Romeo Castelen hat trick as Western Sydney win thriller vs. Brisbane

Updated: May 17, 2023, 06:00 am
Western Sydney celebrate after the full-time whistle.
Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Western Sydney will play Adelaide United in the A-League grand final, after Dario Vidosic's extra-time winner sealed a 5-4 semifinal comeback.

In one of the competition's all-time classics at Parramatta Stadium, the Wanderers were down 3-0 inside 23 minutes before Romeo Castelen, with a hat trick, and Brendon Santalab got the home side in front.

Roar levelled through Jamie Maclaren in the 81st minute before Vidosic struck in the 102nd to seal the Wanderers' passage to next Sunday's decider at Adelaide Oval.

The first came after Wanderers' Spanish midfielder Andreu handballed in the box to concede a penalty which Dimitri Petratos scored. Four minutes later Andreu committed a second uncharacteristic error, netting an own-goal off his backside from an inswinging Corona free kick.

Just three minutes on Maclaren broke his three-match goal drought when he looped the ball over goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.

Wanderers coach Tony Popovic was still kicking the ground in despair when Castelen pulled one back. The speedy Dutch winger struck a thunderous free kick that soared over the wall -- and keeper Jamie Young -- to fly into the top-left corner.

Santalab clawed back a second before the break when he went on a solo run, fended off James Donachie and rolled his 11th of the season past Young at the near post. 

After halftime, Castelen changed the game for good. Soon after firing into the roof of the net, he slotted another low strike to seal the club's second-ever hat trick.

But the Roar, as is often the case, weren't quite done.

Maclaren wrested his side back from the brink, tapping in his seventh goal in four games against the Wanderers this season off some lovely lead-up work from Henrique and Tommy Oar.

It seemed inevitable that the contest would go to extra time -- just as the 2013-14 grand final between these sides did.

But two years after Henrique scored the title-winner at Suncorp Stadium, Vidosic turned the tables.

His first stinging shot was blocked by Young, but he was granted another when Mark Bridge regathered the ball and sent in a cross for the tap-in.