O’Connor Knights booked their ticket to the 2024 Capital Football Australia Cup Qualifying Final with a 3-1 win over Gungahlin United on a night of drama at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval.
The Gunners finished a pulsating semi-final with just eight players, seeing three of their starting eleven receive red cards, whilst Head Coach Javier Roca was also expelled, three of them in a tempestuous opening forty-five minutes.
Both teams went into the match having won all eight of their competitive fixtures during the season, and hopes were high for a high-octane footballing contest between two sides who just love to play with pace, passion, and power.
Gunner’s evening got off to a horrific start when Christian Junna upended Regan Walsh inside the penalty area, following a magnificent excursion deep into Gungahlin territory by the midfielder, Micheal Adams doing what he does best and confidently drilling the resultant spot-kick into the bottom corner.
The hosts woes grew just past the midway point in the first half when inspirational skipper Jack Green was sent off for pulling back Aisosa Ihegie as the Knights forward turned and scampered towards goal, and they were exacerbated moments later as Jeremy Habtemariam followed him to the changing room, receiving a second yellow card for dissent.
Incredibly, the nine-men rallied and drew level ten minutes before the break. Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu was sent clear of a flat Knights defensive line and was hauled down by Seb Arranz in the visitors goal.
In years gone past the decision would have been a clear red, but under the current regulations, the sanction as yellow much to the ire of Gunners Coach Roca who was sent off for his protestations to the fourth official. After an interminable delay, Ahmed-Shaibu kept his cool to ram home the equaliser.
With Gungahlin playing two men shy, it was inevitable that chances would come, and the Knights finally made the breakthrough following an incursion from James Driscoll down the left flank, his low cross steered home by Ihegie who was unmarked inside the area.
What followed was remarkable as Knights spurned chance after chance to seal the tie. Substitute Niko Perinovic failed to turn a cross into an open goal, Gunners’ replacement Bailey Dickinson incredibly blocked on the line, and Aidan Munford twice stood tall to deny Ihegie and Perinovic.
Gungahlin were hanging in there but were further reduced numerically when full-back Christian Junna picked up a second yellow card with four minutes to play. The eight-men so nearly forced extra-time when an Antoni Timotheou free-kick glanced off the head of Knights defender Connor Bill but fell straight into the arms of Arranz, whilst Badreldin Abbas was a colossus in the Gunners defence, halting many Knights raids.
With seven minutes of time added on Gungahlin had one more free-kick, and Munford was sent forward, not for the first time. However, the Knights managed to clear, and Adams was left to run three-quarters of the length of the pitch with Munford in vain pursuit, to slide the ball into the gaping goal and send the Knights to the Cup Final.
RESULT
Semi-Final
Tuesday 21 May
Gungahlin United 1 (Ahmed-Shaibu 35’ (p)) O’Connor Knights 3 (Adams 18’ (p), 90+7’, Ihegie 53’)
