![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2231629340.jpg\")
Joe Lolley after netting the equaliser.<\/p>\nSydney FC were eliminated in the Australia Cup quarter-final on penalties at the hands of Auckland FC. <\/p>\n
The game was sent to penalties with the sides locked at 1-1 after Joe Lolley had cancelled out Lachlan Brook\u2019s opener for the visitors in a frantic final few minutes.<\/p>\n
However the Sky Blues missed three penalties in the shootout to go out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney FC 1 (Lolley 86\u2032) def. by Auckland 1 (Brook) 3-1 on penalties.<\/p>\n
Joe Lolley after netting the equaliser.<\/p>\n
Moments That Mattered: <\/p>\n
19\u2019 | Howieson narrowly escapes early red-card \u2013 moments after receiving a yellow, Cameron Howieson flashed in a foot at Rhys Youlley as he accelerated away with the ball. The referee let him off after a lengthy talking-to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
33\u2019 | Auckland opener disallowed for offside\u00a0\u2013 Francis Devries swung in an early cross from the left that was tucked in by Guillermo May before the flag was raised and the goal ruled out for offside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
45\u2019 | Wood\u2019s cross goes begging before the break \u2013 Woods pace again troubled the Auckland back-line, but his ball drifted perilously across the face of goal and beyond the reach of the on-running Akol Akon. <\/p>\n
84\u2019 | BROOK GOAL \u2013 Logan Rogerson rushed a shot that was tipped directly into the path of Lachlan Brook, who raised his foot to score from point-blank range and snatch the lead for the visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
86\u2019 | LOLLEY GOAL \u2013 The Sky Blues responded almost immediately when a teasing cross from Joel King was converted at the back post by the deserving Joe Lolley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
89\u2019 | Sydney penalty shout for handball waved away\u00a0\u2013 With the momentum strongly in his side\u2019s favour, skipper Rhyan Grant whipped in a cross that struck the arm of Dan Hall inside the area. The referee ruled in favour of the visitors and awarded a corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2231620588.jpg\")
Another strong display by Gus Hoefsloot in goal.<\/p>\n
Penalty Shoot-out | 1-1 | Back to back saves shake up shoot-out \u2013 Hoefsloot denied May in Auckland\u2019s second effort of the shoot-out, but had his heroics equalled out when Woud denied King in a similar fashion.<\/p>\n
Penalty Shoot-Out | 2-1 | Macallister falters with stuttered effort \u2013 The hero in Sydney\u2019s Round of 16 triumph was unable to replicate his goalscorinG when his attempt at a stuttered penalty rolled past the post<\/p>\n
Penalty Shoot-out | 3-1 | Lolley fires wide in decisive penalty \u2013 With Brimmer\u2019s penalty powerfully converted, Lolley fell victim to the slipperY Jubilee surface and saw his strike sail wide, sealing the victory for Auckland FC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What They Said: Ufuk Talay: \u201cDefinitely disappointed in the way that we lost the game. The boys worked hard, we went down one-nil and the boys worked hard to get themselves back in the game. It was a good response straight away, and then the way we lost on penalties is always obviously disappointing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the biggest thing for me was the penalty miss \u2014 there was an obvious handball in the box. For me, that\u2019s the official\u2019s job to see those moments and make those big calls in these types of games.<\/p>\n
What They Said: Rhyan Grant: \u201cYeah, obviously disappointed. Like I said, it\u2019s always a tough way to lose sort of 50\/50, in the end. [We] got a little bit unlucky with a few penalties, but credit to them, they took their penalties well and come away with the win.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to see all of those young players have come through our academy. For years now, we\u2019ve seen players across the league who\u2019ve come through Sydney FC\u2019s system, and it\u2019s great that some of these younger boys are getting their chance and taking it well. They did really well tonight, and hopefully we\u2019ll see more of them throughout the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Match Report: The home side got the game underway and were the sharper starters. Joe Lolley and Akol Akon announced themselves early as focal points on either flank, either looking to drift inside and play-off the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their interplay threatened to manufacture a breakthrough when Akon cut inside, played off Patrick Wood, and found Lolley in space on his favoured left foot. His shot was blocked at close range.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just shy of the 20 minute-mark, Cameron Howieson found himself at the mercy of the referee when, just moments after receiving a yellow, he narrowly escaped the brandishing of another for a late challenge on Rhys Youlley. Lolley\u2019s delivery from the resulting free-kick failed to breach the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The travelling fans thought they\u2019d broken the deadlock after half an hour, when Francis Devries\u2019s low cross was turned in by Guillermo May after a scuffle in front of Gus Hoefsloot, but the assistant had raised their flag for offside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2231623205.jpg\")
Great crowd at Jubilee Stadium who were in full voice.<\/p>\n
