And while Sydney fans will say they richly deserved their victory on penalties, a devastated Melbourne will rightly claim it had the balance of the play on the night.It's the Victory and FC armies that come with the two teams that sets this fixture apart. For one side, last night, there was only heartache for the other elation.

Two weeks earlier a home final had been snatched from Sydney's grip when the Victory had stole an extra- time goal. The all-singing, all-chanting Melbourne ultras had travelled in their thousands to the Harbor City, sang their hearts out and been rewarded.

And while the semi-final had been decided in extra time, this time the 45,000-strong crowd had to endure penalties.

The game turned on two incidents.

Melbourne lost talismanic striker Archie Thompson in the 12th minute and there were few chances in a dull first half.

But the game came alive after a crucial offside decision in the 64th minute when the linesman ruled correctly Roddy Vargas offside when he bundled in a silky shot by Carlos Hernandez.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times.