Adelaide United overcame Isuzu UTE A-League rivals Western Sydney Wanderers to reach the 2024 Australia Cup semi-finals on Thursday night. This is what we learned.
Adelaide United 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
If Austin Ayoubi’s Australia Cup form is anything to go by, the Adelaide United midfielder is set for a breakout season in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Ayoubi continued his red-hot form into the 2024-25 A-Leagues season with a stunning ninth-minute strike as the Reds outlasted rivals Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 after extra time.
The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a thunderbolt from outside of the box for the three-time Australia Cup champions, who settled the contest via captain Ryan Kitto three minutes into extra time following Nicolas Milanovic’s 68th-minute equaliser.
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Ayoubi has now scored in back-to-back matches for Adelaide, having also struck in the 3-2 success away to NPLM WA outfit Olympic Kingsway in the Round of 16.
“Really excited to play the first semi-final of the Australia Cup. Buzzing with the goal and just want to continue with my form and helping the team,” Ayoubi said post-match.
Asked if it was the best goal of his career, Ayoubi replied: “I’ve scored a couple similar but quarter-finals, Australia Cup, against the Wanderers…
“Yeah that’s probably the best goal I’ve scored.”
Since joining Adelaide from NPLM SA club MetroStars in November last year, he has established himself in the team following his A-Leagues bow in January.
Ayoubi is set for a greater role this term after accruing 161 minutes of A-Leagues action in 2023-24.
“I feel good. A lot of hard work in the off-season just to get things right for me to improve my game,” he said.
“Getting in better areas, improving my fitness, finishing and just overall game, technical stuff. I feel like it’s paying off.”
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Ayoubi added: “Me finishing my NPL season last year, it was sort of a break for me and then I came on trial and I was bit behind in terms of everything – getting used to an A-Leagues environment.
“Now that I’ve had a decent pre-season, I’m getting sharper and fitter.”
Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart added: “He’s had a great pre-season. That is the value – he came in late from the NPL last year and now he’s had a full pre-season with the A-League side and he’s stepped up.
“I’ve known Austin for a long time, coached him when he was a younger player, and he’s always had that little bit of specialness in him and we saw that tonight. Very happy for him because he’s a young kid who’s coming and he’s worked extremely hard to get to this point.
“As I keep telling him, it’s only the beginning for him.”
Awaiting Adelaide in the semi-finals is either NPLM QLD side Moreton City Excelsior or 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Finalists Melbourne Victory. That fixture takes place on Saturday.
Veart also handed more minutes to youngsters Ryan White and Harry Crawford off the bench against a Wanderers team who are set to welcome FIFA World and UEFA Champions League-winning Spanish superstar Juan Mata.
Wanderers star Brandon Borrello was also forced from the field late due to injury.
“Quite happy. It was a very tough contest tonight, and the boys stood up and battled when they needed to,” Veart said.
“At times we played some really good football as well. Much more happier tonight than I have been after the previous two rounds.”
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