Adelaide United secured their maiden A-League championship after overcoming Western Sydney Wanderers to claim a tense 3-1 grand final win at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Adelaide entered Australian football's biggest day eager to avenge their two grand final losses in the 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 seasons.
Two impressive first-half goals from Bruce Kamau and Joe Marston Medalist, Isaias helped the hosts to a healthy 2-0 lead, before Scott Neville's thunderous strike in the 58th minute set up a grand stand finish.
But ultimately it was Adelaide's day as Guillermo Amor's men fought off a desperate Wanderers outfit, before Pablo Sanchez secured the title with a stoppage-time goal.
Credit has to go to Amor, who was in his first season as coach of a senior team, after his side went from last position at the start of round nine, before embarking on a remarkable run of only one loss in their last 21 outings.
While the Wanderers looked dangerous early, particularly on the counter-attack, Guillermo Amor's men struck first in the 21st minute.
A pin-point accurate cross from star midfielder Marcelo Carrusca was expertly finished by Kamau, who evaded Wanderers defender Scott Jamieson and fired home a left-footed finished from the edge of the six-yard box.
The goal seemed to stun Tony Popovic's side and the hosts doubled their advantage only 12 minutes later.
Dead-ball specialist, Isaias, who was voted as man of the match, produced a sublime free-kick over the wall, giving Western Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne little chance of keeping it out.
Off the back of last week's semi-final going into extra-time and faced with a parochial Adelaide Oval crowd of 50,119, the Wanderers looked flat, before Neville's strike gave the visitors a lifeline.
But Adelaide repelled everything Western Sydney threw at them in the closing stages, and sealed it with Sanchez's goal, to be crowed A-League champions for 2015-2016.
Adelaide United 3 (Kamau 22', Isaias 34', Sanchez 90')
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Neville 58')