As tensions settled in the aftermath of the disallowed goal, and Auckland tried to resettle, Wood found himself in possession of the ball in the middle of the pitch. His lofted pass found the everpresent, lung-busting run of Akon up Sydney\u2019s left, but he was unable to create a chance and the ball was shepherded out for a goal-kick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the liveliest period of the opening 45, and in a manner that followed the established flow of play that saw a pretty and promising attack from Sydney fade into the panic of a direct but no less threatening surge from the visitors, another of Devries\u2019s early, whipped crosses was headed marginally over the crossbar by the in-form Jesse Randall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In swift response, Youlley continued to threaten up the centre in the latter stages of the first half, and saw his long-range snapshot parried awkwardly into the ground by Michael Woud.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the half coming to a close, Wood was released behind the Auckland back-line and his driven ball sped dangerously across the face of Michael Woud\u2019s goal, but would travel beyond the reach of Akon and send the teams into the interval with the score still unchanged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Half-time saw the unsurprising withdrawal of Howieson, whose first-half escape left him one foul away from a second yellow. He was replaced by Jake Brimmer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Paul Okon-Engstler was left hobbling following a strong clash with Hiroki Sakai in a contest for a loose ball. The restart was delayed long enough for tempers to flare, and for the moment to serve as a catalyst for a gear-change in the heat of the contest. Auckland\u2019s Callan Elliot left contact in a challenge on Wood in the minutes that followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2231617013.jpg\")
Both teams enter the field of play.<\/p>\n
With the new rhythm of the game settling-in \u2013 a consistent back-and-forth of Sydney\u2019s on-the-ball composure waning and Auckland failing to capitalise \u2013 Wood was again released down the left, but his pull-back only found a retreating Felipe Gallegos who could scrape clear. In the same breath of Sky Blue reply, Akon surged inward and let fly from range a powerful drive that narrowly cleared Woud\u2019s crossbar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the tie drifting into nail-biting territory, the visitors handed a debut to English target man Sam Cosgrove. Sydney responded in kind by giving a first-team debut to Joseph Lacey soon after.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With just six minutes remaining in regulation time, Logan Rogerson was played into space on the left side of Sydney\u2019s box. His rushed effort was tipped directly into the path of Lachlan Brook, who raised his foot to tuck home from close-range and hand the visitors a late lead.<\/p>\n
The home crowd had to wait just two minutes for their side to respond. Joel King, who had been quiet up until that point, carved in a low cross that teased across the face of the Auckland goal and was tucked in at the back post by Lolley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With momentum now firmly with the hosts, and a single minute remaining, skipper Rhyan Grant charged into the box and saw his cross deflect firmly off the arm of Dan Hall inside the area, but the referee waived away the claims and awarded a corner. From there, the match fizzled toward extra-time.<\/p>\n
Six minutes into the additional period, Akon found himself on the fortunate side of the unforgiving surface when his duel with Brimmer left the latter scrambling back to his feet as Akon\u2019s pull-back was battered against a wall of defenders by Alexandar Popovic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Auckland closed out the first period of extra-time on top, with a flurry of scrappy chances that went unfinished \u2013 Hoefsloot holding firm against the barrage of lofted crosses and snapshots.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A largely uneventful second period ended with Brook\u2019s low, driven shot from outside the box settling in the grateful hands of Hoefsloot, confirming that the remaining semi-final spot would be decided by a penalty-shootout.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2231626019.jpg\")
Paul Okon Jr had another impressive performance.<\/p>\n
Debutant, Cosgrove stepped up to take the first penalty and converted low to the keeper\u2019s left. Captain Grant responded by slotting his penalty the same way. The next two penalties, taken by May and King were both well saved low to the keeper\u2019s right. Devries made it 2-1 in the shootout before Matthias Macallister\u2019s stuttered effort was scuffed wide to the left. Brimmer converted his penalty to send it to sudden death, where Lolley, with possibly his only misstep in the tie, slipped and sent his penalty wide to the left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In dramatic fashion, Auckland snatched the semi-final spot and will face Heidelberg United for a spot in the final.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney FC (Home) | Formation: 4-4-2: 1. Gus HOEFSLOOT (GK), 5. Alex GRANT, 6. Corey HOLLMAN, 10. Joseph LOLLEY, 13. Patrick WOOD (20. Tiago QUINTAL 72\u2019 [29. Joseph LACEY 82\u2019]), 16. Joel KING, 23. Rhyan GRANT (C), 24. Paul Okon-Engstler, 36. Rhys YOULLEY (22. Mathias MACALLISTER 76\u2019), 41. Alexandar POPOVIC, 44. Akol AKON<\/p>\n
Head Coach: Ufuk Talay<\/p>\n
Unused Substitutes: 8. Wataru KAMIJO, 30. Alexander ZAVERDINOS (GK), 33. Marin FRANCE, 37. Will KENNEDY<\/p>\n
Yellow Cards: 44. Akol AKON 13\u2019, 5. Alex GRANT 93\u2019,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Red Cards: None<\/p>\n
Auckland FC (Away) | Formation: 4-4-2: 1. Michael WOUD (GK), 2. Hiroki SAKAI (C), 7. Cameron HOWIESON (22. Jake BRIMMER 45\u2019), 8. Felipe GALLEGOS (6. Louis VERSTRAETE 72\u2019), 10. Guillermo MAY, 11. Marlee FRANCOIS (77. Lachlan BROOK 66\u2019), 15. Francis DEVRIES, 17. Callan ELLIOT (52. Luka VICELICH 107\u2019), 21. Jesse RANDALL (9. Sam COSGROVE 80\u2019), 23. Dan HALL, 27. Logan ROGERSON (14. William GILLION 93\u2019)<\/p>\n
Head Coach: Stephen Corica<\/p>\n
Unused Substitutes: 50. Eli JONES (GK)<\/p>\n
Yellow Cards: 7. Cameron HOWIESON 19\u2019, 11. Marlee FRANCOIS 31\u2019, 77. Lachlan BROOK 107\u2019,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Red Cards: None<\/p>\n
Venue: Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah, New South Wales<\/p>\n
Referee: Casey Reibelt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sydney FC were eliminated in the Australia Cup quarter-final on penalties at the hands of Auckland FC. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90198,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,67092,63,44,50937,57712],"class_list":["post-90197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-auckland-fc","tag-australia","tag-news","tag-quarter-final","tag-sydney-fc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}