Goals, penalty saves, and magic moments were all prevalent as the Hahn Australia Cup Qualifying competition got underway in Canberra with five Round 3 matches taking place across three sensational nights.
Capital Premier League side West Canberra Wanderers kicked it all off with a thrilling win over Capital League Opens side Weston-Molonglo FC, in a six-goal encounter that needed penalties to separate the two sides.
Weston started the stronger of the two, with an early chance from James Noja going just wide, but it was the higher-ranked Wanderers who struck first, Nikolce Noveski expertly lobbed the ‘keeper from range to give the Wanderers an early lead.
Weston immediately went on the attack after conceding, and despite initially having one penalty shout waved away, were given a spot kick in the 27th minute, which was calmly dispatched by John O’Gorman. A well worked corner routine, saw Wanderers retake the lead, as Lachlan Hunter scored through traffic just before the break.
Coming out firing in the second half, Weston found an early equaliser as Brown fired a half-volley home to bring Weston level. The Capital League open side would on to take the lead, as Aaron Cashman found the back of the net, with a quarter of an hour to go.
Wanderers spared their blushes late on, as Hunter poked home from right in front deep into stoppage time, sending the match to extra time and penalties where ‘keeper Mitchell Cotter scoring the decisive penalty, to put his side through.
There was more serene progress for Canberra Juventus who proved too string for lower-division Narrabundah with two goals in the space of a minute doing the damage in the first-half, a third before the break ultimately seeing Juventus through with a 5-0 success.
Patrick Shore opened the scoring with twenty minutes of the first-half remaining, the wide-player immediately followed onto the scoresheet by Tom Cosentini, who was to add a second before the break.
Juventus, aiming for a better season in the CPL this season, confirmed their place in Round 4 and a home match against Yoogali SC, with two goals late in the encounter, Jasper Milin made it four in the 78th minute, Adam Exarhos rounding out the victory four minutes later.
Brindabella Blues eased into the Qualifying Round last sixteen by putting six without reply past an outclassed, but not outfought, Yarabi FC. A brace of goals from Curtis Schaeffer inside ten minutes set the Blues on their way to a 6-0 success.
Henry Wilks added a third before half-time, and later saw his penalty saved by Yarabi goalkeeper Aleks Surdonjic, the Yarabi custodian also making excellent saves from both substitutes Jonathan John and Christopher John later in the match.
Jonathan John did find the net twice in the closing stages, both his goals coming within ten minutes of each other, after Daniel Munoz had scored straight from a corner to make it 4-0. Yarabi had moments, Ali Sameeh hitting the outside of the post with an overhead kick, but Blues were too strong.
Brindabella will now take on fellow CPL outfit White Eagles for a Quarter-Final place as the team coached by Gaby Wilk romped past Community League opposition in Burns FC at Deakin 2-02, next to the Royal Australian Mint, with a routine 7-0 win.
New signing Sergio Lindner looks like quite the acquisition for Wilk and his team, the Argentine striker scoring four times to continue his excellent form he has been showing in pre-season. Linder had a hat-trick by twenty-five minutes and added a fourth from the spot in the 65th minute.
Ferney Gamboa added a brace to the scoreboard, netting either side of a goal from Abderrahim Dellahi, as Eagles soared into the last sixteen, the team looking strong and perhaps a genuine dark horse for further progression.
The final match of the round went the whole distant as Majura FC, from Community League 1, were pushed all the way by Woden Valley of Community League 3/4, the higher-ranked team winning 2-1 after extra-time.
Rory Larkin, a former goalkeeper, won the day for Majura, latching onto a pass from substitute Protshan Basnet and beating Woden Valley goalkeeper Joshua Bennett at the second attempt.
Woden had taken the lead after seven minutes as captain Mitchell Evans swept home and almost went two-up when a goalmouth scramble saw a ball hacked off the goal-line. That kept Majura in it and they levelled six minutes into the second=half with a well-taken goal from Reggie Kyei.
Opportunities came and went for both in the fixture, before Larkin struck to set up a mouthwatering tie against National Premier League giants Tigers FC.
RESULTS
ROUND 3
Tuesday 11 March
West Canberra Wanderers 3 (Noveski 11’, Hunter 38’, 90+2’) Weston-Molonglo FC 3 (O’Gorman 27’ (p), Brown 49’, Cashman 76’) – after extra time, West Canberra Wanderers win 5-4 on penalties
Wednesday 12 March
Canberra Juventus 5 (Shore 25’, Cosentini 26’, 42’, Milin 78’, Exarhos 82’) Narrabundah FC 0
Yarabu FC 0 Brindabella Blues 6 (Schaeffer 5’, 9’, Wilks 22’, Munoz 66’, J. John 77’, 87’)
Thursday 13 March
Woden Valley 1 (Evans 7’) Majura FC 2 (Kyei 51’, Larkin 99’) – after extra time
White Eagles 7 (Lindner 4’, 10’, 25’, 65’ (p), Gamboa 48’, 59’, Dellahi 54’) Burns FC 0
FIXTURES
ROUND 4
Canberra Juventus v Yoogali SC
Canberra Croatia v ANU FC
Tuggeranong United v Canberra Olympic
O’Connor Knights v Gungahlin United
White Eagles v Brindabella Blues
Belconnen United v Queanbeyan City
Tigers FC v Majura FC
West Canberra Wanderers v Monaro Panthers
