A bizarre red card in a seven-goal thriller, 26 goals across the country, a historic hat-trick and two penalty shoot outs. Welcome back FFA Cup, we’ve missed you.
Adelaide Olympic and Floreat Athena put forward a case for the competition’s best ever game as the 2019 competition began with a night of high drama.
Elsewhere, Brisbane Olympic striker Chris Lucas etched his name into Cup folklore by becoming the first ever player to score two FFA Cup hat-tricks.
WATCH EVERY FFA CUP 2019 GAME LIVE AND ON-DEMAND
Miss out on any of the action? We’ve got you covered with this in-depth wrap of the Round of 32 Match Day 1 opening night.
RE-LIVE: All the goals and moments that mattered on Match Day 1
Adelaide Olympic 4-3 Floreat Athena
It was an FFA Cup debut to remember for South Australian side Adelaide Olympic, who came back from 2-0 down at half time to beat WA club Floreat Athena in a seven-goal classic.
- Floreat raced to a 2-0 lead at half time courtesy of Ludovic Boi’s opener and a stunning free kick from captain Dean Evans.
- Olympic pulled level early in the second half through Fausto Erba and Ioannis Simosis strikes.
- Erba then put Adelaide in front with an incredible volley, before the forward was swiftly handed a second yellow card for removing his shirt in celebration.
- Evans scored his second for the visitors to make it it 3-3. However, Simosis held his nerve from the penalty spot with 10 minutes remaining, booking the NPL SA club’s Round of 16 ticket in crazy style.
Brisbane Olympic 5-2 Bayswater City
Chris Lucas became the first player in FFA Cup history to score two hat-tricks as Queensland heavyweights Olympic eased past WA visitors Bayswater City.
- Lucas – formerly an FFA Cup hat-trick hero for Bentleigh Greens – opened the scoring midway through the half and teed up Alex Smith for a well-worked second.
- Lucas then grabbed another with an emphatically dispatched first half penalty, and tucked away a smart finish early in the second to put Olympic 4-0 up.
- 19-year-old winger Jez Lofthouse deservedly got his name on the scoresheet with a fifth on the hour mark.
- Gordon Smith and Brent Griffiths scored consolations for Bayswater.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2-2 Manly United (AET)
Manly United won 4-2 on penalties
Manly United are into the Round of 16 for the first time after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over NPL NSW rivals Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
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Dejan Pandurevic drilled home an early effort for Manly, but the striker’s opener was quickly cancelled out by Idriss El Hafiane.
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Brendan Cholakian saw his second half penalty saved by Rangers ‘keeper Carlos Saliadarre.
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Harry McCarthy edged Manly in front in extra time, but John Roberts equalised for Mt Druitt to force penalties.
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Charles Mendy hit the decisive penalty for the Northern Beaches outfit.
Bulleen Lions 1-1 Moreland Zebras (AET)
Moreland Zebras won 3-2 on penalties
Moreland Zebras prevailed from the spot after a tense 120 minute affair with Victorian rivals Bulleen.
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Bulleen Lions striker Ben Everson had the best chance of the 90 minutes before extra time was forced.
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Tremayne Sadler put Moreland in front in the 94th minute, but Lions captain Eli Luttmer replied in the 107th minute to send the game to spot-kicks.
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After a slew of missed from both sides, the Zebras regained their composure and secured a Round of 16 place via Jakob Williams’ decisive penalty.
Darwin Olympic 0-3 Edgeworth
Northern NSW leaders Edgeworth made light work of Northern Territory club Darwin Olympic to secure their Round of 16 participation.
- Edgeworth opened the scoring through Oliver Smith and doubled their advantage through Aden Gardner in the opening stanza.
- The Top End side rallied in the second half, but Adam Cawley added a third for the Eagles to ensure progression.
Magpies Crusaders 2-1 Coomera Colts
The fairy tale cup run of Gold Coast minnows Coomera Colts came to an end against Magpies Crusaders.
- Magpies broke the deadlock through captain Michael Lyall and doubled their advantage in the second through Kyren Walters.
- Payden Pemberton gave Coomera hope in the 87th minute but they were unable to stage a late fightback.
Re-live all the goals and biggest moments across the opening night in the blog below.
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