The Football Tragic

Although Melbourne Victory fans have a right to be aggrieved that their excellent side is likely to miss out on the next instalment of the Asian Champions' League, it's perhaps fitting that the two sides who have created the A-League's first great rivalry will represent the competition.

Yep, Melbourne v. Sydney, Melbourne v. Adelaide and Central Coast v. Newcastle might all have their attractions, but it is the Sydney v. Adelaide clashes that have provided some of the most memorable incidents of the competition in its opening two seasons.

Yesterday they were at it again, and the match didn't disappoint. It had all the ingredients we've come to expect from the "Bling versus Barrels" contests:

Good Goals

Although Sydney's defending was woeful, both the build-up play and the finish were impressive in Adelaide's ninth-minute opener. Add that one to Shengqing Qu's impeccable finish in the final game of the regular season last year, Travis Dodd's solo special in the preliminary final first leg a week later, and, last but not least, Nathan Burns's delightful goal in the first meeting between the sides this term.

Sydney were not to be outdone. Mark Rudan's tap-in resulted from an eye-catching move, and joined the likes of Alvin Ceccoli's left-foot rocket in last season's final round, Kazu's precise narrow-angled shot earlier in 2005/06, and Petrovski's finish from Benito Carbone's outrageous back-heel at Hindmarsh this season (Benny, we hardly knew ye).

It's worth adding that never has a Sydney v. Adelaide encounter in the regular season produced less than three goals - and both sides have always scored. An enviable record.

Controversy

There's always a talking point or ten after an Adelaide v. Sydney clash (and most often, it's John Kosmina doing the talking). Matthew Breeze was particularly generous in providing further grist to the universal mill this time: a questionable penalty, an unpunished back-pass, and so on.

Reminiscent of the Timpano "handling on the line" in the closing minutes of the very first encounter between the two teams last season, an incident which prompted Kosmina, in an unguarded moment witnessed by your tragic friend, to thunder "it was a f--king penalty and a f--king sendoff!"

Niggle

The all-in brawl that followed Clint Bolton's save from Fernando Rech in the second half was not the first such event at an Adelaide v. Sydney fixture. Again, it was their first battle, at Aussie Stadium, which provided the precedent.

Significance

The two sides have always been close to the top of the table, and there has always, always been something at stake. Last night, Terry Butcher's raucous celebrations on the touchline after the final whistle showed exactly what it meant to him. Two points from second place, and an apparent vindication of his risky decision to drastically alter the team, so as to accommodate those returning from injury.

Here's to plenty of incident-packed battles of the Barrier Range in the future. May they always be eagerly anticipated by fans of both clubs and neutrals alike.