From their pair of NSL Cups within the ‘90s to their current giant-killing exploits, Heidelberg United have an extended historical past of turning heads with nationwide glory on the road.
However the Australia Cup quarterfinals have lengthy been the Melbourne Macedonians’ downfall, as they’re 0-4 at this section of the competitors. This 12 months, they appear to alter that by pulling off back-to-back cupsets, they usually’ve received Wellington Phoenix of their crosshairs (Tuesday, 7.30pm AEST).
Nonetheless, these Kiwis are overachieving in their very own method and will match their deepest run up to now. Earlier than the one interleague bout of the spherical will get going, let’s evaluation how these sides made it right here and see who has the sting entering into.
(Photograph by Scott Gardiner/Getty Pictures)
Heidelberg put Wanderers to the sword
Heidelberg United opened their Australia Cup marketing campaign with a battle of regulars versus debutantes as they hosted Weston Bears. The Bergers welcomed their Newcastle visitors to the nationwide stage with an awesome flood of first-half strain, culminating in a Twenty sixth-minute rating when Asahi Yokokawa scored off a close-range dish from Peter Klaassen.
The Bears noticed much more of the ball within the second half, however Heidelberg keeper Yaren Sözer was on an absolute heater, making six saves all through the evening. In the end, the Victorians’ bench put it to mattress, as Bul Jauch assisted Max Bisetto within the 87th to cement a 2-0 win.
Bul Juach of Heidelberg United FC celebrates kicking a objective through the Australia Cup 2025 Spherical of 16 match between Heidelberg United FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC at Olympic Village, on August 12, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photograph by Morgan Hancock/Getty Pictures)
Issues might have simply gone bitter from there. On high of drawing Western Sydney Wanderers as their subsequent opponent, Heidelberg needed to do it on the heels of a devastating collapse in opposition to South Melbourne within the Dockerty Cup last. Happily for the hosts, the Wanderers faceplanted out of the gate. On a scrambling counter within the thirteenth minute, Jauch recovered the ball and tried to re-center it. As an alternative of discovering a teammate, he discovered opposing centre-back Alex Bonetig, who ran in direction of the online on the mistaken time and slotted it in.
The Warriors’ fortunes additional grew a little bit over fifteen minutes later, when Alex Gersbach instinctively put his hand up in response to Akiel Raffie’s venomous shot. That handed Heidelberg a penalty, and although Jauch didn’t idiot Lawrence Thomas along with his shot, the ball went off Thomas’s hand and into the online anyway.
From there, the Macedonians spent the majority of the match defending a two-goal lead, which they managed despite solely possessing the ball about 30% of the time. Sözer was as soon as once more completely stalwart, making 4 saves within the first half and two extra within the second. By stoppage time, the win was securely within the bag, however when introduced the chance to make a fast-breaking counter, Heidelberg lapped it up. Yokokawa despatched forward a by ball from midfield, Anthony Lesiotis met it and fired from the sting of the field, and with that objective, the Bergers accomplished a 3-0 cupset.
Phoenix refuse to die
Of all of the A-League groups left, none have had an extended street than Wellington Phoenix. After grinding out a 1-0 win within the playoff in opposition to Brisbane Roar, the Nix needed to begin the event correct in opposition to arch-rivals and fellow Darwin survivors Perth Glory.
Underneath a torrential downpour of rain, the Kiwis struck first, as Lukas Kelly-Heald scored off the rebound to nullify Oli Sail’s save. They held that lead for a very good lengthy whereas, even with Perth seeing considerably extra of the ball, however within the dying embers, the Glory lastly shone by. On a sequence of passes within the Wellington field, final 12 months’s Australia Cup help king Taras Gomulka discovered Adam Taggart, who equalised from point-blank vary to power further time.
When no additional scoring ensued, we received our first penalty shootout of the event. For some time, it regarded like Kazuki Nagasawa’s opening miss would spell the tip for Wellington, however when introduced with the prospect to finish issues, Perth midfielder Brandon O’Neill choked and missed. That allowed Lachlan Sweet the prospect to equalise, and after a pair extra rounds going blow for blow, ex-Central Coast Mariner Brian Kaltack received his West Coast stint off to a poor begin by launching it excessive. From there, all of it got here again to Kelly-Heald, who fooled Sail into going the mistaken technique to seal an 8-7 win within the shootout.
That set the Nix up for what, in concept, ought to have been a cakewalk in opposition to Nunawading Metropolis, a group from three tiers down the Australian pyramid. Nonetheless, this squad was coming off one off the all-time nice performances in Australia Cup historical past. After heading all the best way up north to face Darwin Olympic, Stuart Edgar scored a hat trick, Denis Daluri made 4 assists, and Nunawading put themselves within the historical past books with a record-breaking 9-0 win.
That tenacity confirmed in opposition to the Nix, as Nuna created a number of first rate possibilities for themselves and stored Wellington out of the online for a very good lengthy whereas regardless of dealing with a barrage of shot makes an attempt. Nonetheless, on the final doable alternative, the Kiwis lastly broke by. 4 minutes into stoppage time Carlo Armiento acquired the quick nook and served up a cross, which Hideki Ishige headed residence to lastly give Wellington the breakthrough on the group’s seventeenth attempt. These Nunawading Niners will reside on for generations for instance of Australia Cup magic, however within the quick time period, it was the Nix who survived.
Black and yellow brawl: the keys to victory
Selecting a favourite right here is trickier than normal for this form of contest. If there’s one factor Wellington could have going for them, it’s gas within the tank. The Nix have had the entire week to arrange for this matchup, whereas Heidelberg needed to play Oakleigh Cannons over the weekend and steadiness this Cup with the chase for the NPL Victoria premiership. That opens the door for a state of affairs like South Melbourne vs. Macarthur in final 12 months’s semifinals, the place the A-Leaguers step by step put on the semi-pros down after which pounce late for the rating they want.
In the meantime, Heidelberg are the romantic decide to win, however they’ve additionally genuinely been the much more convincing fighters from bell to bell. No A-League facet, it doesn’t matter what form of lineup they ship out, ought to take till the final setpiece to attain a single objective in opposition to a group about to fall into the Victorian Stage Leagues. The truth that the Nix struggled so laborious whereas Heidelberg spanked a group that made the A-League finals final 12 months says every part, and if the Macedonians maintain enjoying like they’ve at each ends, this could possibly be a heads-on-pikes outcome of their favor.
