Less than three years after shelling out more than $11 million to buy the struggling Melbourne Heart, the Manchester-based City Football Group now has the first return on its investment after the renamed Melbourne City beat Sydney FC to win its first ever men's trophy, the FFA Cup, in front of a record cup crowd of nearly 19,000 at a raucous AAMI Park on Wednesday night.
The big nights in sport invariably produce compelling storylines and this was no different, with the man who has been the standard bearer for the Australian game both at international and club level, Tim Cahill, delivering on the biggest occasion in City's history.
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FFA Cup 2016: Cahill brings the magic
Melbourne City beat Sydney FC to win its first ever men's trophy, the FFA Cup, in front of a record crowd of nearly 19,000 at a raucous AAMI Park.
Cahill is being handsomely rewarded in his footballing dotage with a multimillion-dollar salary package, but no one at City will be counting that cost now.
His presence has brought the club huge media exposure at home and overseas, and his second-half goal from a trademark header is priceless.
On the balance sheet City will feel comfortably ahead on this transaction so far, and will now look to use their cup success as a springboard for an A-League title in the manner that their parent club, Manchester City, did when they won the FA Cup in 2011 before taking the Premier League title the next year.
The only downside for City was the bone-jarring injury Cahill suffered shortly after he netted, forcing him to sit out the last 30 minutes as his teammates survived a Sydney FC challenge and then went in search of a second goal themselves.
So often the tone of big matches is set in the opening minutes, and those who were forecasting an explosive affair had their expectations confirmed within seconds of the kick-off after Luke Brattan's crude challenge on form City defender Michael Zullo caused tempers to flare both on and off the pitch.
After Brattan clattered into the former Socceroo wide man a melee involving almost every player on the pitch ensued, and Sydney midfielder Milos Ninkovic could count himself fortunate to have escaped without a card after pushing his way through a pack of players and then shoving Fernando Brandan to the ground.
![Paradise City: Tim Cahill, City coach John van 't Schip and captain Bruno Fornaroli celebrate.](/web/20161201171328im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/1/9/f/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt18qf.png/1480586383739.jpg)
All around players were squaring up to each other: Cahill and Sebastian Ryall grabbed each other's shirts while Sydney substitute Matt Simon, a player for whose style the term abrasive is an understatement, ran in and got involved.
In the end Brattan was shown a yellow card, everyone else just given a stern warning, and the game restarted with the temperature even higher and the intensity even more ferocious.
![The standard bearer for the Australian game, Tim Cahill, delivered on the biggest occasion in City's history.](/web/20161201171328im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/1/9/8/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt18qf.png/1480532509542.jpg)
City coach John van 't Schip had loaded his team up with attacking players but sprang one surprise when he deployed Nicolas Colazo, normally better known as an attacking midfielder, at left back.
It was the Argentinian who provided the home team with their best early opportunity in the 14th minute when he floated across a free kick which found Cahill, whose header went wide.
![Winner: Tim Cahill.](/web/20161201171328im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/1/9/8/3/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt18qf.png/1480532509542.jpg)
Sydney was, in the early exchanges, getting some joy on City's left as Rhyan Grant got in behind Colazo but instead of shooting as he drove towards goal tried to but the ball back, only for it to be intercepted.
City skipper Bruno Fornaroli was, as ever, the focal point for his team's attacks in this game.
![Tim Cahill heads the ball in for a goal in the 53rd minute against Sydney FC in the FFA Cup final on Wednesday night.](/web/20161201171328im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/1/9/7/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt18qf.png/1480532509542.jpg)
When the Uruguayan gets on the ball he is almost impossible to shift off it. He twists and turns, wriggles and writhes, either creating space for himself or bringing others into the game.
He did so in the 25th minute when he created something out of nothing from a throw in, firing the ball across for Brandan who somehow blasted the ball high and wide from close range.
![Cahill revels with City fans.](/web/20161201171328im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/1/9/8/2/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gt18qf.png/1480532509542.jpg)
At the other end, Sydney's Brazilian striker Bobo had a long-range shot on target but it was easily held by Dean Bouzanis.
After half an hour the frenetic early pace had subdued somewhat and the contest settled into an arm wrestle, Sydney well-organised and defensively solid, City free-wheeling and attacking.
The most fluid move of the half came near the interval, when Brandan broke down the left and fed the overlapping Colazo, whose cross was met by Fornaroli but headed wide.
It was, however, another player with South American antecedents, Sydney skipper Alex Brosque, who came nearest to breaking the deadlock five minutes after the restart when he controlled a high ball in the City penalty area, swivelled and hit a shot on the turn which forced Dean Bouzanis into a diving save.
It only took the hosts two minutes more to get their noses in front and it was a classic header from Cahill who gave them the lead.
A short corner was played out to Ivan Franjic, who delivered a peach of a cross to the far post. Cahill did what he has been doing for two decades – peeled off his two markers, Seb Ryall and Matt Jurman, and rose to thump a header wide of Danny Vukovic.
Shortly after his night was done when he went down after a jarring challenge by Sydney midfielder Josh Brillante, who cannoned into Cahill and left him writing on the ground and clutching his leg.
The Socceroo legend tried to run off the injury but had to admit defeat, giving way at the hour mark for substitute Anthony Caceres.
Sydney came agonisingly close to getting an equaliser in the 70th minute when Bobo met Simon's cross with a perfectly timed header, but somehow Michael Jakobsen, City's Danish centre back, got back to clear the ball off the line.
Sydney thought they had a shout for a penalty when Osama Malik tangled with Brosque in stoppage time, while Brandan should have put the issue beyond doubt seconds before referee Peter Green blew his whistle.