ServiceFM Stadium came alive on Saturday 11 July as seven Cup Finals delivered goals, drama and plenty of memorable moments across a full day of football.
Approximately 4,000 spectators attended throughout the day, creating a fantastic atmosphere as clubs from across South Australia competed for silverware.
The action began with three matches taking place across the opening time slot.
Vipers FC made an impressive start to the day, defeating Croydon FC 5-1 in the Under 18 Federation Cup Final. Parafield Gardens also lifted silverware following a strong 3-0 victory over Pembroke, while Adelaide Comets secured the APEX Steel WNPL/WSL Reserves Cup with a 4-2 win against the Football SA State Squad.
The 12:30pm time slot produced two closely contested matches. Pembroke defeated F.C. Summit with a narrow 3-2 victory, while Adelaide United edged Sturt Lions 1-0 to claim the Reserves Federation Cup.
Adding to the occasion, Australian footballers Mohamed Toure and Nestory Irankunda were also in attendance, enjoying the action and showing their support for local football.
Attention then turned to the two showpiece senior finals, beginning with the APEX Steel WNPL and WSL Cup Final between West Adelaide and WT Birkalla.
West Adelaide Complete Cup Three-Peat
WT Birkalla struck first, with Dylan Holmes finding the back of the net in the 41st minute to give her side a 1-0 advantage heading into half-time.
West Adelaide entered the second half trailing but quickly demonstrated the resilience and attacking threat that has become a feature of their performances.
Just seven minutes after the restart, Madeleine Wright scored the equaliser to bring the contest level at 1-1.
The decisive moment arrived 19 minutes later when Niina Yamada converted her opportunity to put West Adelaide ahead.
Yamada finished the match with a goal and an assist, earning Player of the Match honours as West Adelaide held on for a 2-1 victory and secured an incredible third consecutive Cup triumph.
FK Beograd Prevail in Dramatic Federation Cup Final
The final match of the day produced an unforgettable contest as FK Beograd and Cumberland United battled for the Federation Cup.
Cumberland opened the scoring in spectacular fashion through captain Ellison Dunton, with the central defender unleashing a brilliant strike from outside the penalty area.
FK Beograd responded shortly after through Abu-Bakari Hussein, who found the equaliser to bring the match back level.
The contest took a major turn approximately 10 minutes before half-time when Cumberland were reduced to 10 players.
Despite being reduced to 10 players, Cumberland refused to let the numerical disadvantage derail their challenge and fought their way into a 2-1 lead. However, FK Beograd captain Antonios Natsiopoulos was introduced in the 60th minute and made an immediate impact, finding the equaliser just four minutes later to level the scores at 2-2 and send the final into extra time.
Cumberland’s task became even more difficult after they received a second red card during added time, leaving them with nine players for the additional period.
Their resistance was eventually broken in extra time, with substitute Antoni Trimboli scoring twice before Atkinson added another to complete a 5-2 victory for FK Beograd.
Lorenzo Boselli was named Player of the Match following an influential performance in FK Beograd’s Cup triumph.