Sunday provided a pair of action-packed contests, with two A-League men’s teams winning their Australian Cup round of 16.
Reigning ALM Premiers Melbourne City sealed their place, while Sydney FC also passed.
Oakley Cannons FC – 2 (Connor HAMPTON 1′, Alex SALMON 57′)
Melbourne City FC – 3 (Tolgay ARSLAN 49′ 77′, Alessandro LOPANE 90+4′)
Melbourne City avoided a major upset by posting a late 3-2 win over Oakley Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve.
The hosts made the most of a frantic start, scoring a goal in the first 30 seconds through experienced fullback Connor Hampton, who reacted quicker after a corner from the right side.
The Cannons held on until half-time, but on 57 minutes Tolgay Arslan restored equality by scoring a penalty up the middle.
Oakley regained the lead early in the second half with Alex Salmon ramming in a rebound from another corner, but Arslan scored his second penalty of the match in the 77th minute.
It was a cruel conclusion for the NPL Victoria side, as Alessandro Lopane buried a stoppage-time goal to rob Melbourne City of victory.
Sydney FC – 3 (10) (Robert MAK 42′, Patrick WOOD 59′, Jaiden KUCHARSKI 120+3′)
Central Coast Mariners FC – 3 (9) (Alou KOUL 61′, Marco TULIO 84′, Harrison STEELE 100′)
Sydney FC defeated Central Coast Mariners in a dramatic penalty shootout victory at WIN Stadium.
In a tense first half, Sydney took the lead with three minutes remaining when Robert Mark sprinted down the left before caressing an accurate effort into the right corner.
They doubled their lead before the hour mark, with Patrick Wood finishing off a quick counter-attack, but Alou Koul quickly nodded in to halve the deficit.
Costa Central kept pressing, and with six minutes to go, Marco Tulio found the equalizer from the penalty spot to send the game into extra time.
The Mariners took the lead in the 100th minute, courtesy of Harrison Steele volleying past Andrew Redmayne from the edge of the box.
However, there was more drama with Jaiden Kucharski firing off a magnificent solo effort just at the end of extra time, meaning penalties were required.
It was a long shootout that cut through both sets of players before Redmayne joined the Sky Blues and secured the team’s place in the round of 16.
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