Sydney FC won a pulsating Grand Final at Docklands in Melbourne against its hosts on a penalty shoot-out after both sides had been locked together at 1-1 after normal and extra time.

Mark Bridge scored midway through the second half to give Sydney the lead it looked that Melbourne had earnt barely seconds before.

Adrian Leijer equalised for Victory nine minutes before the end of regulation time to send the game into extra time despite a frantic period during which the level of pressure being exerted by Melbourne seemed certain to break the dam.

With scores still locked, and both sides having battled themselves to exhaustion, the last ten minutes of extra time saw players dropping across the field with cramps. Leijer, Bridge, Carlos Hernandez, and Alex Brosque were badly afflicted, Brosque having the leave the field as a consequence. As the deadlock could not be broken, the Championship was decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Kevin Muscat hit the post, and Sydney goalkeeper Clint Bolton, playing his last game for the club before his transfer to Melbourne Heart, saved Marvin Angulo's effort. Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Mitch Langerak saved Shannon Cole's attempt, but goals by Simon Colosimo, Hayden Foxe, and Byun Sung-Hwan, meant Sydney could not be overtaken in five after only Grant Brebner and Leigh Broxham converted for Melbourne.

There had been nothing between the sides throughout the season, Sydney having won the Premiership by a single point from Melbourne and shading its southern rivals in head-to-head contests during the season, but Melbourne having the edge in the Finals Series to reach the Grand Final at its first attempt.

It was always likely that only the twelve-yard duel could split the sides, but a shame it had to be that way after 120 minutes of committed football which eventually took players of both sides beyond their limits of energy.

Sydney took the lead just after the hour only seconds after it seemed Melbourne Victory had scored. Rodrigo Vargas bundled the ball into the net after a long-range shot from Nick Ward had only been blocked by Bolton. As Vargas was in an offside position at the time of Ward's shot, the flag was correctly rased once Vargas became active.

As Melbourne players protested the decision, Sydney swiftly broke upfield through the speedy Byun. The Korean fed Brosque ahead and up the line. Brosque's cross took a deflection off Sukha allowing it to loop over Langerak to where Bridge stood, easily able to nod the descending ball into the net from almost under the cross-bar.

Sydney should have extended its lead seconds later when Christopher Payne unbelievably missed from point-blank range after a Sydney break allowed Brosque to skip by Muscat and cross to the unmarked Payne who shot wastefully wide.

Just as it seemed Sydney would be able to see out time, Melbourne equalised through an unlikely source. Leijer headed home a Muscat free-kick to send the capacity attendance into a frenzy.

Leijer had a chance to steal the win a minute later when he headed inches over from a corner, and substitute Aziz Behich failed to convert from a yard out with a minute left to play from another corner as Melbourne pressed for the win.

Neither side was able to get the deadlock-breaking goal during extra time, so the penalty lottery was called into action.

A bruising first half brought no goals, but resulted in the departure of Archie Thompson through injury after he could not resume following a tackle by Colosimo before the quarter-hour. Later bulletins from the Victory medical team indicated that the Socceroo had a suspected injury to his anterior cruciate ligament, which - if confirmed - would result in a lengthy period of treatment before he would be fit to play again - likely ruining his World Cup hopes.

Some spite crept into the game, resulting in referee Srebre Delovski reaching for his book to caution Sebastian Ryall and Bridge. Bridge's was the more culpable as he slid in dangerously on Leijer.

There had been few chances crafted, those which were came from distance, or on the rare break.

Midway through the first half, as the capacity attendance was still coming to terms with Thompson's departure, Carlos Hernandez took a free-kick after Karol Kisel had brought down Robbie Kruse, but watched as it flew narrowly wide.

Hernandez was again just over minutes later following a short-corner move which split the Sydney cover.

Four minutes from the interval, Sydney created its best effort when Christopher Payne broke through the Melbourne back-line which had hoped, in vain, to see an offside flag. Payne faced only Langerak, and sought to find the far post with a low shot. Langerak was the equal of it and managed to get a touch to divert it for a corner.

And then Sukha brought the half to a pulsating end with a 20-metre shot which grazed the bar after some twinkle-toes work by Hernandez on the right wing which set free Ward, who - in turn - found the Thai international with a clever cut-back.

In the last ten minutes of normal time, as Melbourne went all-out into attack, the Sydney defence held, marshalled well by Simon Colosimo who was subsequently awarded the Joe Marston medal for best player on the ground. It would have been a close decision between him, and influential Victory midfielder Grant Brebner who gave tackling strength and boundless endeavour to Melbourne.