With triumphs over national federation opponents on Wednesday night, Sydney FC and Macarthur FC of the A-League Men’s division became the first two teams to earn their spots in the Australia Cup 2022 Quarter Finals.
Sydney FC defeated Bentleigh Greens 2-1 on Wednesday night at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex to go to the Quarter Finals for the sixth time. Sydney’s youthful players stood out as Adrian Segecic, and Aaron Gurd scored their maiden senior goals for the Sky Blues on Wednesday.
Segecic, who finished with two assists in Sydney’s victory over the Mariners in the Round of 32, managed to open the scoring in the 40th minute. He brought down an Alex Wilkinson high ball, went past his marker, and managed to finish delicately past Pierce Clarke to give his team a lead going into halftime. Segecic also finished with two assists in the victory.
Halfway into the second half, Aaron Gurd – who was enjoying his Sky Blue starting debut – rose highest to head in a Max Burgess corner, giving the 20-year-old defender an unforgettable night. Ajak Riak scored a goal for Bentleigh in the 86th minute to bring the score to 2-1. Riak scored the goal by heading home a cross from Corey Sewell at the back post. However, the goal turned out to be little more than a consolation as Steve Corica’s team managed to hold on to the victory.
Macarthur, on the other hand, beat Modbury Jets 4-0 on Wednesday night at Service FM Stadium to advance to their first-ever Australia Cup Quarter Finals. The Bulls have already provided their supporters with a ton of entertainment this season, winning their first two games under Dwight Yorke and scoring 10 goals while allowing none. Against the Jets, Lachie Rose scored twice, while Al Hassan Toure and Charles M’Mombwa also found the back of the nett for the Bulls.
Toure, a former Adelaide United striker, opened the score in the ninth minute when he volleyed in a cross from Rose. Following his contribution to the first goal, Rose added his name to the scoresheet with a lucky deflection just before halftime to give his team a two-goal lead. In the 63rd minute, substitute M’Mombwa added a third goal after eluding his defender and firing a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner. Rose then slipped through the defence and stunned Luke Luongo with a bombshell finish in the 90th minute to seal his brace and make it 4-0.
The Australia Cup is a knockout competition that is held on a national level and is organised by Football Australia in coordination with all of the State and Territory Member Federations in the country. Seven hundred forty-two clubs from all throughout the nation will compete in 2022’s preliminary rounds to final rounds. Every territory and state is assigned a number of Round of 32 berths depending on the number of registered teams and the number of Preliminary Round participants from each Member Federation. According to some of the most reputable betting sites in Australia, Sydney FC are the current favourites to win the title, followed by Macarthur FC, Melbourne City, and Western United FC.
The Preliminary Rounds of the competition are followed by the Final Rounds (starting with the Round of 32), where the A-League sides enter the contest. Every single cup match must be determined on the spot, with penalties and extra time used to settle scores if there is a tie after 90 minutes.
