Alexander
The Westfield FFA Cup’s first four games in the Round of 32
were played. Epic drama unfolded with shootouts, comebacks and fantastic goals.
Here’s what happened.
Palm Beach
Sharks 1 (win 8-7 on penalties).
Matik (p 38’)
South
Melbourne Hellas 1
Lujic (34’)
Palm Beach’s love-affair with the Westfield FFA Cup has
continued after they beat South Melbourne in a gripping penalty shoot-out 8-7
at Cbus Super Stadium on Wednesday night.
After scores were locked at 1-1 after extra-time,
goal-keeper Shane Viitakangas was the hero saving two spot kicks in the
shoot-out.
He first denied Stephen Hatzikostas before keeping out South
skipper Michael Eager’s attempt in sudden-death to send the home fans into
raptures.
After a frenetic opening half an hour it was the visitors
who produced the breakthrough from the prolific Milos Lujic.
The impressive Nicholas Epifano spotted a surging run from
Bradley Norton who got to the byline and clipped a cross to the far post where
Lujic rose to power in his header.
It was just what the few hundred South fans who had
travelled north wanted to see but their celebrations lasted less than four
minutes.
South Melbourne ‘keeper Nikola Roganovic inexplicably barged
Rees Duncan down in the box for a penalty, which was coolly converted by
Florian Matik.
Both sides had chances to win it in normal time before the
Sharks had to survive 12 minutes of extra-time with just 10 men after defender
Eoghan Morgan was given a second yellow card after a tangle with Andrija
Kecojevic.
But it mattered little as Viitakangas came up big for the
home side to send them through to the last 16.
Hume City 4
Hegarty (3'), Schroen (90’ + 1, 106’) Henslee (OG 120’)
Brisbane Strikers
3
Henslee (23') Coulson (90’, 103’)
Hosts Hume City started brightly and were rewarded with the
opening goal in the third minute.
Nick Hegarty in the centre of the penalty area was able to
guide a side-foot finish over goalkeeper Fraser Chalmers.
Undeterred by going behind so early, the Strikers grew into
the contest and were level in the 23rd minute, when centre-back Greig Henslee
met Greg King's free-kick and sent a header looping beyond Chris Oldfield in
the Hume goal.
Scot Coulson looked set to break Hume hearts when he put the
visitors from Queensland ahead in the last minute of normal time, his shot
sneaking under the body of Oldfield.
But the hosts produced an instant reply through midfielder
Marcus Shroen, who rose highest to equalise with a header less than 60 seconds
later, sparking wild celebrations among the home crowd and sending the match to
extra-time.
In a bizarre carbon copy of the dramatic conclusion to the
regulation 90, Coulson seized on a defensive error to race in on goal and
restore the Strikers' lead.
Hume clearly had no intention of going quietly though,
Shroen heading home again to get Hume City back on levels terms just before
half-time in extra-time.
And in an incredible finish an own goal from Henslee gave Hume
a remarkable 4-3 victory on an incredible night for Hume.
What a night...
Blacktown
City 1
Antelmi (34’)
MetroStars
SC 2
Negus (60’) Callisto (78’)
The rampant City showed their form in the PS4 NPL NSW could
be transferred to the Cup as the league leaders dominated the opening 45
minutes against their South Australian opponents. But they were in for a second
half surprise.
After a number of chances in the first 45, former Sydney FC
striker Mitch Malia got on the burst down the right and his low ball into the
box was swept home by Patrick Antelmi to open the scoring.
It was 1-0 to the home side at half-time against a
MetroStars side clearly missing key striker Perry Mitris.
But the SA club came out and hit back quickly, and after
dominating the opening 10 minutes it was Jonathan Negus who got his head onto a
perfect cross to power home the equaliser.
And in a game of two halves, Rocky Callisto bundled home the
second to give MetroStars the advantage with 15 minutes to go.
City looked shell-shocked. MetroStars sensed a famous win on
the road.
And the reigning national PS4 NPL champions saw it through
for a fantastic win for the Klemzig club.
Broadmeadow
Magic1
Pettit (70’)
Alexander Heidelberg
United 3
Petrie (21’), Sheppard (24’), Heffernan (37’)
The ‘Bergers put aside the distraction of keeper Griffin
McMaster being stood down an hour before the game for offensive tweets to blow
away Magic in a scintillating first-half performance.
Clinical finishing saw the visitors 3-0 up at the break to
virtually guarantee their progress against a shell-shocked Magic.
The standout courtesy of Jack Petrie with the Queenslander’s
long-range rocket an early contender for goal of the Cup. Heidelberg worked the
corner well and with Petrie in way too much space some 25 metres out, he
smashed it home.
0 comments:
Post a Comment