APIA Leichhardt Tigers will not be shocking the nation again this season, after the FFA Cup 2018 giant-killers were sent crashing out of the competition by St George FC on Tuesday night.
APIA were the toast of the nation after knocking out then Hyundai A-League champions Melbourne Victory in last season's competition, but it was the National Premier Leagues Division Two side that advanced to Round 7 of the preliminaries with a 1-0 upset victory over their higher-league opposition in Caringbah.
(Header image courtesy of St George on Twitter)
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Brad Bartels netted the decisive strike in the 75th minute to put the Saints one victory away from a place in the FFA Cup Round of 32 – and a potential meeting with a Hyundai A-League powerhouse.
St George had already beaten Southern Districts Raiders and West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook to progress to Round 6 before extracting a measure of revenge on the Tigers.
The South Sydney outfit were knocked out of the competition 12 months ago following a 3-2 defeat by APIA in Round 6 of the preliminaries.
APIA went on to record one of the biggest upsets in FFA Cup history with a stunning 3-2 win against the reigning Hyundai A-League champions Melbourne Victory in the Round of 16, becoming the seventh state-league side to eliminate a top-tier team.
Fourth-tier South Australians Tea Tree Gully have already recorded a famous victory in this season's competition, turning over NPL1 side West Adelaide 1-0 in March, and there are sure to be many more thrills and spills to come as the FFA Cup action heats up across the country.
