South Melbourne and Heidelberg United have ensured there will be a Hellenic presence in the Australia Cup’s Round of 16 after scoring vital wins over South Hobart and Weston Bears respectively.
The two Melbourne clubs impressed on Wednesday night as they both kept their Australia Cup campaigns alive.
“Hellas” secured their presence in the Round of 16 after coming from behind to earn a 1-2 win in Tasmania.
The hosts took the lead 28 minutes in through extraordinary circumstances when Kobe Kemp scored a remarkable bicycle kick from a corner, much to the delight of the home supporters.
Their lead was short-lived as South Melbourne equalised the 32nd minute through former South Hobart player Andy Brennan, who calmly deposited a volleyed effort into the top left from inside the box.
“Hellas” then took the lead outright in the 41st minute via Nahuel Bonada, who finished the ball beautifully into the bottom left corner in what proved to be the winning goal.
“Alexandros” sealed their berth in the next round with a 2-0 home win over Weston Bears, adding to their esteemed record in the Cup competition.
Heidelberg opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the clash through a well-worked goal that saw Asahi Yokokawa finish the ball from tap-in range.
They then put the game to bed with a goal in the 87th minute through Max Bisetto, who deposited the ball into the bottom right.
The victory ensured “Alexandros” qualified for the Round of 16 for the sixth time in the competition’s history, an incredible record for a team in the second tier of Australian football.
Darwin Olympic, the other Hellenic-background club to play this week, made history for all the wrong reasons as they succumbed to a 0-9 drubbing at the hands of VPL2 side Nunawading City on Tuesday night.
Nunawading, a fourth-tier club, produced the biggest victory in the history of the Australia Cup (from Round of 32 onwards) in an unbelievable contest.
The Victorian outfit is now among only a handful of fourth-tier clubs that have managed to make it this deep into the Australia Cup.
Olympic FC is the remaining Hellenic background club yet to play their Round of 16 fixture with them all set for an epic all-Queensland clash against rivals Brisbane City next Wednesday.
