Brisbane will play Canberra in next week's W-League grand final after the Roar beat Sydney on penalties in a dramatic semi-final yesterday.
Sydney finished the game with 10 players while coach Alen Stajcic was locked and guarded in the dressing room after being dismissed from the sidelines in the second half for a couple of blow-ups.
Trailing 1-0 after 18 minutes, Brisbane super-sub Emily Gielnik equalised with less than a minute remaining in injury-time at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre.
And following an action-packed period of extra-time, the hosts completed the stunning comeback with a 4-3 shootout triumph.
Moments after Brisbane's equaliser star Sydney forward Kyah Simon - arguably the visitor's best player - slid in with a frustrated tackle on Vedrana Popovic, earning a second yellow card.
Stajcic exploded, voicing his displeasure to officials, who ordered him off the sidelines.
It was his second outburst of the match after he complained to officials following Gielnik's goal.
The drama continued when Stajcic continued to relay messages to his assistants from the stands, and had to be escorted to the dressing rooms and held under guard by ground security officers.
Estelle Johnson and Teresa Polias were the unlucky women to miss from the spot for Sydney, while Tameka Butt, Kim Carroll, Brooke Spence and Aivi Luik all converted for the Roar.
Gielnik, who was introduced at half-time, made an immediate impact on the game providing her midfield a strong target and capping off a great half with her last-gasp equaliser.
''It's indescribable more than anything ... I don't know what I was feeling but in a second everyone came and ran and smothered me,'' Gielnik said. ''It feels phenomenal - one-nil down and under the pump and then to get a goal in the dying seconds and to know we're in the final. There's always been a lot of drama between us and the Sydney girls. They're a great bunch of girls but of all the teams, they're the one that love to give us a fight.''
The victory means Brisbane has now made every grand final in the competition's four-year history, while Sydney misses its first decider in three years.
Canberra will host Brisbane on Saturday.

















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