Premier Mark McGowan has labelled Perth Glory’s heart-stopping semifinal victory “one of the greatest games that anyone will ever see” as owner Tony Sage yesterday slammed the decision to shift his side to Optus Stadium for the A-League grand final next Sunday. Glory downed Adelaide United in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out at HBF Park on Friday to make their first championship final in seven years, with Mr McGowan revealing he hugged Mr Sage after Joel Chianese kicked the decisive goal. “I was sitting next to Tony Sage and he was, to be fair, pretty nervous,” Mr McGowan, who was at his first ever A-League game, said. Camera Icon Perth Glory players Liam Reddy and Joel Chianese at Optus Stadium where they will play in a grand final this weekend. Credit: Jackson Flindell “I kept telling him it would be OK and we would win — admittedly I was publicly more confident that I was internally. “We were all on the edges of our seats. “It was one of the greatest games that anyone will ever see.” Mr Sage joked yesterday that when the Premier was consoling him during the tense penalty shootout: “I was wondering what the hell I was listening to him for. He doesn’t know anything about football.” A crowd of 17,868 — 12 more than this season’s previous record set against Melbourne Victory — watched Glory beat United. While admitting hosting the final at Optus Stadium was good for the sport, with an expected 50,000-strong crowd double the capacity of HBF Park, Mr Sage said it was a cash grab and would cost his side home ground advantage. Camera Icon Glory players celebrate the heart-stopping victory over Adelaide United. Credit: Getty Images “The FFA want to maximise revenue for themselves. They don’t care what the clubs think,” he said. “I’m a traditionalist. I want our home ground advantage. “Optus Stadium becomes a neutral ground. That’s the way I look at it. That's the way the whole of the football department looks at it.” Glory will play the winner of today’s Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory clash.<doc-sep>Tony Pignata's prophecy will come to pass on Sunday when Perth Glory host Sydney FC, the club where he first tasted the ultimate on-field success as an administrator. When Pignata first took on the role of Glory chief executive officer before this season, one of the questions he was asked most was whether he would move any of the club's games from the club's traditional home of Perth Oval to the new, and much larger, Perth Stadium. He was quite direct in his answer every time, saying: "Yes, the grand final in May." That is exactly what will happen in the A-League decider this weekend, in front of what is set to be a record crowd. Perth reached the decider after winning last week's incredible semi-final on penalties. ( AAP: Travis Anderson Pignata's prediction displayed the sort of confidence and assertiveness that has driven the club this season, both on the field and off it. "We use the hashtag a lot — it really is 'one Glory'," he explained. "It is not only the football staff. It is the staff in the office, it is your staff in the medical team, the staff in your equipment team, the nutritionists that help our players and come in and cook them breakfast in the morning. "It is the combined efforts and, at the end of the day, it is now about playing in front of 60,000 people on the final day of the A-League." Repeating the success of the Sky Blues Pignata is aiming to replicate the success he had at Sydney as CEO. The Sky Blues claimed both the championship and premiership during his five years in charge, and he believes the right people are in place to do it again in Perth. Tony Pignata joined the Glory before the season following success at Sydney FC. ( Supplied: Perth Glory "You need to lead by example, not only myself, but [coach] Tony Popovic, [owner] Tony Sage, [football director] Jacob Burns. "We just lead and make sure that when things do get tough — and it happens throughout the season — you just deal with it. "No negativity and you move forward. That is so important." Perth will start Sunday as favourites against Sydney, having gone from a team that missed the finals to one that has lost just three times this campaign. How the Glory came from nowhere The turnaround started at the beginning of the off-season. The Glory recruited well, adding fringe Socceroos like Matthew Spiranovic, Jason Davidson and Chris Ikonomidis. Pignata and the Glory brought in a number of Socceroos including Chris Ikonomidis. ( Supplied: Perth Glory The club also signed Spaniard Juande, while midfielder Neil Kilkenny went on to play a full season after signing in January last year. Davidson, Ikonomidis and Kilkenny were selected in the Professional Football Association's team of the year, as were Diego Castro, Shane Lowry and Liam Reddy. Diego Castro was one of several Glory players recognised for their strong season. ( AAP: Travis Anderson But perhaps the most important signing was Popovic. The former Socceroos defender has helped the club reach a new level of professionalism. Popovic is demanding, will not compromise when it comes to standards and wants his players to reach their potential on and off the pitch. A shared vision and a bright future Pignata said it had proven to be a good match with some of his philosophies. Tony Popovic understands what it takes to win and is always on the same page, Pignata says. ( AAP: Dean Lewins "I think the key to good leadership is you surround yourself with good people that share your vision and then you will be successful," he said. "If people buy into that you cannot fail. "We are always on the same page, we always understand what it takes to win football matches and be successful." The Glory are aiming for their first grand final win in the A-League era. But with many of the key people at the club locked in for the foreseeable future, there is plenty of reason for optimism beyond Sunday's decider.