The 1999 National Soccer League Grand Final, also known as the 1999 Ericsson Cup Grand Final, was held on 30 May 1999 between South Melbourne and Sydney United at Olympic Park Stadium. South Melbourne gained home advantage as although Sydney United finished higher in the regular season, South Melbourne won the major semi-final against them two weeks prior. Mile Sterjovski scored first for United as they went up 1–0 at the half time break, however, a goal from Paul Trimboli and a brace from John Anastasiadis sealed South Melbourne's second consecutive championship and fourth overall. Goran Lozanovski won the Joe Marston Medal.[1][2]
| Event | 1998–99 National Soccer League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 30 May 1999 | ||||||
| Venue | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Goran Lozanovski (Joe Marston Medal) | ||||||
| Referee | Simon Michallef | ||||||
| Attendance | 15,194 | ||||||
Background
editSydney United finished the season with the minor premiership through a 3–1 win over the Adelaide Sharks on the final day of the season. South Melbourne finished one point from first place.[3][4]
Route to the final
editLeague Standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney United | 28 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 58 | 1999 National Soccer League Finals |
| 2 | South Melbourne (C) | 28 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 50 | 26 | +24 | 57 | 1999 Oceania Club Championship |
| 3 | Perth Glory | 28 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 62 | 37 | +25 | 53 | 1999 National Soccer League Finals |
| 4 | Marconi Stallions | 28 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 48 | |
| 5 | Northern Spirit | 28 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 46 | |
| 6 | Adelaide City | 28 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 45 | |
| 7 | Sydney Olympic | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 43 | |
| 8 | Newcastle Breakers | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 33 | −4 | 40 | |
| 9 | Brisbane Strikers | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 39 | |
| 10 | Wollongong Wolves | 28 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 32 | |
| 11 | Carlton SC | 28 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 47 | 47 | 0 | 31 | |
| 12 | Melbourne Knights | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 32 | 43 | −11 | 29 | |
| 13 | West Adelaide (R) | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 27 | Disbanded at end of season |
| 14 | Gippsland Falcons | 28 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 44 | −27 | 25 | |
| 15 | Canberra Cosmos | 28 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 21 | 55 | −34 | 15 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Finals Bracket
edit| Elimination Finals | Major/Minor Semifinals | Preliminary Final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 & 16 May 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | South Melbourne | 2 | 0 | 2 | South Melbourne | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 May 1999 | Sydney United | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney United | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Adelaide City | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 15 May 1999 | 3 | Perth Glory | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Perth Glory | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Perth Glory | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Marconi Stallions | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Northern Spirit | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Marconi Stallions | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Match
editDetails
edit| South Melbourne | 3 – 2 | Sydney United |
|---|---|---|
Trimboli  53' Anastasiadis 63', 87' | Reports[5] | Sterjovski 8' Townsend 90+' |
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Match rules
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Post-match
editThe match served as a qualifier for the 1999 Oceania Club Championship.[7] South Melbourne qualified easily for the championship final, conceding just one goal in the group stage and defeating Tahitian club A.S. Vénus 3–0 in the semifinal. They qualified for the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship with a 5–0 win in the final. At the Club World Championship, South Melbourne finished fourth in their group, eighth overall, without recording a win and scoring one goal.
References
edit- ^ Cockerill, Michael (31 May 1999). "Sunk by a sub". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cockerill, Ian (31 May 1999). "Fairytales are reserved for Souths". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gatt, Ray (26 April 1999). "Pumas secure minor premiership National Soccer League". Sport. The Australian. p. 24.
- ^ Mangan, Patrick (30 May 1999). "Premiership today, the world next?". The Sunday Age. p. 10.
- ^ "1999 National Soccer League Playoff results". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Majid, Sham (20 April 2013). "Grand final recollections: David Mitchell". Goal.com. DAZN Media. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Warren, Johnny (30 May 1999). "World champs is golden goal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.