Roar win A-League title in thriller

Brisbane Roar are the A-League champions after beating Central Coast Mariners in a penalty shootout in an extraordinary grand final on Sunday.

The match was goalless at full-time but in a dramatic half hour of extra time, both sides scored twice.

The Mariners went 2-0 up in the first 15 minutes of added time but Brisbane hit back to secure a 2-2 draw with the last play of the match.

However, it still took a penalty shoot-out, won 4-2 by the Roar, to separate the teams in a match that had it all, played in front of more than 50,000 fans, the fourth-largest crowd in A-League history, in the first grand final outside of Sydney or Melbourne.

The Mariners had the title all but clinched with six minutes left after Adam Kwasnik and Oliver Bozanic scored after the scores were deadlocked after 90 minutes of end-to-end entertainment.

It looked as if Brisbane’s amazing run of 27 games undefeated was over.

But as they showed a fortnight ago in the second leg of the major semi-final, the Brisbane Roar will never, ever say die as they snagged two goals in the last three minutes to take the title to penalties.

There, Brisbane goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos was the hero, saving spot kicks from Daniel McBreen and Pedj Bojic before Henrique scored the decisive penalty.

It was an incredible climax that looked beyond all realms of possibility in the 96th minute when Bojic sent in a corner kick, with Roar star Thomas Broich jumping to clear it.

The ball went back into the danger area and Kwasnik reacted the quickest to grab the breakthrough from close range.

Seven minutes later Kwasnik was at it again on the break, unleashed by game-changing youngster Bernie Ibini-Isei and though his shot was saved by Theoklitos, he passed to Bozanic, who looked to have confirmed Central Coast’s first championship.

But in the 117th minute Brazilian Henrique pegged one back for the Roar, set up by Jean Carlos Solorzano after a break down the left.

It seemed it was all too late but up rose Erik Paartalu, meeting a perfect corner from Broich to level the scores.