There were various storylines heading into the weekend’s Australia Cup action and the fixtures did not disappoint.
Dwight Yorke and Daniel Arzani enjoyed triumphant bows with Macarthur FC, Hiroshi Ibusuki scored a goal for the highlights reel and Sydney FC overcame Central Coast Mariners in a dramatic shoot-out courtesy of Andrew Redmayne.
In case you missed it, here’s everything you need to know as Macarthur, Adelaide United and Sydney booked their spots in the last 16.
Bulls run rampant in Yorke’s first match
Saturday night’s Round-of-32 meeting with Magpies Crusaders represented Yorke’s first competitive fixture as head coach of Macarthur.
The Manchester United great and former Sydney FC marquee oversaw a 6-0 drubbing en route to the last 16.
At BP Print Stadium, fringe Socceroo and new signing Arzani – back in the Isuzu UTE A-League after a four-year absence – capped his bow with a goal for the rampant Bulls.
Fellow recruits Anthony Carter and Jonathan Aspropotamitis gave Macarthur a 2-0 lead before Daniel De Silva made it 3-0 in the 56th minute.
Arzani converted a 77th-minute penalty and Al Hassan Toure completed the demolition with a late brace.
Hiroshi’s golazo inspires Adelaide
The last 16 awaits Adelaide for the seventh time in their history.
In an all-A-League Men showdown, Adelaide defeated Newcastle Jets 2-0 away at McDonald Jones Stadium.
George Blackwood set the tone with his opener but Hiroshi stole the headlines via his incredible overhead kick 11 minutes from the end.
Zach Clough had a hand in both goals, having delivered the free-kick that Blackwood headed home before teeing up Hiroshi’s stunner.
“I thought I’d put it a little bit too far behind him,” Clough said.
“But that’s was Hiroshi does, he’s an unbelievable finisher in the box and he made a decent ball into an unbelievable ball. Great finish.”
Redmayne the hero again as Sydney conquer Mariners
Andrew Redmayne became a national hero following his penalty exploits that sent Australia to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Redmayne was called upon again in a shoot-out, going from the ‘Grey Wiggle’ to the ‘Yellow Wiggle’ with more penalty heroics, this time against Central Coast Mariners.
After a wild match that ended 3-3 following extra time, Redmayne saved Jason Cummings’ penalty and sent Sydney through to the next round.
“It was an entertaining game, very exciting, obviously going the whole 120 minutes and then to penalties,” said Sydney FC head coach Steve Corica.
“We probably shouldn’t have gone to penalties but we got through to the next round and we’re happy with that.”
The Mariners had rallied from a 3-1 deficit at Leichhardt Oval, where Beni N’Kololo’s opener was cancelled out by Adam Le Fondre, Anthony Caceres and Max Burgess.
Michael Ruhs reduced the deficit before Cummings dramatically restored parity in the fifth minute of stoppage time after Dan Hall had been sent off in the 66th minute.
