MELBOURNE, October 2026 — The South Melbourne Australia Cup triumph at AAMI Park on Saturday 10 October made Hellas the first NPL club to win the trophy. South beat Melbourne Victory 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw before a record crowd of 29,911.
Denis Genreau gave Victory the lead five minutes into extra time, but substitute Max Mikkola equalised in the 117th minute. In the shootout, goalkeeper Javier Lopez saved twice from Harrison Sawyer. Victory captain Jason Davidson then sent the last penalty over the bar.
South Melbourne Australia Cup final: how the goals came
The South Melbourne Australia Cup final stayed goalless for 90 minutes. Yuki Uchida created South’s best early chance in the 14th minute, according to Football Australia’s official match report. His cutback flashed across the face of goal.
Victory, however, had the clearer opportunities. In the 25th minute, Javier Lopez tipped a shot from Brazilian winger Santos onto the post. Later, in the 78th minute, Guillermo May squared the ball to Santos, whose scuffed effort Lopez kept out.
Five minutes into extra time of the South Melbourne Australia Cup final, Joshua Inserra found Genreau from the right. His improvised finish struck the crossbar and dropped over the line. VAR then confirmed the goal, the A-Leagues match report noted. It was the first Australia Cup final to use VAR.
Even so, South kept pushing, with Max Mikkola on as a 76th-minute substitute. Bul Juach hit the crossbar five minutes after the opener. A Victory header struck the post in the 108th minute. Then, with three minutes left, substitute Jordan Swibel crossed from the right. When Philipp Ziereis headed the ball clear from a goalmouth scramble, it fell to Mikkola, who scored from close range.
Javier Lopez wins the shootout and the Mark Viduka Medal
According to Football Australia, the South Melbourne Australia Cup final was the first decider to go to penalties. Guillermo May scored first for Victory. South captain Marco Jankovic replied.
Next up was Harrison Sawyer, a former South player, and Javier Lopez saved his kick. Because Lopez had left his line early, the referee ordered a retake. The goalkeeper saved that one too.
Jankovic, Swibel, James Lackey and Andrew Mesourouni all scored for South. As a result, Davidson had to score to keep Victory alive, but he put his shot over the bar. The South Melbourne Australia Cup win came after Heidelberg United in 2025 and Sydney United 58 in 2022 lost their finals.
Javier Lopez, a 35-year-old Spaniard, later received the Mark Viduka Medal as the best player on the field. The Sydney Morning Herald counted six saves from him, including one in the shootout.
Before kick-off, Jankovic received the Mike Cockerill Medal as the best NPL player in the 2026 competition. Speaking to Network 10, the 31-year-old defender said: “There have been some amazing NPL players that have won this medal in the past.”
A record crowd and a club with Greek roots
The South Melbourne Australia Cup win drew the biggest crowd for a sporting event at AAMI Park. That 29,911 attendance set a new all-time venue record.
Founded in 1959, the club later joined the National Soccer League as a founding member. It played all 28 NSL seasons from 1977 to 2004. Football Australia’s final preview also described the club as a vital hub for the Greek community in Australia.
At the south end, supporters held banners of club legends including Ange Postecoglou, Ferenc Puskas and John Margaritis, AAP reported. The news agency also said a section of that crowd booed the Welcome to Country before the match.
For Davidson, the South Melbourne Australia Cup final carried added weight. His father, Alan, played 142 times for South. Greek City Times profiled the former Socceroo on 9 October. Postecoglou, a former South captain and coach, had also picked his side before the final: “They’re definitely my club, and I’ll definitely be cheering them on.”
Hellas push for a return to the top flight
The South Melbourne Australia Cup result strengthens the club’s bid for an A-League licence, AAP reported. It also technically earns South a place in next season’s AFC Champions League Two. By comparison, Victory have not won a trophy since the 2021 Australia Cup.
In August, the club signalled its intention to seek A-Leagues licences. Under coach Sinisa Cohadzic, South also won the Dockerty Cup and the inaugural Australian Championship in 2025. A Bul Juach hat-trick against Lions FC then sent South to their first final.
Cohadzic returned in May, four days after the club announced his departure. Before the South Melbourne Australia Cup final, he told Football360 his players believed they could make history.
“We are confident in ourselves that if we can perform the way we are performing at the moment, we think that we are somehow a chance of achieving something that will go a long time in the history of football in Australia.”
Sinisa Cohadzic, South Melbourne coach
Amid the celebrations, co-president Bill Papastergiadis urged the A-Leagues to give South a chance to return, the Herald reported. “It’s about football, it’s not about South. We are the Trojan Horse for opening up football around the country and may I say how sweet it is,” he said.