Injury-time drama puts Hume City into Round of 16
Hume City are through to the FFA Cup Round of 16 on the back of two injury-time goals in a drama-packed 3-1 win over Port Melbourne Sharks on Wednesday night.
Striker Josh Bingham and substitute Nahuel Bonada delivered the winning goals for Hume against their NPL Victoria rivals as they rode to victory on the back of their small-but-vocal home crowd at ABD Stadium.
The hosts were in the box seat until the midway through the second half courtesy of a first-half wonder strike from former Adelaide United striker Mark Ochieng.
However, the Sharks set up a grand-stand finish when Chris Duggan found the equaliser with just over ten minutes remaining in the contest - the goal coming just minutes after Bonada missed a chance to double Hume's lead.
Ultimately, however, it wasn't to be for Adam Piddick's Sharks side as Hume City drew deep on their reserves in injury time to secure a memorable win.
City's leading NPL goal scorer Bingham restored his side's lead with a well-placed finish two minutes into time added on, before Bonada made amends for his earlier miss just a minute later to seal the result.
It is not the first-time Hume City have posted a dramatic Round of 32 win, famously defeating Brisbane Strikers in an extra-time thriller at the same stage of the competition in 2015.
The Sharks' Round of 32 exit equals their best ever return in the FFA Cup in 2018, while Hume move into the Round of 16 for the third time in six appearances on the national stage.
Both sides were contesting their first competitive fixture in two months after the NPL Victoria season ended prematurely in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
KEY MOMENTS
5' | Chance Hume City - Aden Gardner is picked out in the box by Mark Ochieng and very nearly finds the opener as his volleyed strike fizzes past the post.
17' | Goal Hume City - Ochieng brings the home fans to their feet with a stunning strike - controlling with the chest then smashing the finish into the top right corner from outside 20 yards.
27' | Chance Port Melbourne - Vali Cesnik storms into the box on the right and winds up a fierce strike but the onrushing Lucas Trenkovski makes a stunning stop to deny the Sharks man.
35' | Chance Hume City - Josh Bingham puts the ball on a platter for Mitch Cooper's far post run but the midfielder loses his footing at the crucial moment to the relief of the Sharks defence.
45+1' | Chance Port Melbourne - The Sharks have a chance to level immediately before the break but Kris Kioussis' strike is driven straight at Trenkovski.
73' | Chance Hume City - Nahuel Bonada breaks into the box for a one-on-one showdown with the onrushing Andrew Withers but his finish teasingly rolls across the face of goal.
79' | Goal Port Melbourne - Chris Duggan levels terms with a stabbed finish from close range after Luca Tevere battled hard to keep the ball in play and pick out his team mate from the byline.
81' | Chance Hume City - Matthew Lazarides is teed up on the angle by Paul Kuol but his low strike is gobbled up by Withers.
90+2' | Goal Hume City - The hosts push forward in numbers and the pressure delivers its reward against a tired Sharks defence as Bingham fires a low strike into the bottom corner to restore their lead.
90+3' | Goal Hume City - With the Sharks committing numbers forward, Bonada takes advantage - breaking through one-on-one and this time making no mistake with his finish past Withers.
90+7' | Red card Hume City - Bonada's night ends on a slightly sour note as he is shown a second yellow card in the closing stages, putting him out of Hume's next FFA Cup tie.
MATCH DETAILS
FFA Cup 2021 - Round of 32: Hume City v Port Melbourne Sharks
ABD Stadium, Broadmeadows
Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Attendance: 419
Hume City - 3 (Mark OCHIENG 17', Josh Bingham 90+2', Nahuel Bonada 90+3')
Port Melbourne Sharks - 1 (Chris Duggan 79')
