Yorke powers Sydney into final

Captain Mark Rudan’s 76th minute goal sealed the win in front of 30,337 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium and secured a home grand final on March 5.

Adelaide, which finished the regular season on top of the ladder, can still reach the final by beating Central Coast Mariners in their February 26 preliminary final. The Mariners qualified with a 2-1 aggregate win over Newcastle Jets. With former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke powering Sydney’s midfield, the host opened strongly and led when Sasho Petrovski slipped through and drove the ball under Adelaide goalkeeper Daniel Beltrame on 29 minutes. Adelaide fought back into the match and got a deserved equaliser on the hour as Shengqing Qu swept in a shot. Rudan, a defender, put Sydney back in front when he arrived at the far post and turned in a perfectly weighted cross from Mark Milligan.