By Greg Blake
Upset (noun): an unexpected result or situation. Cupset: a tired and overused buzzword. Neither term applicable to Heidelberg United’s run into the 2025 Australia Cup final, their place sealed with an accomplished performance to oust Auckland FC last Saturday night in the first of the semi finals.
Fly the yellow and black flag and cue the song, by all means. Extraordinary, you betcha. But anyone surprised by the Warrior’s 2-0 triumph over Auckland hasn’t been reading the form guide. Heidelberg hasn’t been held scoreless in their last 44 games, Bul Juach and Asahi Yokokawa have combined for 39 goals and the Warriors have something of a mortgage on final quarter hours of game time.
Scoreless into a tense final 15 minutes against Auckland, Juach and Yokokawa scored and in so doing exited a third consecutive quality A League opponent from the cup. No surprises there, it went according to form. Another marvellous conclusion to yet another night to remember for the faithful all the same.
At game’s end this remarkable Alexander Band of Brothers soaked up the adulation of a fist-pumping, high-fiving, flag-waving crowd, many shedding tears of pride and joy. And just as Western Sydney and Wellington had done in the preceding weeks, the Auckland FC crew briefly stood about with disbelieving, ashen-faces and largely in silence, unsure of how to respond. Gracious enough, but defeated by forces it didn’t understand.
Yet there is nothing flukey about this John Anastasiadis-coached outfit’s once seemingly unlikely journey to the final. They are young, strong, resilient, disciplined, very hungry and dangerously edgy. Auckland FC were polished. Alexander still won the day and on the scoreboard it wasn’t a photo finish.
Juach’s go-ahead on 75 minutes was a beauty. Yokokowa’s finely threaded pass run down by the ‘Raging Bul’, who bulldozed his way between goalkeeper and defender before using what angle remained to clip a perfect finish across the body into an empty net.
Jay McGowan often comes off the bench and finds a clever way to become part of the narrative. He did it again on Saturday night, hitting a tellingly precise chip shot from half field into Yokokawa’s running lane on 83 minutes. Sprinting deep left Yokokawa had to anchor with his left before shooting with his preferred right and nailed a skidder which slipped under the keeper.
The last vestiges of winter produced a very black night before the Black Knights’ visit, with gale force winds, hail and a bitter chill all clearing just in time for Saturday night’s kick-off at Olympic Village. A first half blend of vigour, valour and chances at both ends concluded scoreless.
Juach muffed his cue to give the Warriors a very early lead, Max Bisetto’s pass or shoot dilemma on the the quarter hour might have come to something more and Ben Collins angled a header from a corner across the goal face twenty minutes in.
Auckland threatened, but there was so much to enjoy about just how hard the likes of Bisetto, Sabit Ngor and Yokokawa were prepared to work at both ends of the pitch, the aerial supremacy and game reading of Collins and Ryan Lethlean and the power straight line running of the human catapult, Fletcher Fulton.
And a word too for the veteran, Mo Aidara. Regardless of game situation, Aidara is as good and reliable a driver in heavy traffic as any going around. His in-and-under game on Saturday night was sensational.
Auckland’s Marlee Francois bounced one off the crossbar and hit a skidder which bobbled and bounced off Yaren Sozer’s face before the break. Sozer’s good looks intact, the Alexander keeper went on to produce some of his finest work after half time. Game-winning stuff actually.
Sozer’s close range stops from Jesse Randall and Sam Cosgrove killed off potential Auckland momentum as they bounced out of the interval. And whilst Anthony Lesiotis is never not wonderful, he sometimes finds another gear and the change-up is noticeable. His second half was inspirational.
This was a cup semi final which felt like a cup win. It somehow validated a season of quite beautiful football played consistently by this Alexander team of 2025. More than anything else, these boys deserved this. They deserve to be playing in the final. And, oh yes, they can bloody well win it. Warrior Nation!
Footnote: Alexander becomes only the second non-A League team to make the final of the decade old Australia Cup, joining Sydney United FC58. The Sydney club made the 2022 final only to go down 2-0 to the Macarthur Bulls
