Hume City booked their place in the FFA Cup Round of 16, seeing off a stubborn Port Melbourne side 3-1 in cup classic in front of 416 supporters, capped off with two very late goals.
The home side brought the intensity right from the get-go, with their early pressure paying off when Mark Ochieng put Hume in front in the 17th minute with a sumptuous strike.
Port Melbourne picked up their act towards the end of the first half, catching Hume on the break in brief moments.
At the centre of the Shark’s fightback was Valentin Cesnik, who carved out a chance for Daniel Edwards inside the Hume penalty box, who’s shot stung the gloves of Lucas Trenkovski.
Cesnik was once again in the centre of the action, forcing a crucial near-post save from Trenkovski after being slipped through on the right by Scottish striker Chris Duggan in the 26th minute.
Trailing 1-0 at half time, Port Melbourne came flying out of the dressing room for the second half, immediately putting Hume on the back foot. Duggan got up high in a 64th-minute corner, but steered his header agonisingly wide from the six-yard box.
The Scotsman would find the back of the net in the 79th minute, being set up brilliant by Luca Tevere. Suddenly, the away side looked the more likely to progress to the next round.
Yet it was Hume who would secure the victory through two stunning stoppage time goals courtesy of former Central Coast Mariners forward Josh Bingham and new Hume signing Nahuel Bonada.
Key Takeaways:
THUNDERBOLT FROM OCHIENG
Hume began the match on the front foot, looking to fullbacks Matthew Lazarides and Mark Ochieng out wide for crossing opportunities. However, it was Ochieng who provided the spark, pulling a rabbit out of the hat with a fantastic strike.
The former Adelaide man was found on the edge of the box by a Mitch Cooper cross, setting himself brilliantly for an unstoppable volley leaving Andrew Withers clawing at thin air.
Despite being let go by the reds, Ochieng’s strike put his A-League quality on full display on the national stage and fired Hume into a deserved lead.
PORT RESILIENT IN TOUGH MATCHUP
The Sharks were not keen to roll over and let the pressure pile up after Hume took the lead early on, taking control of the match from the 20th minute onwards.
Their perseverance would pay off, with second-half substitute Luca Tevere getting to the left by-line with a blistering run in the 79th minute. His run drew out Trenkovski from the Hume goal, before he found Duggan with only an empty net to aim at.
It was a deserved equaliser from a dogged Port side, who fought right until the death, and had looked like the superior side throughout much of the match.
DRAMA AT THE DEATH
Right as the match looked poised for extra time, the tide was turned completely on its head as Hume bagged the second goal they were craving.
Substitute Umut Bozdugan found himself high on the right wing, picking out Josh Bingham in the box, who expertly drilled a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner for what would be a 91st minute winner for the home side.
New signing Nahuel Bonada would cap off the dogged display for Hume, breaking away down the right and slotting it coolly past Andrew Withers to make it 3-1.
What followed was a baffling refereeing decision, as Withers came out to confront Bozdugan as the Hume players celebrated. Following consultation with the linesman, Nahuel Bonada was strangely shown a second yellow card and given his marching orders.
FINAL SCORE:
FFA Cup Round of 32: ABD Stadium
Hume City 3 (Ochieng 17m, Bingham 91m, Bonada 93m)
Port Melbourne 1 (Duggan 79m)
Red Cards: Bonada (94m)
Image Source: Hume City FC
