Melbourne Victory scored a dramatic late goal in the elimination finals to beat Sydney FC 2-1 on Friday in the A-League.

Victory dominated the opening stages of the game and twice came close in the opening six minutes. First they were denied by the offside flag before Archie Thompson put a shot just wide.

The opening goal did come after 18 minutes and it was the dangerman Thompson who grabbed it. Pablo Contreras drove down his flank with the ball before finding Thompson, who clipped inside the far post.

Things remained tense until Sydney got themselves level just after the half-hour mark. Sebastian Ryall was played in inside the box before he took a neat touch and finished with his second.

Victory goalkeeper Nathan Coe kept his side level on 55 minutes with a tipped save, and it proved to be valuable as Guilherme Finkler grabbed a goal at the death to eliminate Sydney.