Israel’s Cohen clinches grand final glory for City
Cohen: "I'm very happy - all this week, I imagined this picture".
It was an unforgettable “pinch me” moment – not only for Israeli international Yonatan Cohen and his family, but for every Australian Jew – when he briefly wrapped an Israeli flag around his shoulders with pride, as Melbourne City’s goal-scoring hero, in their 1-0 A-League Men’s grand final triumph over cross-city rivals Melbourne Victory last Saturday night.
In front of 29,902 fans at AAMI Park – a record crowd for that venue for a match in any sport – the 28-year-old attacking winger scored what turned out to be the match-winner, in the 10th minute of the physical, and at times heated, contest.
Positioning himself perfectly, Cohen latched onto a shot by teammate Max Caputo that had struck the crossbar, and calmly seized the moment by slotting the ball diagonally along the ground into the left corner of the goal.
He almost scored twice in the second half – through a powerful curling strike that was brilliantly saved, and a header that missed its mark – and showcased his renowned creativity in the 74th minute, with a precision centring lob to Germán Ferreyra, whose header was a fraction too high.
Melbourne Victory threw everything into their attack in the closing stages – including seven tension-filled minutes of added time – but City’s commitment and resilience in defence answered each raid.
For Cohen – a former star player for Maccabi Tel Aviv who arrived in Australia last September on a one-year contract with Melbourne City – scoring the winning goal in the A-League decider was a dream come true, but one he knew he was capable of.
In an on-field, post-match interview in Channel Ten/Paramount’s live broadcast, Cohen said, “I’m very happy – all this week, I imagined this picture . . . that I’d score [in the grand final] and that we’d win”.
“From the first step when I signed here with Melbourne City, I believed in this team, and I want to say thank you to all the staff at the club – they treated me like I was here for a lot of years.
“And I want to say thank you to my family.
“I was far away from my parents and my longest friends, but I have a wonder woman in my home – my wife [Roni] – and my two young kids.
“After the game, I went to my wife and kids [in the grandstand] and hugged them – they helped me a lot.
“You know, you play football, but this is the most important thing – your family – and I love them.”
Cohen said he is unsure what he will do next, but will enjoy being with family and friends back in Israel in the meantime.
In his first A-League Men season, Cohen scored 6 goals – including a long range ripper in the semi-finals – and made 3 goal assists in his 19 games, and on Monday night, he was named the joint winner, with teammate Caputo, of Melbourne City’s Golden Boot award.
City’s head coach Aurelio Vidmar said, “To see the reward the boys have gotten tonight in a really tough game – I’m so rapt for everyone”.
Vidmar said Cohen had “a fantastic season”.
“He had a few injuries here and there [mid-season], but he bounced himself back, and in the last couple of months, he has been awesome.
“You can see what he can do in the right moments.”
A comment shared on a post-grand final Instagram post by Cohen, by a user called Bee Frie, perhaps best summed up what Cohen’s grand final heroics meant to the Jewish community on our shores.
It simply stated, it was a “very meaningful moment for the Jewish community in Australia, seeing you proudly celebrating with the Israeli flag, in the face of so much hate – thank you!”.
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