Besart Berisha says the contentious spot kick he won to settle Brisbane's Hyundai A-League grand final win over the Perth Glory was a 'clear penalty'.
Besart Berisha says the contentious spot kick he won to settle Brisbane's Hyundai A-League Grand Final win over the Perth Glory was a 'clear penalty'.
While Glory captain Jacob Burns was adamant referee Jarred Gillett's decision to award a penalty after Liam Miller's challenge on Berisha in the final moments of the match had been a mistake, the Roar forward said there had been contact and that his side fully deserved their 2-1 win.
"Yes, of course it was a penalty," Berisha told reporters after the match. "(Miller) touched me, I lost balance and I fall down. This mean it is a penalty."
Berisha praised Gillett for awarding the penalty in what he described as a 'hard decision'.
"He is the best in the country, so I'm very happy that he saw this," he said of the referee.
Burns, meanwhile, resisted the urge to criticise Gillett, but made it clear he did not agree with the call.
The veteran midfielder had initially claimed on Fox Sports after the match Berisha had admitted it was not a spot kick, before backing away from that statement.
"The penalty right at the end there was the hardest thing to take," said Burns, whose side had taken the lead through an Ivan Franjic own-goal before Berisha's late double.
"But you've got to be humble when you win and you've got to be humble when you lose. Sometimes decisions goes your way and sometimes they don't.
"I just think (Berisha) air swung really, he's gone to swing and missed. They've judged it as some kind of contact there to make him miss. I don't want to dwell on it or take away from a wonderful game of football."
A delighted Berisha admitted he had few ideas on how to celebrate his maiden career title and would 'follow the boys'.
"To celebrate with the boys, to celebrate with 50,000 fans ... it's just amazing. I'm so happy for this," he said.
"There's not for me a better day. (It's the) best moment in my career. I get to score two goals in final - this is not normal."