Melbourne Knights are through to the round of 16 in the Australia Cup after defeating Queensland National Premier League side, the Queensland Lions on Thursday night.
The match was hard fought early, with the Knights opening the scoring with a goal in the 23rd minute.
The Lions equalised quickly, scoring in the 34th minute, however, the determined Knights took back the lead only a minute later before scoring two more goals in the second half to give them a 4-1 win.
Knights coach Ben Cahn said he was happy with how his side opened their cup campaign.
“The Lions are a good side, I know a lot about them being in Queensland myself for the last five years,” Cahn said.
“We were expecting a tough game and it was certainly tighter than the scoreline suggests.
“The (second) goal was really nice timing for us, we were disappointed to let them back in after going 1-0 up. But to go up the other end and score almost immediately was really helpful for us.
“We defended resiliently and once we got the third it became quite comfortable.”
With a mixture of NPL and A-League teams left in the competition and the match ups not yet set out, Cahn said he is excited for what comes next.
“I think it’s one of the most exciting times of the year in Australian football,” he said.
“It’s a great chance for everybody to test themselves against teams from other states and other competitions.
“It’s really important to us that we’ve done well and we want to continue to go on.
“We’ll embrace the draw and we’ll be ready for whoever we get.”
However, the Knights don’t get much time to celebrate their round of 32 triumph with a top four spot still in the NPL still on the line for the club.
After finishing ninth last season, to be in the top four and guarantee a home final would be a dream turnaround for the Knights.
“I think the priority now is to try and get that fourth spot. Once we go in (to the finals) it’s all about going in with a fit and fresh squad,” Cahn said.
“I’m very confident in the whole squad to be able to step up and do the job.
“If we can do that with some momentum, that’s fantastic. If not, as long as we’ve got everybody on board and our strongest team avaliable, and everybody’s in the right physical and mental space. We’ll be ready to go.”
Harper Sercombe
