South Melbourne won the Australia Cup on Saturday night, beating Melbourne Victory in a penalty shootout to become the first NPL club to lift the trophy. The Melbourne derby finished level after extra time before South secured a 4-3 shootout victory.
The final drew a sellout crowd of 29,911 to AAMI Park, AAP reported through the ABC. Neither team scored during the opening 90 minutes, leaving the contest to be settled through extra time and, eventually, penalties.
Victory took the lead in the 95th minute when Denis Genreau scored with an improvised half-volley. South remained behind until the 117th minute, when substitute Max Mikkola forced home an equaliser to make it 1-1 and keep his team's Cup hopes alive.
South goalkeeper Javier Lopez then saved Harrison Sawyer's penalty twice. The first save was followed by a retake because Lopez had left his line early, but he stopped the second attempt as well, according to the Guardian's match report.
South converted all four of its shootout attempts. Victory captain Jason Davidson needed to score to keep his team in the contest, but sent his penalty over the crossbar. The miss confirmed South's victory after a final in which the eventual winners had trailed until late in extra time.
Lopez received the Mark Viduka Medal as the final's best player. His contribution began well before the shootout: he made several saves during regular time, while Victory goalkeeper Jack Duncan was also called into action repeatedly before either side broke the deadlock.
One of Victory's clearest opportunities came in the 78th minute, when Santos received a pass from Guillermo May. Lopez kept the shot out with his knees. That chance preceded Genreau's extra-time goal and Mikkola's late response, which ultimately took the final to penalties.
The win also put South's ambition to enter the A-League back in focus. Coach Sinisa Cohadzic told The Age (subscription-only) that he could find no excuse for the club not to play in the competition, citing its support, infrastructure, resources and passionate following.
South is a four-time National Soccer League champion, but this result gave it a first Australia Cup title and made it the competition's first winner from outside the A-League. Victory, meanwhile, remained without another trophy since winning the Australia Cup in 2021, according to AAP.
