The Round of 32 of the 2021 edition of the FFA Cup is beginning to take shape, with fixtures taking place in Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Northern NSW
Who qualified and progressed to future rounds? Find out below
Victoria
Victoria recommenced Round Five and Round Six of the FFA Cup Qualifiers following the rescheduling of all scheduled fixtures due to the recent COVID outbreak. All matches were played behind closed doors.
NPL1 side Port Melbourne secured an effective 4-0 victory over relative minnows, State League One North-West side Sydenham Park SC who were led by former Perth Glory product Borbor Sam.
A brace from Christopher Duggan assisted Adam Piddick’s side in progressing to the next round of the competition, with Sydenham Park largely operating on the counter-attack in attempt to push it past the Sharks’ goal.
The long awaited clash between NPL3 heavyweights Preston Lions and NPL1 side Oakleigh Cannons took place at Lakeside Stadium, where a controversial yet intriguing penalty decision saw Wade Dekker slot it home as Oakleigh were victorious 1-0 despite a heavily rotated Preston side taking the field.
Relegation threatened NPL1 side Dandenong City faced off against NPL1 promotion aspirants Pascoe Vale, where a seven minute brace from Atilla Ofli ensured Paco would earn an upset victory as Hajduk’s glaring defensive errors see them slump to a new low this campaign.
NPL2 side North Geelong Warriors took on top of the table NPL1 side Avondale FC, with Avondale romping the Warriors in a 5-1 away victory despite fielding a side with plenty of changes.
In an all NPL2 clash, Moreland Zebras took on Langwarrin SC where goals from Tom Barforosh, Josh Knight and Davide Cardamone ensured they would continue their run in the FFA Cup with a 3-1 victory.
Notably, Juventus were the only NPL2 Victoria side to make the Round of 32 in 2018’s edition of the tournament.
Former NSL heavyweights South Melbourne took on first time NPL1 participants Eastern Lions in an intriguing contest, with the Lions opening the lead early through Nathan Sim.
However, a red card from James Doyle led to a penalty being rifled in the back of the net by Daniel Clark where Lirim Elmazi secured the winner in the second half.
In a pure State League clash, State League Two outfit Monbulk Rangers SC ensured their fairytale run in the competition would continue with a 2-1 win over FC Clifton Hill. Abraham Kuol and Arash Sadeghi brought home the victory for Monbulk, where a Round 7 clash with an NPL Victoria side beckons.
South Australia
In South Australia, the final rounds of FFA Qualifying occurred mid-week with two spots allocated for SA for the Round of 32. Heavyweights collided and clean sheets were aplenty in the two fixtures played at the Valo Football Centre.
Adelaide Olympic FC took on Campbelltown City where a first half strike from Michael Cittadini led Olympic to hold on and book their place into the Round of 32 with a 1-0 win.
Giants of football in South Australia Adelaide City FC took on MetroStars the following night as two second half goals from star striker Nic Bucco and substitute Jo Costa secured an effective 2-0 victory at home.
Northern Territory
Football Northern Territory only possess a singular slot within the Round of 32, with Round Seven of the FFA Cup Qualifying staking its claim as a do or die clash between Hellenic AC and Casuarina FC, taking place at the Darwin Football Stadium.
Two first half goals from the away side courtesy of Caimiro and Killmartin and an own-goal in the second half from Casuarina FC ensured Hellenic AC would once again earn a Round of 32 berth in the FFA Cup with a 1-2 win.
Western Australia
The final round of FFA Cup Qualifying occurred mid-week where in sheer resemblance to SA, WA are also allocated two spots in the Round of 32.
Floreat Athena took on Cockburn City as goals from Robert Harding within the second minute and a quick-fire second half double from former Perth Glory product Dean Evans booked Athena’s place in the Round of 32 once more with a 3-0 victory.
Sorrento SC faced ECU Joondalup in the final fixture of the round, with The Jacks booking their place in the Round of 32 with a 1-0 win away from home thanks to a goal from Danny Hodgson.
Northern NSW
In the sole fixture played mid-week, Broadmeadow Magic took on Weston Workers FC with Newcastle Olympic FC booking their place in the Round of 32 the week prior.
The Magic opened the scoring through Mitch Rooke in the first half and the Bears clapped back through a second half reply yet the Magic restored their lead on the stroke of full time, with James Virgili sending Broadmeadow Magic into the Round of 32.
Image Supplied: FFA Cup
