posed a constant threat to the Wanderers backline. Took his goal classily and was lively in each of his 90 minutes on the pitch. Replaced in the 92nd minute by Mells.
Pablo Sanchez – 8
The super sub did what he does best. Sanchez came on and scored his seventh goal off the bench for the 2015/16 campaign. Pounced on Baccus’ poor control and slotted a delightful finish past Redmayne. Rounded off a marvellous campaign for the A-League’s Spaniards.
George Mells – N/A
Came on in the 92nd minute for Kamau. Didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
Tarek Elrich – 6
Replaced Marrone in the 76th minute. Picked up where his predecessor left off. Was solid at the back and slotted in well to a thriving Adelaide back four.
GK: Andrew Redmayne – 8
Did all he could do on the day. All three goals were virtually unsaveable and he did his best with every chance that came his way. Quite probably the Wanderers’ best on the day. Made big saves from two close range Cirio efforts including one where he literally swan dived into the feet of the attacker to deny him from just inches out. Class performance.
RB: Scott Neville – 8
What. A. Cracker. Neville’s goal will go down as one of the greatest ever in an A-League grand final. His outside of the boot effort left Galekovic with absolutely no chance. It was the goal that sparked the Wanderers back to life. Performed his duties valiantly at right back – keeping a close eye on Kamau.
CB: Alberto – 6
Not his best game. Made some decent interceptions, notably early on as Djite looked to get in on goal. Controlled Djite well and ensured he didn’t find too much space.
CB: Nikolai Topor-Stanley – 5
The Wanderers skipper wasn’t his usual commanding best in the centre of defence. Received a yellow card as he struggled to deal with the pace and trickery of Kamau. Djite didn’t worry him. Rallied his players well until the final whistle.
LB: Scott Jamieson – 7
One of the Wanderers’ best. Jamieson played wonderfully at left back and showed why he was a worthy inclusion in the PFA Team of the Season. Got forward well in addition to his solid defensive work. Delivered a classy ball for Mark Bridge late in the piece but it was just too high for his striker. Yellow carded for a bad challenge on Isaias as frustration set in.
DM: Andreu – 5
Was largely anonymous in midfield. The Wanderers needed more from the Barcelona-born midfielder who failed to imitate Isaias’ tempo-dictating role in the Adelaide midfield. Struggled to make his presence in the game known. Earned himself a booking for a bad diving challenge on Djite. Replaced by Baccus on 78 minutes.
DM: Dimas – 4
A fiery display from the Spaniard. Didn’t really contribute much in attack for the Wanderers and, like his midfield partner, failed to impose himself on the match. Whipped in a classy corner which found Santalab in space, although the striker couldn’t hit the target. Showed a lack of composure late on as he reacted furiously to conceding a foul. Yellow carded late on for a sloppy challenge on Goodwin.
AM: Mitch Nichols – 5
Started brightly and looked to create for the Wanderers. Lowered his head as his side conceded a second goal and looked a shadow of himself from then on. His presence continued to diminish as the minutes ticked on. Exited the match on 55 minutes and was replaced by Dario Vidosic. Not the best way to spend your 27th birthday.
RW: Romeo Castelen – 6
Castelen was looked to for pace and creativity, in a similar role to Kamau for the Reds. The Dutchman attempted to create but found himself dallying on the ball for too long in much of the match. Made one good run as the Wanderers probed for an equaliser. Went down with a niggling injury but stuck it out for the full 90 minutes. Had a good chance late on to equalise from a volley at the edge of the box but skied his strike over the bar.
ST: Brendon Santalab – 6
Largely ineffective throughout, other than his classy backheel assist for Neville’s goal. Was ambitious and attempted a number of ill-fated efforts on goal. Should have scored from Dimas’ corner, where his free header fell wide of the far post.
LW: Mark Bridge – 5
Seriously poor for the Wanderers. Offered little offensively and failed to make his mark on the match. Equalled the record for most A-League grand final appearances with his fifth for a third different club.
Dario Vidosic – 7
Came on and injected some much needed urgency into the Wanderers’ attacking play. Was involved in almost everything good going forward produced by the Sydneysiders following his introduction. Replaced Nichols in the 55th minute.
Kearyn Baccus – 2
Its tough to have a worse grand final appearance than Baccus managed. In his 6 minutes on the pitch, he managed to sabotage a Wanderers attacking move and then put the cherry on the cake by losing the ball on the edge of his own box for Sanchez to swoop in and ice the game. An absolute shocker. Entered in the 78th minute at the expense of Andreu.
Shannon Cole – N/A
Replaced Jamieson in the 86th minute. Not enough time to make a real impact.
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