Melbourne Victory was prevented from wrapping up the league title with five rounds still to play by a spirited Sydney FC which fought out a scoreless draw at Docklands Stadium on Friday evening.
It was a game played at a frenetic pace, and with a significant degree of skill. It is unlikely any of the 50,333 in attendance would have felt short-changed as they departed the stadium despite the lack of a goal. Indeed, the intensity of the action meant that the second-half especially flew by in an instant.
Going into the game, Victory coach Ernie Merrick described Melbourne's forthcoming encounters as being akin to Finals matches, and prepared his team accordingly. Given the two-legged nature of the Finals first round, cagey first-leg contests are the norm, and if this one was planned as the first ninety minutes of a contest over 180, Merrick as well as his opposite number Terry Butcher could both claim to be well-placed.
"I'd say it was (a Finals-type game)," he said after the match. "I thought we created a couple of really good opportunities which (Sydney goalkeeper) Clint Bolton denied us. But it was edgy stuff - end to end."
"It probably is what's going to occur in the Finals. (Sydney) didn't throw numbers forward - they prevented us getting good-quality passes in numbers to our strikers. But I felt we had the edge all the way through."
"It was a great crowd," said Butcher. "I was completely knocked back by the (size of the near 40,000) crowd the first time (we played) down here. (It's) getting even better and bigger and stronger. I'm really pleased to be a part of that."
"We've come here (and) lost twice to Melbourne, (so) we wanted to make it as flat as possible, and try and get our game going. It's nice to win and entertain in the process. (But) my job is to win football matches," Butcher said.
Melbourne Victory had not just broken the national league attendance record in cramming more than 50,000 football fans into the stadium, but had smashed it. It was the highest attendance at a domestic football game of all time. It had outdrawn all Aussie Rules games at the venue over the past three AFL seasons. Given that those games often involve two, rather than just one Victorian or Victorian-originating side, the 50,000 turnout for Victory was exceptional.
Victory captain Kevin Muscat provided a player's angle on the significance of the attendance. "You'd do well to find an Australian abroad this weekend who'll play in front of a bigger crowd than that."
"It was great out there, it's just unfortunate that we couldn't break the deadlock. (Sydney) will be well-pleased going home with a point tonight."
Sydney captain Mark Rudan, who was to leave the pitch following an injury with ten minutes to play, was also amazed by the attendance. So too, he said, was referee Mark Shield. "Just before we walked out of the tunnel, Mark Shield turned around and said 'Mate, can you believe this?' All the footballers in this country can rejoice in this. It was something special."
The two sides had set out their stalls early. Muscat committed the first foul of the game just eleven seconds in, launching into a tackle which felled Ufuk Talay mid-pitch. David Carney got booked in the third minute sending Rodrigo Vargas sprawling, and in between, Alessandro had already unleashed two electrifying runs up the left wing.
But it was Sydney which crafted the first genuine chance after eleven minutes. Robbie Middleby, whose pace down Sydney's left flank was to keep Simon Storey on his toes, managed to skip clear and towards the goal-line before sending over a well-flighted cross. Carney had spotted the potential and was in the right position after wriggling clear of Steve Pantelidis' shadowing attentions to get a clear head to the ball only to see it narrowly clear the bar.
Archie Thompson left it until the last moments of the second half to provide Victory's first chance of equivalent threat. The Victory talisman collected a long cross-field pass from Muscat and cut inside, wrong-footing three Sydney defenders in the process. His first shot was blocked by Bolton but again fell handily to him. His follow-up was just marginally too high.
Twenty minutes into these two teams' September encounter, there had been three goals, one send-off, and a substitution of a player injured in an off-the-ball incident. Later on, another off-the-ball incident saw Fred subsequently suspended for a number of weeks on video review. This was a more focussed affair, where more precise and measured endeavours were on display.
"I thought the relationships between the players and the officials was good. It was a great sporting occasion," said Butcher.
Both sides sought to move the ball at pace and with finesse, as well as worked hard to deny time and space to the other. Despite the match ending scoreless, the attention of the capacity crowd was glued to the tight contest being played out in front of them.
Talay almost got Sydney on the board in the opening seconds after the interval. What was surely intended as a cross hit from the left eluded all team-mates and a Victory touch diverted it just wide of the far-post for a corner, subsequently competently dealt with by the Victory defence.
Two high-quality chances came Victory's way within a few minutes shortly after. Thompson was key in both.
A quick series of passes moved the ball sharply from Adrian Caceres to Fred and then to Thompson who took the ball to the by-line. His cross only just eluded Daniel Allsopp whose influence in the game was negated by the tight attentions of whichever of Sydney's back four was closest to him at the time.
Shortly after, a sparkling run from Thompson from inside his own half left opponents trailing in his wake. Thompson's shot flew by the far-post.
Bolton was quick off his line moments later to snuff out a ball played through to Thompson after another speedy movement commencing with Muscat, and going via Caceres.
Sydney was by no means under siege. Butcher had taken a more adventurous approach as the second half's minutes ticked by, creating a three-man front-line. Several times Victory's defence was caught without cover, needing Adrian Leijer and Vargas especially to be vigilant and measured in their task.
Sydney striker Saso Petrovski had gone public with his dissatisfaction at being a bench player and was started in this game by Butcher. His contribution was unremarkable, understandably so given he ploughed a lone furrow up front for most of the match against a miserly Victory defence.
"Sash was chomping at the bit to play. He came on last week (and) impressed me by the way he put himself about. I thought he did well today. It's difficult when you're up front on your own. We tried to push the two wide players further forward to have a go at (Victory's) back four. (But) the final ball wasn't good enough, and our efforts on goal could have been better."
The evidence that this was a football crowd, rather than a bunch of event-goers was the fact that several first-half attempts to get a Mexican wave underway foundered within metres. Those who started it, and whose experience was likely drawn from the less sophisticated sporting fare on offer in Melbourne, were puzzled by their lack of success, and soon gave up. Attentions were not likely to wander in this game.
The Victory supporters had already packed the eastern curve (which they perversely insist upon identifying in song as "The North End" in recognition of their orientation at Olympic Park, Victory's original home) more than one hour before kick-off, and sang constantly to keep themselves amused before the game commenced. It is clear the atmosphere these dedicated supporters bring to Melbourne's home games is a key part of the Victory experience.
For the first time, the roof at Docklands Stadium was open for a Victory match, Merrick previously preferring that it be closed. Even with this as an escape-hatch for the cacophony generated by the home support, the noise was deafening throughout.
The band of a hundred or so travelling fans managed to prepare banners taunting Victory fans by referring to Sydney's presence in the Asian Champions League 2007, but that is a prize within reach of Victory next time around.