Ref in a red mist as eight-man Mariners lose A-League thriller

It’s not every day you see nine goals in a match, even rarer it is that the referee is the catalyst for making a match exciting, a match that, when finished, was declared the "greatest A-League game so far."

It was December 22, 2007, and the Central Coast Mariners were hosting Sydney FC and hot favourites to win the match, a game re-scheduled from the beginning of the month due to a waterlogged pitch.

Things were going to plan early for the Central Coast. Two goals in front after 15 minutes, it seemed a big victory was on the cards. Then, one minute later, it happened and it all started to look a bit more shaky.

Goalkeeper Danny Vukovic rushed out of the box and the ball bounced off the pitch and into his hand. Referee Matthew Breeze decided it was a deliberate handball and showed Vukovic a red card. The Mariners were a man down and had to substitute striker Sasho Petrovski for reserve goalkeeper Matthew Trott.