<doc-sep>Perth Glory have become the first team into the A-League grand final, but only after an incredible game that finished level at 3-3 after 120 minutes before the Glory beat Adelaide United 5-4 in an extraordinary penalty shoot-out. The match had a lot to live up to after a pair of epic Champions League semi-finals in mid-week, but the drama at Perth Oval had more than enough intensity for watching fans. An electrifying 3-3 draw after extra time saw the two teams head to the penalty spot, in which even more drama unfolded. Both goalkeepers were in stunning form, combining for seven saves combined, including a run of five straight denials, with the Glory's Liam Reddy making four of them to seal his side's place in the grand final. Adelaide United knew that a loss would not only end their season but complete coach Marco Kurz's time at the club. The Glory thought they had gone ahead in the first half, when Dino Gulbis powered a header across goal only for Adelaide keeper Paul Izzo to tip it onto the bar. When the ball fell to earth it looked like it might have crossed the line, but the referee said no. He was proven right by VAR minutes later. It was agony for Adelaide United, who had a number of chances to win it during the shoot-out but could not capitalise. ( AAP: Tony McDonough Just before the half-hour mark, Perth did take the lead, when a great ball put Diego Castro through on the right, and he found a gap at the near post to score the opening goal. Loading It was 1-0 at half-time, and the second half proved to be a tight battle. It looked like Perth had wrapped it up with 16 minutes left when Castro scored his second. But substitute Papa Diawara gave Adelaide a flicker of hope when he made the most of a goal-mouth scrap to score in the 81st minute. And with just six seconds left in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, Ryan Kitto fired home the equaliser after Glory failed to clear a corner. Scott Neville edged Glory ahead in the first period of extra time. But Marco Marrone levelled the scores with just five minutes remaining in the contest with a powerful header. It left it 3-3 after 120 minutes, but that was only the start. Adelaide had used all four substitutes, and Izzo looked like he would struggle to continue. He went down the tunnel for urgent treatment to dull the pain, before emerging for penalties. What followed in the shootout was nothing short of ridiculous. Craig Goodwin converted the opening penalty with a Panenka kick before signalling the Glory crowd to be quiet. Juande responded for Perth, then Jordan Elsey made it 2-1 to the Reds. Diego Castro celebrates scoring in regulation time for the Glory. ( AAP: Travis Anderson Next up was dual-goal hero Castro, but Izzo managed to stretch himself enough to tip the shot round the post to quieten the crowd. Vince Lia made it 3-1 to Adelaide before Brendon Santalab converted to keep the Glory in it. Loading It was still advantage Adelaide, but Liam Reddy stepped up to save from Isaias, producing a roar from the crowd. Reddy then showed his nerve to blast his own penalty into the corner for Perth, before Ben Halloran answered. Jake Brimmer's shot nestled just inside the left-hand corner for the Glory to take things to sudden death. It was then that things got crazy. Reddy saved from Diawara, then Izzo kept the Reds alive with a stop from Jason Davidson. Nikola Mileusnic failed to convert for Adelaide as the noise levels soared, but Izzo guessed right to deny Shane Lowry. It could have been a body blow for Perth but Reddy did it again, saving from Nathan Konstandopoulos. The coaches, players and fans could hardly bear to watch, but Joel Chianese ran forward and shot truly to the left side of the net to end the match, sending the Glory to the grand final and setting off amazing celebrations throughout the ground. Perth Glory will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. ABC/AAP<doc-sep>Perth Glory defender Shane Lowry says the side has learnt from sucker punches that nearly cost them a place in Sunday’s A-League grand final against Sydney FC at Optus Stadium. And Lowry, a mainstay of the competition’s tightest back line, has dedicated the clash to good mate Alex Grant, the unluckiest player in the Glory squad. Meanwhile, as ticket sales closed in on 50,000 last night, FFA confirmed that even if the “saleable” target of around 58,000 is reached, extra seating for the so-called rectangular configuration will not be moved on to the ground. Glory twice let Adelaide United back into last Friday’s semifinal that went to a penalty shoot-out, letting them claw back a two-goal lead in the first 90 minutes and giving up another lead in extra-time. Lowry knows what it is like to lose on the big stage — he was in the Millwall side that went down 2-0 to Wigan in the 2013 FA Cup semifinal at Wembley. He does not want that feeling again and said the Adelaide experience was a lesson well learnt. “We got sucker-punched twice and to come back from that ... we showed character,” he said. “It was character building. We’ll