Elizabeth Vale suffers 10-0 FFA Cup drubbing by Adelaide City as fellow amateur club Elizabeth Downs progresses to last eight
There were mixed results for amateur clubs in the latest FFA Cup round as Elizabeth Vale suffered a 10-0 drubbing by Adelaide City but Elizabeth Downs progressed with a 4-1 victory. Here is our wrap of the cup’s round of 16.
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We are now down to the last eight teams in the FFA Cup following a thrilling fourth round of the knockout competition.
Adelaide City record a thumping victory over Elizabeth Vale, Raiders ensure a veteran’s last game is capped with a win and Adelaide Olympic take its opportunities to triumph.
All that and more in Messenger Community News’ match wraps
ADELAIDE CITY 10
ELIZABETH VALE 0
Adelaide City coach Michael Matricciani praised rising star Stefan Casalbore after he scored four goals in the Black and White’s 10-0 thrashing of Elizabeth Vale in their FFA Cup clash at home on Saturday.
Evan Kostopoulos netted two goals for City, while Anthony Costa, Tomas Maricic, Nicholas Bucco and Brad Corbo also scored.
“Stef is an 18-year-old that broke into the team last year and has played in four or five starts this season so far,” Matricciani said.
“He’s a very good promising player for us.
“He’s been playing off the bench that past few weeks and he got his opportunity and he took it so I’m very pleased for him.”
Matricciani was hopeful his team would produce a similar display in the next round.
“It is a competition we want to go far in and we’re looking forward to the quarter-finals.”
ELIZABETH DOWNS 4
VIPERS 1
Elizabeth Downs created history when it became the first amateur league club to progress to the final eight with a 4-1 win over State League Two side Vipers at Argana Park on Sunday.
The Downs are the only amateur league club remaining in the cup after Elizabeth Vale’s 10-0 loss to Adelaide City on Saturday.
Vipers began the match strong and took a well-deserved lead on 25 minutes after being awarded a penalty for a handball, and captain Aleks Simic fired home.
The goal seemed to spark the Downs, who went close to equalising on 32 minutes when a Jimmy Odenwalder cross was headed just wide by Matt Watson.
On 40 minutes, the Downs levelled the scores.
Odenwalder played in another cross from the right, which was well dummied by Watson, before Scott Lindsay slotted his chance.
Watson then netted a second at 57 minutes after a Downs free kick eluded everyone and fell to him at the back post.
The Sunday amateur league club extended its lead on 74 minutes when Watson played in Luke Lawley on the halfway line and Lawley then burst into the box before smashing his shot past a helpless Vipers keeper.
Downs substitute Dylan Costanzo secured the victory.
Elizabeth Downs coach Steve Hughes was pleased with his side’s performance.
“The first half was an even contest and we felt if we lifted in the second half we could get a result,” Hughes said.
“It was great to see the boys do that.”
Hughes was looking forward to his side’s next challenge in the quarter-finals.
“The great thing about this cup is that you get to play teams you haven’t played before and you get to test yourself,” he said.
ADELAIDE BLUE EAGLES 1
RAIDERS 2
Raiders coach Nik Kuzman was over the moon for his team and particularly retiring veteran Justin Bralic after his side’s thrilling 2-1 victory against Adelaide Blue Eagles.
The 400-game milestone man scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute, converting a free kick to put the Gepps Cross club.
The referee awarded Terence Carter a free kick after he was brought down by a tackle that resulted in a red card.
Kuzman praised Bralic, who made his debut against Blue Eagles as a 17-year-old, for being a wonderful clubman.
“It was the biggest story of the match that Bralic was able to score the winner in his 400th league game and quite fitting that he retired today and scored against the side he made his debut against,” Kuzman said.
“It’s nice to make it through to the next stage of the FFA Cup and we play against the Blue Eagles next week (in the Premier League) so we look forward to that.”
The first half was an arm-wrestle and no team was able to score.
Blue Eagles netted in the 58th minute to go up 1-0 then Raiders equalised in the 67th minute through a goal to Josh Mori after nice build-up play him and Carter.
Bralic then sealed the result with his neat free kick.
Blue Eagles coach Vojo Gluscevic was left fuming after what he described as a questionable red card to Ivan D’Adamo in the 91st minute for the illegal tackle.
“I thought we played well and we were the better side on the day but we didn’t take our
opportunities and that ridiculous decision to give out the red card proved costly in the end,”
Gluscevic said.
“I was happy with how the boys played but that’s football.
“It was just bad luck today that we weren’t able to get the win.”
PLAYFORD 1
CROYDON 2
Premier League club Croydon knocked out State League One side Playford following a 2-1 victory at Polonia Reserve on Saturday.
