W-League: Brisbane progresses

Sydney finished the game with 10 players while coach Alen Stajcic was locked and guarded in the dressing room after being dismissed from the sidelines in the second half.

Trailing 1-0 after 18 minutes, Brisbane super-sub Emily Gielnik equalised with less than a minute remaining in injury time at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre And following an action-packed period of extra-time, the hosts completed the stunning comeback with a 4-3 shootout triumph.

Moments after Brisbane's equaliser, star Sydney forward Kyah Simon - arguably the visitors' best player - slid in with a frustrated tackle on Vedrana Popovic, earning a second yellow card.

Stajcic exploded, voicing his displeasure to officials, who ordered him off the sidelines. It was his second outburst of the match after he complained to officials following Gielnik's goal.

The drama continued when Stajcic continued to relay messages to his assistants from the stands, and had to be escorted to the dressing rooms and held under guard by ground security officers.

Estelle Johnson and Teresa Polias were the unlucky women to miss from the spot for Sydney, while Tameka Butt, Kim Carroll, Brooke Spence and Aivi Luik all converted for the Roar.

Gielnik, who was introduced at half-time, made an immediate impact on the game, providing her midfield a strong target and capping off a great half with her last-gasp equaliser.

"It's indescribable more than anything ... I don't know what I was feeling but in a second everyone came and ran and smothered me," said Gielnik.

"It feels phenomenal; one-nil down and under the pump and then to get a goal in the dying seconds and to know we're in the final.

"There's always been a lot of drama between us and the Sydney girls. They're a great bunch of girls but of all the teams, they're the one that love to give us a fight.

"The victory means Brisbane have now made every grand final in the competition's four-year history, while Sydney miss their first decider in three years.

After a string of probing Sydney free kicks and near misses through the first quarter of an hour, the opener came through Renee Rollason's clinical header.

With Roar's regular goal-shark Butt being marked out of the contest, Brisbane's best chance of the first half came at the 26th minute, with Joanne Burgess latching on to a bobbling clearance and grazing the post with a left-foot lash from the top of the area.

Brisbane and Canberra will face off in the nation's capital on Saturday.