have that in the back of our mind. We can use that and turn it into a positive. “Ideally we would like to have had the game wrapped up after 90 minutes but finals football does that to you.” Camera Icon Glory’s Shane Lowry blocks a shot from Adelaide’s Nathan Konstandopoulos during their A-League semifinal. Credit: Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images Lowry, who was selected in the Professional Footballers’ Association team of the season, said he would be looking to lift the trophy for fellow defender Grant, who featured heavily early in the season before suffering a mystery abdominal injury. He battled back into contention after missing two months only to be struck down with glandular fever as the finals loomed. “I feel so sorry for Granty,” Lowry said. “He’s worked so hard this season, he’s been so unlucky but he’s a big part of the squad. “We’ll get a win for him and celebrate with him and the others that won’t be out there.” Communication is key to the back line that has kept 12 clean sheets and let in just 23 goals this season. Lowry said the system drilled into them by coach Tony Popovic gave them confidence. “He has us so focused that we know what we’re doing, where other players are,” he said. “Having said that you can still communicate on the pitch. “You don’t really notice the crowd noise but we need them to roar us on and make that home advantage count. We have to be on our game, we’ll give Sydney respect, they are a very good side but we’re at home, we want to stamp our authority on the game.” Another member of the PFA team of the season, Jason Davidson, said the team would be playing to finally give Popovic the trophy he has failed to lift on three previous attempts. “We want to win it for the fans but we want to win it for the boss who puts so much detail and hard work into every day,” Davidson said. “To be such a fantastic coach and have such a fantastic trophy cabinet but not have the grand final ... the boys are all looking forward to giving it to him as a way to say thank you.”<doc-sep>
Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic has praised his side’s resilience after they came back from the brink of defeat to beat Adelaide in an epic penalty shootout to reach the A-League grand final. Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic has praised his side’s resilience after they came back from the brink of defeat to beat Adelaide in an epic A-League penalty shootout. Glory coughed up a 2-0 lead during normal time - and a one-goal lead during extra time - as Adelaide sent the semi-final to penalties on Friday night. Perth were on the back foot early in the shootout after Diego Castro’s penalty was saved. Perth Glory goalkeeper Liam Reddy saves a penalty on Friday night. Picture: Getty Images Glory veteran Brendon Santalab and 21-year-old midfielder Jake Brimmer nailed penalties that denied Adelaide victory. Glory goalkeeper Liam Reddy pulled off four saves all up in a shootout dominated by the glovemen. After his fourth save, Joel Chianese had the chance to win it for Glory. Chianese made no mistake with the spot kick, sending Glory through to the grand final. Earlier, Glory looked to have the game in the bag when Diego Castro’s second goal in the 74th minute gave the home side a 2-0 advantage. Perth Glory’s Joel Chianese celebrates scoring the winning penalty. Picture: Getty Images Diego Castro had given Glory an early two-goal cushion. Substitute Papa Diawara gave Adelaide a flicker of hope when he made the most of a goal-mouth scrap to score in the 81st minute. And with just six seconds left in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, Ryan Kitto fired home the equaliser after Glory failed to clear a corner. Scott Neville edged Glory ahead in the first period of extra time. But Ryan Kitto levelled the scores with just five minutes remaining in the contest with a powerful header. Glory will host either Sydney or Melbourne Victory at Optus Stadium next weekend. Popovic was proud of the way his players kept their cool. “The character was amazing. In the penalty shootout we stayed composed,” he said. “Jake Brimmer, at 21 years of age, it was a decisive penalty to keep us in it. It just shows how much he’s maturing. “I’m sure that moment will help him in his development. You can’t manufacture a moment like that for a young boy. That’s the faith we have in him, and he certainly stepped up. Jake Brimmer slots home his penalty during the shootout. “And then Liam did the rest. I’m delighted for Joel, because he was a bit hard on himself for a header that didn’t go where he wanted to go at the end of the game. “That’s another example of how far Joel Chianese has come as a footballer - psychologically to put that aside and make a major contribution in the end.” Popovic believes his group have the mentality to win the grand final. “I think a game like this really showcases that,” Popovic said. “Big games are determined by a fine line. “The skillset is one thing. But there’s a lot of things you can’t measure, you can’t get a stat for, which this squad has in abundance. “These players showed something that maybe previously they didn’t believe they had - the resilience, the belief, the character, all the things that really stood out tonight.” PERTH GLORY 3 (Diego Castro 29m, 74m, Scott Neville 104m) ADELAIDE UNITED 3 (BabaDiawara 81m, Ryan Kitto 90+4m, Michael Marrone 115m) after extra time at HBF Park. (Perth Glory won 5-4 on penalties). Crowd:17,868. Referee: Alex King.