Sydney FC Into Semi Final After 1-0 Australia Cup Win

A goal from Takahiro Sekine sees Sydney FC through to the Hahn Australia Cup Semi Final 2026 with a 1-0 win.

Sydney FC 1 (Sekine 33’) def. SD Raiders 0

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

14′ | GARUCCIO FREE KICK – A Garuccio free quick from outside of the box is crossed to the head of Quintal at the back post who gets under the ball for a shot on target, however the ball floats just over the crossbar.

15′ | GOAL-LINE CLEARANCE – A misplaced ball by Knezevic lands to the feet of Sekine who takes a touch to his right to get around keeper Figueira while being knocked off balance, before finding his feet for a shot which is blocked by SD Raiders last man, Mccue-Shore.

Takahiro Sekline of Sydney FC controls the ball during the Australia Cup Quarterfinal match between SD Raiders and Sydney FC

18′ | MACALLISTER SHOT CLEARED OFF THE LINE – A brilliant cross-field pass from Akon is well placed in front of Macallister who takes a touch to get around keeper Figueira for a shot from the edge of the box, but Letta is waiting on the goal line to block deny the shot.

33′ | SEKINE GOAL – Lacey with possession in the center circle sends a long ball over top which is well controlled by the left foot of Sekine, touched once to the ground and a second time to strike the ball to the inside of the close post and outside of the reach of Figueira to open the scoring Sydney FC.

39′ | HOEFSLOOT CLEARANCE – A back pass from Youlley to Hoefsloot looks dangerous for the Sky Blues after the ball takes an unfortunate bounce, however the Sydney FC keeper reacts quickly to clear the ball the second time before it crosses the line.

43′ | HOEFSLOOT SOARS – A long distance shot from outside the box from Knezevic lands on target after soaring to the left of the goal. However, Hoefsloot makes the save after an extraordinary dive to his right to send the ball out of danger.

58’ | GARUCCIO SHOT – A nice run on the right from Akon sees the ball played through to the feet of Garuccio who drives towards the goal for a shot from a tight angle. Quintal waits for the cut back but Garuccio takes the shot himself and the ball strays just across the face of goal, unfound.

73’ | FERNANDEZ CHANCE – Garuccio finds himself in a crucial position as Fernandez makes a dangerous forward run to face Hoefsloot one on one, however the Sydney FC full back makes a perfectly timed tackle to nullify the threat.

Joe Lacey strikes the ball during the in search of a goal.

79’ | HOEFSLOOT MASTER SAVE – A forward run from Eremugo looks dangerous and forces Courtney-Perkins to make a last man tackle right on the edge of the box, SD Raiders call for a penalty but a free kick is given which is struck well to the top right of the goal but denied after an impeccable save from Hoefsloot.

95’ | QUINTAL SHOT – Garuccio finds Quintal in space within the 18 yard box for one final shot in front of goal, however the ball flies high over the crossbar, ending the game in success for Sydney FC.

MATCH REPORT: Sydney FC are through to the semi-final of the Hahn Australia Cup 2026 following a 1-0 win over SD Raiders and will face either Melbourne Victory or APIA Leichhardt in the last four.

The Sky Blues headed to Fairfield Showground tonight seeking to advance and continue their journey to a third Australia Cup Trophy.

Patrick Kisnorbo’s squad sees one change from the 11 that started in the 4-2 win over Brisbane Roar at Spencer Park in the form of 17-year old Akol Akon joining the attack on the right wing in replace of Zac De Jesus who awaits on the bench.

Jordan Courtney-Perkins chases down the ball in hopes to send Sydney FC to the Semi Finals of the Hanh Australia Cup.

An important game for both teams saw physical challenges and an evenly contested opening, with both sides creating opportunities moving forward with the ball.

Sydney FC begins to break down the SD Raiders defence with on target shots from Sekine and Macallister in the 15^th and 18^th minutes respectively, both Sky Blues taking a touch past goalkeeper, Figueira, before being cleared off the line by SD Raiders defenders.

The pressure finally paid off in the 33^rd minute when Joe Lacey controls possession in the centre circle and uses his time to play a pin perfect pass to Sekine who waits on the left wing and uses his first touch to take the ball to the ground and his second touch to find the back of the net after slotting the ball past Figueria at the near post to secure Sydney FC the advantage.

The second half saw Hoefsloot under pressure with SD Raiders in search of an equaliser. The 79^th minute of the game saw the keeper tested when a free kick is given away outside of the box which is well struck by Eremugo to the right of the goal. However, Hoefsloot does extremely well to dive to his left to preserve Sydney FC’s advantage and keep the scoreline unchanged.

Sydney FC continued to threaten on the counter and look to find a last minute goal to truely put the game away when Garuccio played a through ball to Quintal into the SD Raiders box. The Sky Blue midfielder takes a touch before striking the ball, however the shot goes high over the crossbar before the final whistle is blown and Sydney FC are sent through to the Semi Final of the 2026 Hanh Australia Cup.

WHAT THEY SAID: Rhyan GRANT: “We had a few chances cleared off the line in the first half … if we went a couple up there it changes everything.”

“They came at us the whole game, they play a tough style to break down and play through; so they did really well.”

Sydney FC’s starting line-up. Picture: Jaime Castaneda.

LINEUPS SYDNEY FC | 1. Gus HOEFSLOOT (GK), 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 7. Akol AKON (21. Zac DE JESUS (83′)), 14. Takahiro SEKINE (35. Al HASSAN TOURE (70′)), 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 20. Tiago QUINTAL, 22. Mathias MACALLISTER (16. Gabriel POPOVIC (89′)), 23. Rhyan GRANT (Captain), 29. Joe LACEY (8. Wataru KAMIJO (70′)), 36. Rhys YOULLEY, 41. Alexandar POPOVIC.

Unused Substitutions | 28. Ethan DYER, 30. Alexander ZAVERDINOS (GK), 38. Sam LANCASTER.

Yellow Cards | 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS (80′).

Red Cards | N/A

Manager | Patrick KISNORBO

LINEUPS SD RAIDERS | 1. Michael FIGUEIRIA (GK), 4. Cooper HANAGAN, 5. Jett MCCUE SHORE (9. Jakov MALBASA (89′)), 7. Mihael MARCIC (37. Robert EREMUGO (70′)), 8. James LETTA (Captain), 10. Luka KNEZEVIC (77. Justin FRIAS(70′)), 12. Lachlan MCGRATH, 14. Noah CHIANESE, 17. Martin FERNANDEZ (11. Thomas SANTAROSSA (83′)), 18. Charlie RAGG, 21. Sebastion MALFARA.