The fairytale is complete.
South Melbourne has become the first non-A-League club to win the Australia Cup after prevailing 4-3 over Melbourne Victory in a penalty shootout on Saturday night.
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In front of a crowd of 29,911 – the biggest crowd for a sporting event at AAMI Park – South was faultless in the shootout, not needing a fifth spot kick after Victory pair Harrison Sawyer and Jason Davidson were both unsuccessful with their penalties.
Sawyer was once a South player, while Davidson’s Socceroo father Alan is a great of South from the club’s National Soccer League days.
Davidson skied his penalty over the crossbar, while Sawyer was foiled by his former teammate, South goalkeeper Javier Lopez.
Earlier, Victory thought substitute Denis Genreau’s goal five minutes into extra-time was going to be enough to win the Cup for the third time in the club’s history.
However, South wasn’t ready to give up, finding an equaliser with three minutes of extra-time remaining through replacement Maximilian Mikkola.
It sent the South supporters into raptures, with the NPL Victoria, Australian Championship and OFC Pro League club carrying the momentum into the shootout.
South started the match better but failed to capitalise on their early dominance.
Victory finally sprung to life in the 25th minute when winger Clarismario Santos forced a fine save out of South keeper Lopez, with the Spanish custodian tipping the Brazilian’s shot on to the post.
Santos again tested Lopez six minutes later, with the 35-year-old gloveman standing tall to parry a stinging strike to safety.
South had an early chance in the second half when striker Bul Juach – who had also played in the 2025 Cup final for Heidelberg United – found himself in open space before working his way into the penalty area and producing a left-footed shot that was saved by Victory keeper Jack Duncan.
Duncan’s counterpart Lopez was called into action in the 69th minute to deny Victory substitute Denis Genreau.
Lopez was again tested six minutes later, coming up trumps to glove a long-distance effort from Victory midfielder Jordi Valadon.
South’s keeper continued to frustrate Victory, producing a fine 78th-minute save to deny Santos, who should have scored after being found unmarked in the penalty area by substitute Guillermo May.
Uruguayan ace May was making his Victory debut after joining the club last month following two seasons with Auckland FC.
Marco’s medal
South Melbourne skipper Marco Jankovic had reason to celebrate just before kick-off when he was announced as the winner of the Mike Cockerill Medal.
The medal is awarded to the Cup’s best-performing NPL player for the year.
“There have been some amazing NPL players that have won this medal in the past,” the 31-year-old defender told Network 10.
‘It’s great to be along those amazing list of names.’
Queenslander Jankovic is the son of former Real Madrid midfielder Milan Jankovic, who moved to Cairns in 1991.