Sydney FC’s Australia Cup title defense was thwarted in the first hurdle after the Sky Blues succumbed to a shock 3-1 defeat away at National Premier League Victoria side Oakleigh Cannons on July 30th.
Traveling to the Home of the Matildas stadium within the La Trobe University complex in Melbourne, A-League Men giants Sydney encountered difficulties throughout the entire 90 minutes as they went up against a spirited Oakleigh side.
In the first half, the hosts aggressively challenged Sydney, aiming to catch them off guard, and succeeded by taking an early lead. A long ball over the top seemed offside, but the flag stayed down, allowing the Cannons to advance in numbers. A cross to the back post was headed back by Joe Guest into the path of a charging Kingsley Sinclair, who gave Oakleigh a dream start.
Following this early setback, Ufuk Talay’s side began to settle into the game, dominating possession and creating a few half-chances. New signing Anas Ouahim was brought down in the box midway through the half, and referee Shaun Evans awarded a penalty. Ouahim’s initial effort was saved by Cannons’ goalkeeper Nick Feely, but the assistant referee’s flag indicated that the goalkeeper had moved off his line.
On the second attempt, Ouahim made no mistake, with the former Morocco youth international scoring his first goal for Sydney and leveling the score.
However, Sydney’s relief was short-lived as Oakleigh regained the lead. A mistake in midfield gifted possession to the hosts, and a quick pass released Asad Kasumovic, who fired in a shot from a tight angle past Andrew Redmayne at the near post.
In the second half, Sydney started with renewed energy, creating several decent chances through Adrian Segecic, Nathan Amanatidis, and Marin France. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t break through, with Amanatidis being denied again at the back post by Feely.
Ultimately, it was Oakleigh’s night, as another sloppy giveaway in midfield allowed them to attack once more. Emlyn Wellsmore sold the defense, cut inside, and curled a shot into the corner from the edge of the box, doubling their advantage.
Despite making late changes, the Sky Blues were unable to penetrate Oakleigh’s solid defense and were eliminated from the cup at the Round of 32 stage, ending their cup defense prematurely.