The curtain comes down on the Round of 16 as the final three clubs will book their places in the Quarter Finals.
NWS Spirit FC welcome Melbourne Victory to the Arctic Circle and Moreton City Excelsior FC host Perth Glory in the bid for Cupset triumphs.
In Melbourne, it’s an all NPL Victoria affair as familiar foes Oakleigh Cannons and Heidelberg United square off for a third time in 2024.
NWS Spirit FC v Melbourne Victory FC
Date: 28 August 2024
Time: 7:30 pm AEST
Venue: Christie Park
GET TICKETS
GET DIRECTIONS
NWS Spirit are the only remaining New South Wales Member Federation team left in the Australia Cup.
Spirit put in a dominant display in their 3-0 win over Glenorchy Knights in the Round of 32.
Michael Konestabo and Richard Darko put the team two goals up heading into the sheds and Zachary Cianci added another goal on the hour mark.
This is the furthest Spirit have gone in the Cup after their Round of 32 exit in 2022.
Spirit made a strong finish to the NPL Men’s NSW season, finishing well clear of the relegation places in an otherwise tight competition.
Spirit went down narrowly to third-placed APIA Leichhardt over the weekend, but they completed their 30-round NPL campaign in tenth, one point away from ninth.
The team have already overcome New South Wales giants in Sydney Olympic and Sydney United 58 in the Cup, but Melbourne Victory will provide a different challenge.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/AustraliaCup/status/1821454272778924392
Victory showed their quality in the previous round with a 4-1 victory over Lambton Jaffas.
Bruno Fornaroli, Alex Lee and Nishan Velupillay all scored in the first half before Velupillay added his second soon after the break.
The side have not made the Quarter Finals of the Cup since 2021, when they went on to win the competition.
Spirit will be looking to write another chapter in their history on Wednesday, while a win for Victory could mean a promising tournament for them.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/gomvfc/status/1825806475895480697
Moreton City Excelsior FC v Perth Glory FC
Date: 28 August 2024
Time: 7:30 pm AEST
Venue: Perry Park
GET TICKETS
GET DIRECTIONS
Moreton City strolled into the Round of 16 in style with a 5-1 win over South Australia’s Campbelltown City.
They burst into a two-goal advantage within 25 minutes but went into the halftime break with their lead cut in half.
An inspired second-half performance from attacking duo Marquez Walters and Zachary Kierpal saw the side pile on three more to storm into the Round of 16.
Their Round of 32 performance extended their flowing goal scoring record from the Preliminary Rounds, averaging five goals per game.
Excelsior missed a chance for silverware on Saturday night, losing 3-0 to fellow Round of 16 qualifiers Lions FC in the Queensland Cup.
Perth Glory has been one of the most intriguing teams in the competition, first breaking their Round of 32 and then Round of 16 droughts, as the West Aussie side have taken kindly to life under David Zdrillic.
Glory produced two high-scoring victories, first over Brisbane Roar in the Playoffs, and Melbourne City in a nine-goal 5-4 extra-time thriller.
The game also became the joint-highest scoring match in the last 10 years of the tournament, matching a 3-6 between Hills Brumbies and Hakoah Sydney City East and a 7-2 that saw Sydney United 58 prevail over Far North Queensland.
With eight different goalscorers, this match helped make the 2024 Round of 32 the joint-third highest scoring in history, with its 65 goals only beaten by 2023 (70) and 2019 (66).
Youngsters Abdelelah Faisal and Nathanael Blair (2) continued their breakout tournaments while 19-year-old Adam Cardeno and Adam Taggart also grabbed a goal.
Blair also recently added to his tally with a goal in a 3-0 pre-season friendly win over Sorrento FC.
If Glory advance, it will be the furthest they have progressed since 2015, when they made the second of back-to-back Finals.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PerthGloryFC/status/1820393001400860832
Oakleigh Cannons FC v Heidelberg United FC
Date: 28 August 2024
Time: 7:30 pm AEST
Venue: Home of the Matildas
GET TICKETS
GET DIRECTIONS
Oakleigh sensationally produced a second Cupset victory over Sydney FC in the Round of 32, this time a 3-1 victory over the Sky Blues, to add to their 2-1 scalp in 2022.
Kingsley Sinclair opened the scoring within 15 minutes before Sydney equalised from the penalty spot.
Asad Kasumovic restored the Cannons’ lead heading into halftime as Emlyn Wellsmore extended the advantage in the second period.
The last time Oakleigh knocked out Sydney FC, they made it all the way to the Semi Finals, perhaps a promising omen for the Cannons.
Buoyed by their Australia Cup heroics, Oakleigh finished their NPL Men’s Victoria regular season in style with back-to-back wins over Moreland City and Hume City to finish third in the standings and earn a home final in week one.
Oakleigh made it through their elimination final on Saturday with a 4-1 win over Dandenong City, seeing them further into the NPL Victoria finals series.
Heidelberg finished their NPL Men’s Victoria regular season in fourth with only three defeats all year – the best in the competition.
One of those losses was a 3-0 defeat against Oakleigh back in May, while they played out a 1-1 draw in February.
Bergers, however, saw their six-game unbeaten streak ended by Hume City in the NPL Victoria elimination final over the weekend.
They went down on penalties to Hume City after a 1-1 draw in regular time, seeing them exit the Victorian top-flight finals series.
Heidelberg United also produced a spectacular Cupset in the Round of 32 by downing reigning A-League Men double-winners and AFC Cup holders, Central Coast Mariners.
Joshua Pin was the star of the show for United, notching a brace, while Sean Ellis scored a last-minute sealer in their extra-time 3-1 win.
These Victorian teams wrote the headlines of the Round of 32, setting up a thrilling clash for a place in the next round.
