Canberra Olympic progressed to the FFA Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Surfers Paradise Apollo at Deakin Stadium.
After missing a golden chance to take the lead through Jeremy Habtemariam, Olympic deservingly hit the front in the 36th minute after Philippe Bernabo-Madrid pounced on a ball over the top of the defence.
Apollo emerged from the half time break with renewed purpose, but could not make their chances count in the early stages of the second half. Olympic were able to regain control of the match, nearly doubling their lead in the final moments as they secured a place in the next round.
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Bernabo-Madrid shines for Olympic
The Canberra Olympic striker showed his threat early on with a series of blistering runs through the defensive line, but Apollo failed to take note of the danger and they were duly punished in the 36th minute. Bernabo-Madrid sprinted onto a through-ball, leaving the defence in his wake and closing in on the goal. The forward showed his composure despite the presence of goalkeeper Faider Royer-Mejia, lifting the ball over the diving shot-stopper to add to the 11 goals scored in local competition this season. It was a moment of vindication for the 24-year-old, who this season made a comeback from his third knee reconstruction since 2010.
Fairytale ends for Apollo
Playing in the Gold Coast Premier League in Australia’s third tier of football, Surfers Paradise Apollo were hardly expected to qualify for the round of 32, but prevailed against the odds to set up a Greek derby with Canberra Olympic. Despite being eliminated, Apollo were certainly not outclassed by Olympic, with wingers Nikki Felizatto and Brandon Gomez creating plenty of openings and substitute Shota Nakagawa adding spark off the bench.
Olympic eyeing bigger scalps
After coming through a match they were arguably favourites to win, the Olympic will be looking to the round of 16 with great interest. Fellow ACT side Tuggeranong United hosted Melbourne Victory in the inaugural FFA Cup, but the A-League outfit travelled home with a 6-0 win under their belt. Should fate bring another one of the top tier to the national capital in the round of 16, Frank Cachia’s side will be out to produce a giant-killing act of their own.
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