Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThe results guarantee a non-A-League team in the tournament final for the second consecutive season, after Heidelberg United\u2019s fairytale run to the decider last year saw them eliminate Western Sydney Wanderers, Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC before falling to Newcastle Jets.<\/p>\n
City goalkeeper James Nieuwenhuizen, who played two A-League match in 2025\/26, extraordinarily failed to control a straightforward pass back to hand Lions a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n
Playing a second-tier squad, City paid the ultimate price, with Mitch Hore\u2019s goal in the 61st minute sealing the stunning upset.<\/p>\n
Commentator and former A-League Women player Grace Gill said on Paramount said the inexperienced team was no excuse for the A-League power.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a younger City team \u2013 but when you look at their line-up, they are established A-League players,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though they are 18, 19 years old, these are names we know. I think there will be a little bit of looking in the mirror at themselves and reflecting on what they could\u2019ve done better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shock win follows Lions\u2019 penalty shootout win over another A-League club in Perth Glory in the Round of 32.<\/p>\n
They await either North Sunshine Eagles or Heidelberg United in the quarter-finals, with all A-League teams on their side of the draw eliminated.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA \u2013 AUGUST 11: Lions FC celebrate winning the Australia Cup round of 16 match between Lions FC and Melbourne City FC at Spencer Park, on August 11, 2026 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA further shock was to come after SD Raiders, despite having much the better of their clash with Macarthur, looked set for heartbreak after an extra time goal from Zane Helweh put the Bulls in front.<\/p>\n
But in the 115th minute, a dangerous cross was deflected into the back of the net by a Bulls defender to tie the scores.<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper Miguel Figueiria would come up clutch in the decisive shootout, making the save as the Raiders went five from five from the spot to book their passage into the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we played better than them,\u201d Figueiria told Paramount after the win.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had better chances to score, their keeper made some fantastic saves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe played better than them, I think, and were unfortunate not to score in 90 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end, the football gods won out,\u201d former Irish striker and A-League stalwart Roy O\u2019Donovan said on commentary.<\/p>\n
The twin losses add to major concerns over the future of the A-League, just days after the embattled competition officially terminated the licence of Western United to end any hopes of the debt-stricken club saving itself.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donovan said the league\u2019s financial state was of real concern, rendering them unable to field strong teams \u2013 especially in Australia Cup competition.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>SD Raiders celebrate after winning in penalties during their Australia Cup round of 16 match against Macarthur FC. (Photo by Darrian Traynor\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cThe way budgets are currently in the A-League, where clubs don\u2019t know how much they have to spend, the last couple of years the squads are getting less and less experience,\u201d O\u2019Donovan said on Paramount.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperienced, high level players demand the big bucks. You can see those players coming out of those teams and they are suffering. You\u2019re going to come undone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd unfortunately, the A-League teams are coming undone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The twin \u2018Cupsets\u2019 extended a disastrous night for Australia\u2019s top league, with Adelaide United\u2019s bid to make it to the Asian Champions League Elite \u2013 the top intercontinental competition \u2013 coming unstuck with a 2-0 home loss to Vietnamese club Cong An Ha Noi.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were doing everything we could to maybe go into that Elite competition, but it was not meant to be,\u201d coach Airton Andrioli told Football360 after play.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two A-League clubs have been sent packing on a shocking evening of Australia Cup action, continuing a disastrous run for the country\u2019s most powerful teams. Melbourne City and Macarthur FC \u2013 the former an A-League finalist from the 2025\/26 season \u2013 were defeated by far lower-ranked opposition in the Round of 16 at the tournament, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":257319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-257318","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}