South Melbourne Make History With Australia Cup Penalty Win Over Victory

Historic Cup Final

South Melbourne made history at AAMI Park by becoming the first non A-League team to win the Australia Cup. The former NSL powerhouses defeated Melbourne Victory in a penalty shootout after the match ended 1-1 at the end of extra time. A sellout crowd of 29,911 fans watched the blockbuster final.

This historic result caps off a special run for the club. South Melbourne have long craved an A-League licence, and this victory only strengthens their bid for one.

Late Extra Time Drama

The game was tied after 90 minutes before extra time brought late drama. Denis Genreau scored an athletic, improvised half volley in the 95th minute to give Victory a 1-0 lead.

South Melbourne fought back near the very end of the extra period. Max Mikkola forced home an equaliser in the 117th minute to level the score at 1-1. His goal sent the game to penalties and drove the crowd into ecstasy.

Shootout Heroics And ACL Qualification

South Melbourne goalkeeper Javier Lopez emerged as the hero during the penalty shootout. He denied former South captain Harrison Sawyer from the spot. Victory skipper Jason Davidson then hit his must score penalty over the crossbar to give South Melbourne a 4-3 shootout victory.

Sinisa Cohadzic's team succeeded where other NPL clubs fell short. Heidelberg lost in the final last year, while Sydney United 58 fell in 2022.

With this win, South Melbourne also technically claim a berth in next season's Asian Champions League 2 competition. Meanwhile, the defeat extends Victory's ongoing silverware drought. Melbourne Victory have not won a trophy since their 2021 Australia Cup title.

What it means for the next game

Wellington Phoenix FC vs Melbourne Victory (A-League, Sun, 18 Oct): Wellington Phoenix FC win 33%, draw 25%, Melbourne Victory win 42%; expected goals 1.43 to 1.63. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.