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Victory put six past Reds

18 February 2007 | 20:31 - AAP

Melbourne Victory striker Archie Thompson scored five goals as his side destroyed Adelaide United 6-0 in the 2006/07 A-League Grand Final at Telstra Dome.

 

In front of an Australian domestic football record crowd of 55,436, Thompson scored a first-half hat-trick as the Victory tore apart the Reds to put the issue beyond doubt by half-time.

The Socceroos star then capped a remarkable performance with two more in the second half to become the first player to score more than three goals in an A-League match.

"I predicted I would get a hat-trick, I usually say that and it never happens, and to happen on an occasion like this this is incredible, and I'm just thankful to the guys," Thompson said.

Adelaide were put on the backfoot early, with Thompson netting in the 21st and 29th minutes to put his side well in control.

Any hope of Adelaide fightback vanished when skipper Ross Aloisi was sent off in the 33rd minute for a foul on Victory midfielder Grant Brebner.

It earned Aloisi his second yellow card of the match following a late challenge on Fred 10 minutes earlier.

After Aloisi's dismissal, Melbourne carved up Adelaide at will, with Victory midfielder Fred outstanding.

Kevin Muscat's pinpoint pass released Thompson for his third goal in the 39th minute to give the Victory an emphatic 3-0 lead by half-time.

After Thompson and Fred both hit the woodwork early in the second half, Thompson added a fourth in the 56th minute.

Then Thompson sent the crowd into raptures with a fifth 18 minutes from time, and was substituted just prior to the finish of the match to a standing ovation.

Substitute Kristian Sarkies iced the result for the Victory with a long-range sixth goal in injury-time.

The win sealed the A-League double for Melbourne - adding the Championship to the Premiers title they won in runaway fashion during the home-and-away season.

"The script must have been written for us ages ago," Muscat said. "We thoroughly deserved what we got tonight."

Sunday night's crowd at Telstra Dome surpassed both the attendance for the rugby league State of Origin match held there last year, and the biggest AFL crowd for a match held at Telstra Dome.

But it was a little over 1,000 less than the record crowd for a sporting event at the venue - the 56,605 who attended the Wallabies-British Lions rugby Test in 2001.

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