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| Date | 30 October 2018 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Coopers Stadium,Adelaide | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Craig Goodwin | ||||||
| Referee | Jarred Gillett | ||||||
| Attendance | 14,448 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny 23 °C (73 °F)[1] | ||||||
←2017 2019 → | |||||||
The2018 FFA Cup final was the fifth final of theFFA Cup (now known as the Australia Cup), Australia's mainsoccer cup competition. The match was contested betweenAdelaide United andSydney FC, in a rematch of the2017 FFA Cup Final which Sydney FC won.Coopers Stadium inAdelaide hosted the game.
The match was broadcast live onFox Sports.
| Adelaide United | Round | Sydney FC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Opponent | Result | |
| Central Coast Mariners | 3–0 (H) | Round of 32 | Rockdale City Suns | 4–2 (A) |
| Queensland Lions | 1–0 (A) | Round of 16 | Cairns FC | 2–1 (A) |
| APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 2–0 (A) | Quarter-finals | Avondale FC(a.e.t) | 4–2 (A) |
| Bentleigh Greens | 2–0 (A) | Semi-finals | Western Sydney Wanderers | 3–0 (A) |
| Note: In all results above, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). | ||||
Adelaide United's progress started at home against fellowA-League sideCentral Coast Mariners. In a match held atMarden Sports Complex, they won 3–0 through goals toJordan Elsey, debutantMirko Boland andCraig Goodwin. The other three wins to take Adelaide to the Final were overNational Premier Leagues teams, and as a result all played away from home under competition rules. Firstly, another Craig Goodwin goal saw Adelaide defeatQueensland Lions 1–0 in Brisbane. This was followed by a 2–0 win overAPIA Leichhardt in the quarterfinals in Sydney, with Goodwin and Boland again on the scoresheet. In the semifinals, Adelaide drew the only remaining National Premier Leagues side:Bentleigh Greens. They won 2–0 in Melbourne, with goals to Jordan Elsey andBen Halloran putting them into the final. The result also meant that Adelaide United were still yet to concede a goal in the 2018 FFA Cup.
Sydney FC commenced their 2018 Cup campaign with three wins overNational Premier Leagues sides. They began with a win over fellow Sydney sideRockdale City Suns in the Round of 32. Rockdale City Suns had opened the scoring before four consecutive Sydney FC goals, including two to captainAlex Brosque, secured a 4–2 win. In the round of sixteen, Sydney FC travelled to Queensland to playCairns FC. Again, they fell behind as the NPL side opened the scoring, but second half goals to Brosque (apenalty) andTrent Buhagiar saw Sydney FC win 2–1.Avondale FC were their quarterfinals, where two goals to Buhagiar in the first half saw the Sky Blues in the lead. However, Avondale FC fought back strongly in the second half, scoring twice to take the game toextra time. Goals toMilos Ninkovic andAdam Le Fondre gave Sydney FC an eventual 4–2 win. In the semifinals, Sydney FC faced their firstA-League opposition of the tournament:Western Sydney Wanderers in aSydney Derby. The game was played atPenrith Stadium. After a scoreless first half, a goal to Buhagiar, a free kick fromSiem de Jong and a penalty fromAdam Le Fondre saw the Sky Blues move on to the Final.
This was the first season to see the Final host team decided by random draw, rather than byFootball Federation Australia selection.[2] Adelaide were drawn to host the game, with the match to be played atCoopers Stadium, their home ground.[3]
Sydney FC were the reigning Champions coming into the match, having beaten Adelaide 2–1after extra time in the2017 FFA Cup Final.[4]
Sydney had also reached the2016 Final where they had lost toMelbourne City, making this their third consecutive FFA Cup Final Appearance. Sydney would become the first side to win the FFA Cup by winning every game away from home if they were to be victorious. This tournament included the first competitive matches for new Sydney coachSteve Corica, following the departure ofGraham Arnold to coachAustralia.
Other than the 2017 Final, Adelaide's other previous final appearance was in the2014 edition, when they defeatedPerth Glory 1–0 to win theinaugural FFA Cup.[5]
The two sides played out a 1–1 draw in the opening match of the2018–19 A-League in Adelaide eleven days prior to the final.[6]
       Adelaide United |    Sydney FC |
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Man of the Match (Mark Viduka Medal): Assistant referees: | Match rules:[7]
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| Statistics | Adelaide United | Sydney FC |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 2 | 1 |
| Total shots | 7 | 8 |
| Ball possession | 49% | 51% |
| Corner kicks | 10 | 6 |
| Fouls | 15 | 26 |
| Offsides | 3 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
