Australia Cup semi-final – South Melbourne v Macarthur: Can Sydney’s ultimate team prevent an all-Victorian decider?
When it comes to the Australia Cup, if you can name it, South Melbourne has been through it.
They have succeeded in becoming the only state level team to reach the semi-finals, facing cup winners, arch rivals and multiple rounds of extra time.
But if Souths are to host the big dance show, they will have to beat Macarthur FC, the last Sydney side left who know a thing or two about playing Goliaths.
Before the Bulls and Lakers once again take the field like it was the 1991 NBA Finals, let’s review what they did to get here and how they can clinch that coveted spot in the Finals.
Souths beat Hume City in a thrilling extra-time match
In the previous four meetings with Hume City this year, South Melbourne had won 1-0 each time.
However, the Turks quickly turned the tables on their Greek rivals as Mark Ochieng sent in a cross and Josh Bingham headed it into the net without being touched to take an early lead in the 12th minute.
The South made a strong effort to counter-attack but it was only early in the second half that they found success when Hume’s handball gave Harry Sawyer a penalty and he made the most of it with a confident header to level the match.
The Greeks then played better in the second half and were rewarded in the 73rd minute when Jordan Lampard hit a shot into the box and Max Mikola got the perfect touch to head the ball home to put the Souths 2-1 ahead.
But Hellas didn’t have a moment to think about victory before Andaluspor responded. Hume’s hero throughout the tournament, Ameer Abdullah, stepped up once again, setting up Lachlan Weir to launch a superb rocket from outside the box to level the score at 2-2.
After 90 minutes and a stoppage in the match both teams were still level, so we went into extra time, where Souths possession became absolutely stifling – in the first 15 minutes alone, they held 78% of ball possession.
This proved to be crucial in the 115th minute when Lampard moved forward to receive a cross and headed the ball into the goal to give Hellas another lead.
Despite the best efforts of Mikael Platt, Hume City couldn’t score until penalties, and South Melbourne completed the season’s victory over their hopeless opponents.
With this win, Souths are through to the semi-finals for the first time since 2017, and they will do everything they can to ensure that this time around, the Sydney side they host cannot stop them.
Macarthur disables the cannons
Two years on from their 2022 semi-final clash, Macarthur and newly-crowned NPL Victoria champions Oakleigh Cannons meet again at the home of the Matildas.
The final match ended 5-2 in favour of the Bulls, and they started right where they left off when Marin Jakoliš intercepted Oakley’s pass and passed it to Valer Germain, who took control with a wonderful run to the middle of the field and confidently put it in.
After two consecutive games where Macarthur needed some brilliant last minute performances from their former League 1 players, the Bulls’ new pairing now took the lead in just the third minute.
From there, the match quickly settled into a tense, physical affair – and Macarthur got a lot of thanks for his early pickpocketing, as he didn’t get many such opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Cannons couldn’t let their shots fall, as their six attempts in the first half ended in three Philip Courtois saves, two blocks and a miss.
After halftime, the sunny weather eased somewhat, but the nature of the contest didn’t change much. The main difference was that Kureto turned a good day into one of the best of his career.
Goalkeeper Pol saved five more goals to halt the growing frustration, and some of those went straight into his personal highlight reel.
The problem was compounded when Oakleigh manager Chris Taylor made the bizarre decision to hold off on his substitutes until late in the second half, despite knowing his side were playing on short rest following the previous week’s title clash.
By the time Taylor made his first substitute, Macarthur’s Mile Sterjovski had brought on a number of players to ensure the Bulls would have fresh players for the final stages.
From that point forward, Macarthur kept the Cannons from shooting, and although the Bulls later attempted to double their lead, they ultimately didn’t need to.
Despite putting up a better fight than two years ago, the Cannons lost to Macarthur once again, and the Bulls are now looking to repeat the feat and make it to the Australia Cup final for the second time in three years.
SHOWTIME vs STRIKERS-STEELERS: KEYS TO VICTORY
As usual in these inter-league encounters, Macarthur will go in as favourites, as their squad includes all sorts of proven talent.
They should also prove robust to the pressures of the road – they haven’t had the chance to play in Campbelltown and have had to rely on their home crowd in this tournament, but they have remained strong throughout.
That said, South Melbourne have proven with some very patient play and timely goals that they are capable of weathering any storm this Cup throws at them.
If it goes beyond full-time they’ll be even more prepared, having survived it two rounds in a row.
However, the most important and crucial step has already been taken in the front office.
Just after the quarter-finals, and just before the transfer window closed, Macarthur signed Harry Sawyer from South Melbourne, taking a vital attacking threat and locker room leader off the chessboard.
Based on whatever insider information he might share, the Bulls could hurt Hellas where it hurts and make it to the finals – but on the other hand, if Souths take it personally and express their anger well, we could see the most important Cupset yet.
Either way, this is a clash that cannot be ignored.
Editors note: Melbourne Victory defeated Adelaide 1-0 in the first semi-final of the Australia Cup.