SYDNEY (Australia): Sydney FC secured a record-breaking fourth A-League premiership after second-placed Wellington Phoenix drew 1-1 with Adelaide United late Saturday.
The result gave them an unassailable lead with four games of the regular season to play.
But club boss Steve Corica vowed no let-up with another grand final in their sights.
“I want to thank the club, my players and my staff who have been exceptional all season,” said Corica.
“We will enjoy this … but we still have four games to go and targets left to hit. We want to go on and win the grand final and become back-to-back champions, a feat achieved by only one other club.”
The top six in the 11-team A-League make the finals series, which is due to start on August 22, with Sydney defending their title.
The A-League kicked off in October and was nearing the end of its regular season when it was suspended in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rebooting the event proved a logistical nightmare with borders between some Australian states shut, but it finally resumed this month.
Football Federation Australia chairman Chris Nikou hailed Sydney’s achievement.
“Having won the inaugural A-League championship in 2006 and the Premier’s title for the first time in 2009/10, Sydney FC have been one of the most successful clubs in the history of this competition,” he said.
