Sydney FC attacker Tiago Quintal believes the Sky Blues are building momentum at the perfect time as they prepare to travel to face Brisbane Roar in Sunday’s Hahn Australia Cup Round of 16 clash.
The exciting youngster heads into the fixture full of confidence after producing a stunning individual display in Sydney FC’s 5-1 victory over Bayswater City in the previous round, scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist to help send the Sky Blues into the last 16.
Quintal admitted it was a performance that gave him plenty of belief heading into another crucial knockout fixture.
“It was a great performance from the boys,” he said.
“I was very happy to score three goals and get an assist, so it’s a good step forward and hopefully I can continue that on this Sunday.”
The confidence within the squad has only grown following an impressive pre-season, which has included victory in Perth and a spirited display against English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the Sydney Super Cup of which they lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
For Quintal, lining up against some of the world’s biggest names was an unforgettable experience and one that reinforced the standards Sydney FC are striving towards.
“It was unreal,” he said.
“To be able to play against some of the best players in the world, playing in the best league in the world, it was crazy.
“It was great to see that we can compete at that level, so hopefully we’ll just keep that going.”
With a place in the quarter-finals on the line, Quintal knows the Hahn Australia Cup represents far more than silverware. The competition provides valuable competitive football during Australia’s lengthy pre-season while offering Sydney FC another opportunity to build momentum ahead of the Isuzu UTE A-League campaign.
“It’s a very important competition for the club,” he said.
“Of course we want to win the Cup, but also being able to play competitive games in pre-season is very important because pre-season is so long in Australia.”
The Sky Blues have shown encouraging signs under Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo throughout the opening weeks of the campaign, and Quintal believes the group’s chemistry is continuing to improve with every training session.
“The team is gelling really well,” he said.
“Every day out here on the training pitch we’re getting better and better, so we just keep working on our craft, keep doing what we need to do, and I’m sure the team will continue to improve.”
One of the standout partnerships in the win over Bayswater came between Quintal and fellow young attacker Akol Akon, with the pair combining to great effect in the final third.
Quintal believes that understanding will only strengthen as the season progresses.
“You saw it a bit last year as well,” he said.
“If we keep building that connection, we can only get better and better. We’re both pretty young, so being able to keep developing our game and working well together will be good for us.”
While Sunday’s clash is another important step in Sydney FC’s preparations for the season ahead, Quintal says the objective remains simple.
“We just want to keep progressing through the competition,” he said.
“Hopefully we can go all the way and win the whole thing.”
Match Details
Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC
Hahn Australia Cup 2026 Round of 16
Sunday 9th August 2026
Spencer Park, Brisbane, QLD
Kick Off: 5pm AEST
Broadcast Live: Paramount+
