For the second consecutive round, the Australia Cup will feature just one matchup between two A-League clubs.
In the Round of 16’s blockbuster opening matchup, Newcastle Jets host Macarthur FC up in Maitland – and, as the only A-League teams on this side of the bracket, the winner will have a very appealing path from here on out.
But before anybody starts salivating about pub-stomping their way through September, let’s examine how these sides earned their spots here and what it’ll take to earn this opportunity.
After earning the right to be here against Western United, Newcastle travelled south to face Rockdale Ilinden on a rainy Wednesday night.
Things got off to a strong start, as scholarship striker Justin Vidic rewarded his manager’s faith by taking a handoff from Callum Timmins in the box, deftly maneuvering around his marker, and rifling the ball into the net, giving the Jets the early lead.
The Macedonians didn’t take it lying down, though, and in the 30th minute, defensive midfielder Isaac Danzo made a savvy steal and relayed the ball to striker Alec Urosevski.
The Suns’ captain made a break for it, outwitting Mark Natta’s attempts at defence before slinging it to Bai Antoniou, who successfully completed the counter and put the Suns back on level footing.
Ryan Scott of Newcastle Jets reacts after making a save. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
The two sides were antsy to break the new deadlock before halftime, and both got decent chances at it.
But it was the Jets who made good on it, as Nathan Grimaldi got a sliding touch on a last-gasp free kick to set Vidic up for another goal.
The fans threw their water bottles on the pitch in disgust, but the young gun didn’t care – after all, this was his first brace with a pro club, and he’d delivered it when it was needed.
The Jets would be thankful for that after the half because they didn’t get a single shot off the rest of the night.
Instead, it would be their back lines stepping up to save the day, turning Rockdale’s six shots and seven corner kicks into nothing but a pile of wasted opportunities.
To their credit, Ilinden refused to stop fighting, getting a very dangerous opportunity in stoppage time, but Jets keeper Ryan Scott stopped that final shot and got his team to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2018.
If any of last year’s league contenders had something to prove in this year’s cup, it was Macarthur.
After a quite good campaign that began and ended on extremely bitter notes, they hoped for a sweeter start against O’Connor Knights, but the Croatians from Canberra didn’t make it easy.
Following a scoreless first half in the Bush Capital, the Knights drew first blood when Pax Manda made a deceptive header off a free kick that fooled Filip Kurto and bounced untouched into the net.
A lesser team might’ve crumbled in the face of this, but the Bulls proved they were made of tougher stuff.
They continued to dominate possession throughout the night, and they turned to faces old and new to make the comeback.
The big receipt came in the 62nd minute, when scholarship midfielder Frans Deli sliced one through the defence for Jake Hollman, who lived up to his All-Star status and chipped it in for an equalizer.
This marks Deli’s first professional assist and could be the first of many if he keeps it up.
Macarthur went right back at it and started knocking for the decider, with captain Valere Germain taking a particularly promising crack at it, but a different Ligue 1 alumnus proved one of the ultimate saviours.
Marin Jakolis, newly acquired from Angers SCO, rolled in a low free-kick as the clock struck 78, and former Sydney captain Luke Brattan sniped it home to become a hero.
From there, the Bulls held strong to make their third Round of 16 in four years of Australia Cup action.
Newcastle haven’t lost to Macarthur since January 2023, but if they want to keep that streak alive, they’ll need to be smart about choosing their attacking lineup.
In particular, the candidates for the striker role pose an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, Justin Vidic just earned himself some credibility with that brace, but may not be able to replicate that against an A-League back line.
On the other hand, Lachlan Rose has in-depth knowledge of his old team and a track record of thriving in tournaments – in fact, he scored more career goals for Macarthur in the Australia and AFC Cups than he did in league play – but that knowledge runs both ways and could just as easily lead to him getting shut down.
As for Macarthur, it’ll be a matter of tightening up the defensive miscues that forced them to make that comeback, as well as continuing to build chemistry with their new lineup.
Brattan, in particular, has already impressed since hopping to this side of the Charity Cup.
While he’s not as nimble as he used to be, he could prove key in threading the needle in attack, whether by scoring himself as he did against O’Connor or distributing to the likes of Hollman, Jed Drew, and especially Germain.
With some hard work here, one team might get to cruise down an open road to the final. Expect these two sides to go all-out in pursuit of that ambition.
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