The Bulgarian specialist Tsvetan Ivanov won the Australia Cup in football with the South Melbourne team. The team defeated Melbourne Victory 4:3 after a penalty shootout in the final of the tournament, played in front of 29,911 spectators at the “AAMI Park“ stadium in Melbourne.
Ivanov is an analyst in the staff of head coach Sinisa Kohadzic, who led South Melbourne to historic success. The club became the first from the second Australian echelon to win the national cup.
Dramatic final and decisive penalties
Regular time ended goalless. In extra time, the two teams exchanged one goal each, and South Melbourne equalized in the 117th minute through substitute Maximilian Mikola.
In the penalty shootout, South Melbourne's players were accurate in all four of their attempts. For Melbourne Victory, Harrison Sawyer and Jason Davidson missed, which decided the outcome of the final.
The triumph places South Melbourne among the historical winners of the tournament, which has been held since 2014. Melbourne Victory remains with two cups won - in 2015 and 2021, as well as two lost finals - in 2024 and 2026.
Sources: bta.bg, abc.net.au