A crowd of 5581 filled Viking Park to enjoy an entertaining and free-flowing game, which the Sky Blues won 3-0.

Not interested in simply defending against the might of Sydney, Olympic pushed forward from the opening whistle with creative long passes.

And when Philippe Bernabo-Madrid flashed at a scissor-kick at goal early their intentions were clear.

Sydney's tall defenders meant Olympic were forced to take a creative approach to goal with wide passes to the edge of the box where they were threatening at times.

Daniel Colbertaldo may have been the shortest on the pitch but he was strong over the ball and constructed momentum for Olympic through the midfield.

But when the tempo of the first 10 minutes slowed the professionalism and style of the Sky Blues set in.

Their high possession game dominated large portions of the first half but the offside flag halted much of their ascendancy and they had just five shots at goal.

Defender Sebastian Ryall gave Sydney the lead in the 22nd minute, heading in Rhyan Grant's cross. Minutes later, Grant released import Bobo for a one-on-one which Canberra keeper Angelo Konstantinou deflected wide.

Alex Brosque should have extended Sydney's lead when he missed an open goal with a header which struck the post in the dying minutes of the first half.

However, Olympic's pressure on the ball was disrupting the Sky Blues' momentum and they were able to trouble the visitors.

When play did become scrappy it suited Canberra's pace, mainly Jeremy Habtemariam and striker Bernabo-Madrid.

Habtemariam's pace and skill created Olympic's best chance in the 58th minute when he nutmegged his marker on the touchline and crossed to Bernabo-Madrid only for a deflection to see the shot go wide for a corner.

Konstantinou continued to deny the Sky Blues into the second half including a last-gasp effort to keep out David Carney, but there was little he could do to stop Milos Dimitrijevic's free kick in the 65th minute.

The world-class strike curved around the defensive wall and in to the top corner of Olympic's net.

Habtemariam inspired Olympic to surge forward after long balls, with both he and Bernabo-Madrid regularly beating their more fancied opposition.

But as the game opened up through tired legs, more opportunities presented themselves to the Sky Blues, and Bernie Ibini capitalised by scoring in his long-awaited return from a broken leg.

Olympic had another great chance to score in the 87th minute through an indirect free kick in the Sky Blues box, with Bernabo-Madrid having three shots blocked as Sydney scrambled to keep a clean sheet.

Olympic will feel aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty with one of Bernabo-Madrid's shots following the indirect free-kick cannoning off a Sydney FC defender's hand.

Sydney coach Graham Arnold said he "couldn't be happier" to have Ibini back, who scored within minutes in his first game since the 2015 A-League grand final.

"He's only at about 30 or 40 per cent of where he'll end up but the kid has worked extremely hard," said Arnold. "To see him finish it off there and score a goal makes it a special night for him."

Olympic coach Frank Cachia will now finally get a chance to reflect on the longest and most successful season in his club's history.

"They (Olympic players) should be walking around full of pride of what they've achieved and if you're going to lose, you want to lose to one of the best teams in Australia," he said.

"The boys all deserve a rest now."

FFA CUP SEMI-FINAL

Sydney FC 3 (Ryall 24', Dimitrijevic 65', Ibini-Isei 85') Canberra Olympic 0 at Viking Park. Crowd: 5581.