Stunning penalty drama, WSW & Bulls win

Stunning penalty drama, WSW & Bulls win

Three more Isuzu UTE A-League clubs were in action on Wednesday night in the 2026 Australia Cup Round of 32.

New Central Coast Head Coach John Hutchinson took charge of his first Mariners game as they travelled to Sydney to take on Sydney United 58 while Ufuk Talay’s first game as Wanderers boss saw his side face Tigers FC.

Meanwhile two-time winners Macarthur Bulls travelled to the Northern Territory to face Azzurri United with a new-look squad.

Read on below to find out what happened on what was a brilliant night of cup football.

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SYDNEY UNITED 58 1-1 CENTRAL COAST MARINERS
(Sydney United win 11-10 on pens)

Sydney United 58 and the Mariners put on one hell of a show on Wednesday night, with the NPL NSW side triumphing over their Isuzu UTE A-League counterparts 11-10 in a thrilling penalty shootout.

The Mariners dominated the ball in the opening half but had little to show for their possession but they did break the deadlock in the second half through Oli Lavale.

The hosts levelled late in the second half via the penalty spot as Michael Krslovic fired home to send the game to extra time.

Neither side could find a late winner and so the game went to penalties, thus creating one of the all-time Australia Cup shootouts that saw both goalkeepers score and young Mariners defender Callum McCaskey miss for the visitors.

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TIGERS FC 0-2 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS

Ufuk Talay’s first game in charge of the Western Sydney ended in victory, with the Wanderers cruising past Tigers FC to book their spot in the Round of 16.

New signing Miguel Di Pizio combined brilliantly with Socceroo Brandon Borrello before firing into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 in the 67th minute.

Borrello then bagged the crucial second just four minutes later, tapping home from close range after good work from Atiya Waraga down the right side.

Check out all the highlights below!

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AZZURRI UNITED 0-3 MACARTHUR BULLS

Two-time Australia Cup winners Macarthur Bulls booked their spot in the Round of 16 care of a dominant victory over Azzurri United in Darwin.

The Bulls stormed into the lead in just the fifth minute as Michael Pratezina opened the scoring with a lovely low drive into the bottom corner and Macarthur never looked back.

Macarthur doubled their lead midway through the second half as new signing Ben Gibson steered home his first goal for the club before Mile Sterjovski’s side then wrapped up a routine 3-0 win in the Northern Territory as fellow debutant Connor Pain came off the bench to slot home his new side’s third in the 80th minute.

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