Flashback: Heidelberg stun Perth Glory in Round of 32
It was billed as a true David versus Goliath clash with Perth Glory finishing fifth in the A-League Men the season prior. But Heidelberg United entered the match in fantastic form, leading the pack in NPL Victoria.
The Bergers joined the Preliminary Rounds at the fourth round stage defeating Moreland Zebras 4-0.
They would then go on to put six past Knox City in a 6-1 win before defeating Kingston City 3-1 to set up a Preliminary Round 7 qualifier against Northcote City where they advanced to the Round of 32 with a 2-0 win.
At the time of the Round of 32, Heidelberg were leading the National Premier League Victoria and were not short of confidence coming into the match.
Teams line up with their eyes on the ultimate prize. No pressureIn the lead-up to the match, Heidelberg's star Adrian Zahra, who had played in the A-Leagues for Melbourne Heart and Perth, was adamant that plenty of his young teammates were more than capable of stepping up to the A-Leagues level.
Skipper Luke Byles would go on the say in a post match interview: “There was no pressure on us. We’re sitting top of the [league] ladder so why not go for it.
“They are three weeks into their pre-season and it’s a long flight from Perth. And to be honest, I fancied us from the get-go."
Kenny Athiu's solitary goal, courtesy of a splendid finish, sent Olympic Village into raptures after the striker was brilliantly released by Sean Ellis' through ball.
He kept his cool on the burst through to smash home the winner much to the delight of the Bergers faithful.
Kenny Athiu proved a threat all night and almost gave Heidelberg the lead on the stroke of half-time. The man of the momentThe crowd of almost 3,000 erupted as Athiu's composed one-on-one effort in the 48th minute flew into the top corner and past Liam Reddy.
While all attention was on Athiu, he was quick to deflect praise after what was a famous win in front of a large crowd.
“It was a team effort. I did my part,” he told media post-match.
Athiu added: “No one expected us to win. And we came out and showed what we were capable of.”
Pure elation as teammate swamp Kenny Athiu after scoring what proved to be the winner. Pre-Match MeetingHeidelberg’s "part-timers" all worked their day jobs in the morning of the game - including coach George Katsakis - before meeting up at the club around lunchtime to continue plotting their famous win during their team meeting.
“We decided [at the team meeting] to take the game to them and the rest is history,” he said in his post-match interview.
“It’s been an incredible performance, and a stellar season. The boys were exceptional today. They took the game to Perth – there was no holding back.”
Meet Head Coach, George Katsakis What Happened AfterThe Melbourne-based club would go on to reach the Quarter Finals of the competition after beating Sydney United 58 in a penalty shootout before falling to Adelaide United.
The Bergers finished the NPL Victoria 2017 season on top of the ladder, defeating Oakleigh Cannons in the Semi Finals, but ultimately going down 2-1 in extra time to Bentleigh Greens in the Grand Final.
Heidelberg United would however win the National Premier Leagues Finals Series 2017 competing against NPL winners from around the country. Victories over Bayswater City and APIA Leichhardt set up a Grand Final date with Brisbane Strikers where the Bergers won 2-0.
Meanwhile, Perth Glory went on to finish 8th in the A-League Men 2017/18 season, however Athiu was later loaned to A-Leagues side Melbourne Victory where he took time to adapt to the rigours of professional football making four appearances for the club.
Athiu was then rewarded with a two-year contract at the club in June 2018 and was subsequently on the receiving end of a Cupset loss to APIA Leichhardt, scoring a brace, in the Round of 16.
He remained with Victory until 2020 and since then he has had stints in Malaysia and Cambodia before returning to NPL Victoria - most recently with Dandenong City.
Take a look behind the scenes following Heidelberg's stunning win over Perth Glory in the Australia Cup.
