Macarthur FC have won their first ever silverware as a football club after the A-League Men outfit had seen off the challenge of National Premier League New South Wales side Sydney United 58 in Saturday’s Australia Cup final at the CommBank Stadium. The Bulls won 2-0 on the back of two penalties from Al Hassan Toure and Ulises Davila which earned Dwight Yorke his first ever title as a head coach only five games into his maiden job.
Saturday’s battle between the two Western Sydney outfits was seen as a battle between the new and old – part-timers Sydney United have already been out and about since 1958, while Macarthur were newly formed back in 2020. The CommBank Stadium, originally the home of Western Sydney Wanderers, was used by Sydney United to host Saturday’s final as their Sydney United Sports Centre was inadequate for such a match, but nonetheless Sydney United fans managed to pack themselves into the stadium and turn it into their own, at least throughout the duration of the final.
However, once the referee blew for kick-off, the gulf between semi-pros Sydney United and full-time pros Macarthur became very apparent. The Bulls were relentless and dominated proceedings, bombarding the Sydney United goal with shot after shot. The NPL side’s goalkeeper Danijel Nizic was on excellent form, though, and his saves were pivotal in keeping Sydney United in the game.
The match’s turning point happened in the 32nd minute, after Anthony Tomelic had fouled Macarthur captain Davila within the area. After a slight disagreement on who should take the ensuing penalty, Toure did his job excellently to give Macarthur the lead, much to the dismay of the Sydney United fans spectating the match.
Sydney United slowly grew themselves into the game in the second half, seeing some of the possession and even threatening Macarthur’s goal in the 69th minute after Pat Antelmi had a pop with his header, however the part-timers’ resistance was finally broken down in the final minute of injury time. A foul on Craig Noone by substitute Cristian Gomez meant that Macarthur were awarded with their second penalty of the match, and Davila made no mistake at all from the spot to seal the Bulls their very first piece of silverware.
The Australia Cup triumph meant that Macarthur are set to represent Australia in the 2023/24 AFC Cup group stages, pending the necessary licensing needed for the competition. Yorke’s men also built themselves an excellent foundation to work from as they seek to perform well in the upcoming 2022/23 A-League Men season.