Jets defeat Western United 4-1 in Australia Cup playoff in Darwin
Newcastle Jets were a class above during their big victory over the lacklustre Western United in their Australia Cup clash in Darwin. Recap the action.
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While the game wasn’t as frantic nor physical as the night before, the Newcastle Jets and Western United put on a show and fought until the final whistle in their heat at Darwin Stadium.
In front of a vocal crowd, the Jets proved too slick for a sluggish United, clinching a solid 4-1 victory and their place in the Round of 32.
Despite the stats being slightly in United’s favour, their ill-discipline at the back and inability to penetrate the Jets’ back four made United look like a paper dragon.
While not overjoyed with the performance as a whole, Newcastle’s head coach Robert Stanton was nonetheless pleased to see his men progress to the next stage of the Cup.
first hit out of the season
“For our first contest I thought we managed the game pretty well,” he said.
“I was looking for little moments in the game and hoping that some good habits from last season shined through, which some did.
“I thought the players defended well from the front without just being non-stop pressing.
“They picked good moments and we got our rewards.”
“Was it a four one game, maybe, maybe not, but I am happy with the way we managed the game. So the scoreline might indicate it was a top performance, I think it was a really solid performance from a group of very young players.”
Stanton was very pleased with the performance of his new top recruit and former Macarthur FC forward Lachlan Rose.
With just the handful of training runs under his belt ahead of the clash, Stanton was impressed by Roses’ consistent press and ability to open up space in attack.
“What Lachie will give us is being very aggressive from the front foot,” Stanton said.
“I was really pleased with his efforts, he set the standard and led as an example for the rest of the team.
“He’s only trained a few sessions with us (ahead of the game) so I just gave him some simple instructions and he did a really good job fulfilling them.
“He might not have got on the score sheet but his actions definitely contributed to us scoring and having a number of chances upfront.”
STATS
Goals –
Newcastle: Ben Garuccio 17’ (OG), Thomas Aquilina 29’, 66’, Nathan Grimaldi 42’
United: Riku Danzaki 89’
Grand finalists crash out of Australia Cup in major upset
Perth Glory have made amends for their poor Cup form by knocking out 2023 grand finalists Brisbane Roar in Darwin.
The first game under new head coach David Zdrilic proved fruitful as the men from the west finished the night with a 4-2 victory, booking their place in the Round of 32.
A very physical match that had its fair share of controversy, Zdrilic’s side hung on despite having just 38 per cent of possession and 219 fewer passes, capatilising on chances against the run of play.
Zdrilic couldn’t have been more pleased with the result, citing the victory as a step in the right direction after a poor 2023-24 A-League campaign.
“I’m very pleased (with the win) as we are trying to change the philosophy of the club,” he said.
“Seeing a clear identity change, especially in the opening 30 minutes where it felt like we had about 10 shots, and then when we conceded against the run of play, the guys fought their way back into the game.
“All in all it was a great win and a great start that we’re all happy with.”
STATS
Goals –
Perth: David Williams 38’, Abdelelah Faisal 52’ (P), 55’, Nathanael Blair 65’
Brisbane: Keegan Jelacic 17’, Adam Zimarino 90+3’
Cards –
Brisbane: Corey Brown 51’ (red)
Talking Points
DAVID ZDRILIC STARTS REIGN WITH BIG WIN
With just three weeks at the helm, the former Sydney FC coach couldn’t have asked for a better start to his reign at Perth. As Zdrilic said, he’s looking to rebuild the club from the ground up and is focusing on a new philosophy and youth.
RED CARD
Roar’s left back Corey Brown was shown a straight red in the 51st after blocking a shot on the goal line with his forearm. Glory’s Faisal scored the penalty despite the ball smashing into the upright. Brisbane didn’t let being a man down stifle their positive play, continuing to press high and control the ball for the remainder of the half.
GOALS AGAINST RUN OF PLAY
Perth were tremendous on the counter-attack all night long. They peppered Roar’s number one Macklin Freke all game and would frequently catch Brisbane’s back line flat-footed with their pacy men out wide, Faisal and Khoa Ngo.
GRAND FINALISTS CRASH OUT
The Brisbane Roar will head home with their tail between their legs. After making the grand final last year to crashing out before the Round of 32, the result has got to be bitterly disappointing for the side.
VERY PHYSICAL CONTEST
With two yellows each, one red and a combined 24 fouls, the match was certainly not the cleanest you’ll ever witness. Perth committed 17 fouls to Brisbane’s seven, both sides frequently lunging in late in tackles commonly seen between players in the off season.
A-League's sides to clash in Top End at Australian Cup qualifiers
The Australian Cup playoffs have arrived in Darwin, with four A-League's sides vying for their spot in the Round of 32.
The Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Western United are all seeking to join the other eight A-League's teams who already qualified via their place on the table at last season’s end.
The Roar and Glory will take to the field on Tuesday July 23 at Darwin Football Stadium while the Jets and United will face-off on the 24th.
Former Perth Glory player turned Roar head coach Ruben Zadkovich is stoked to be in the sunny Top End and out of the freezing weather down south, but he also has his sights firmly on taking his side back to the grand final, following their 3-1 defeat to Sydney FC last year.
“I actually love the heat up here, and my brother works in East Arnhem land so I’ve got a bit of a connection to the Territory,” Zadkovich said.
“It’s a great place, it’s got great people and great weather.
“We obviously are looking to put our best foot forward and play a competitive fixture with our new squad and new staff.”
With a number of off-season changes and different staff behind the scenes, the coach has brought up a relatively new group to see how they perform under pressure.
“It’s an exciting time for us, and I’m excited for the game to be honest.
“We’ve (brought up) a pretty strong team.
“We left a few key players out that weren’t quite ready yet fitness wise, so we are a bit light on in some areas, but there’s still quality in the squad.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to get out and work on some things ahead of the season.”
MATCH DETAILS
Game 1 – Brisbane Roar vs. Perth Glory at Darwin Football Stadium, Marrara, July 23, with kick-off at 7pm ACST.
Game 2 – Newcastle Jets vs. Western United at Darwin Football Stadium, Marrara, July 24, with kick-off at 7pm ACST.
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