The Kings drew first blood with a goal to Patrick Caraccia in the 37th minute.
Playford fought back to ensure scores were level at half-time through a goal to Bol Mapor scored for the Patriots.
The match continued to be tight until Nathan Munro put the hosts ahead in the 73rd minute.
Playford failed to equalise and the Kings claimed the win.
METROSTARS 2
PARA HILLS 1
MetroStars coach Robbie Saraceno was pleased with the way his side recovered after a slow start to defeat Para Hills 2-1 at the Paddocks on Saturday.
The Knights went up 1-0 in the ninth minute and were able to control the early stages of the game.
But MetroStars managed to switch the momentum in their favour and scored an equaliser in the 37th minute after a free kick from former Adelaide United star Fabian Barbiero was headed in by Michael Daloisio.
The visitors then charged 2-1 ahead after Tom Strain ran the ball down the line and cut it back nicely into the box, where it was finished off well by Cohan Morris with 70 minutes gone.
“Para Hills are a good team and we recovered well after a slow start,” Saraceno said.
“In the end I think the result was a fair one and we deserved to walk away with the win.”
Saraceno said Para Hills started really well and had chances to score more goals but he felt his side had controlled the second half.
“We were able to take our opportunities and win the game which was pleasing,” he said.
ADELAIDE COMETS 2
SOUTH ADELAIDE 1
South Adelaide coach Ben Dale believed his side deserved to beat Adelaide Comets at Jack Smith Park on Friday night.
The Panthers suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss after coughing up a goal in the dying minutes of regular time.
Dale was pleased with his team’s performance against a quality opponent but shattered at the loss.
“I was proud of the boys for taking it up to a quality opposition but being competitive isn’t good enough,” Dale said.
“We have to get wins on the board and look forward to a huge game against Adelaide United (youth) on Friday night.
“We are creating chances but not taking them and that’s what is hurting us at the moment.
“The good sides make you pay if you don’t take your opportunities.
“We will work on a few things on the track this week and hopefully get the points next week.”
Comets went up 1-0 after scoring a goal in the 36th minute.
South then equalised in the 53rd minute after midfielder Liam Wooding, netted a brilliant goal from outside the box.
Comets broke the hearts of Panthers with a goal in the 89th minute.
Comets coach Kon Antoniou praised the Panthers’ efforts.
“(They are) a very good team that doesn’t deserve to be on the bottom of the table in the Premier League,” Antoniou said.
CUMBERLAND 2
ADELAIDE OLYMPIC 3
Cumberland United’s inability to take its goal scoring opportunities proved to be the difference in its 3-2 home loss to Adelaide Olympic on Saturday, according to Foxes coach Neil Young.
Olympic opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Cumberland equalised 11 minutes later via Karl Phelps, who played it through the right-hand side and then cut the ball past the keeper’s far post.
The teams went into half-time locked at 1-1 then Olympic pushed two goals clear after scoring in the 50th and 67th minutes.
But in good signs for Cumberland’s future, 18-year-old substitute Ethan Stevenson came on and got on the scoresheet in the 85th minute after finishing off a great ball from the far post.
Young was happy his team, sitting seventh in the second-tier State League One, took it up to the eighth-placed top-flight outfit but was disappointed it was not able to get the result it wanted.
“Our performance was good, the result didn’t go our way but I thought we had good periods of play,” Young said.
“We weren’t able to finish the chances we had and proved the difference in the end.
“We gave them too much space and you can’t give up space to a quality side like Olympic, you get punished for it and in the end they took their chances and we didn’t.”
WHITE CITY 0
ADELAIDE VICTORY 1
Adelaide Victory coach Yianni Stamatopoulos lauded his younger players after they defeated White City 1-0 at Frank Mitchell Park on Saturday night.
Victory skipper Michael Birbas scored the winning goal in the 70th minute.
Birbas took the corner and the ball hit the post before it hit the goalkeeper and ricocheted into the net.
White City had an opportunity to equalise in the 90th minute after being awarded a penalty, but the shot was well saved by Victory gloveman George Savvoudis.
Stamatopoulos was pleased with his team’s performance against a quality opposition.
“I was really proud of our youngsters and how they played and to make it through to the next stage of the FFA Cup is great for our confidence,” Stamatopoulos said.
“White City is a very good side. We weren’t at our best in the first half but we managed to stop them from scoring, which was pleasing.
“We changed the structure up in the second half and created our chances which resulted in the goal being scored by our skipper Michael Birbas.”
WOMEN’S RESULTS:
■ Salisbury Inter 2 d Adelaide Comets 1
■ Metro United 3 d Adelaide University 0
■ FFSA NTC 0 lost to Adelaide City 3
■ Fulham United 0 lost to West Adelaide 3
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