Waratah Cup Quarter-Final APIA annihilate Marconi in style

The Tigers booked their Waratah Cup semi-final spot in an emphatic fashion, with doubles from Ethan Gailbraith and Adel El Jamal.
But it was the 25-yard screamer from Korean Mun-Soo Gil that will live in the memory of those in attendance.
Marconi never came close to scoring on the night. They struggled to gain momentum throughout the match and were caught napping too often during set-pieces.
APIA made their intentions known in the 6? minute when Ethan Gailbraith headed the ball just over the bar off a corner.
Marconi were applying pressure in the 11? minute and for a brief moment looked to be taking control of the game.
But they gave away a free-kick about five yards outside the box. A lofty Adam D?Apuzzo free-kick found the head of former Marconi man Adel El Jamal, who sent the ball into the back of the net in the 13? minute.
Marconi looked to have avoided danger in the 26? minute when Ethan Gailbraith?s shot was cleared out of the Stallions box, but the ball was crossed back in and the unmarked striker tucked the ball neatly past Marconi goalkeeper Andrew Mercuri.
Marconi?s Nahuel Arrarte and APIA?s Ethan Gailbraith exchanged words and a few shoves in the 28? minute, with the pair lucky to avoid a booking from referee Kris Griffith-Jones.
El Jamal wasn?t so lucky in the 28? minute when the APIA defender received a yellow for a clumsy sliding tackle.
Marconi?s Joey Gibbs looked to have broken free of the APIA line in the 30? minute, but he sent that ball high and wide.
Both sides began giving away fouls as the first-half drew to a close, with Marconi?s Ali Haydar also going into the referee?s book.
APIA?s Andrew Bevin was given too much space in the box in the 44? minute and his shot was stopped by the woodwork.
If Marconi were hoping to find their rhythm in the second half, APIA barely gave them a chance. When Mun-Soo Gil found space 25-yards out from the Marconi goal, he belted the ball straight past Andrew Mercuri. It seemed like there was no turning back for the Stallions from this point.
8? minutes later, APIA?s Sam Salameh rattled the bar with his rocket from 30 yards out.
Marconi?s Ali Haydar was lucky to stay on the pitch when he pushed Andrew Bevin just outside his own area.  D?Apuzzo?s free kick found Gailbraith who slotted the ball into the back of the net in the 73? minute.
Only 5? minutes later, Marconi gave away another free-kick in an almost identical position. D?Apuzzo was the architect of an identical result. The perfectly placed kick found El Jamal who tapped it into the back of the net in the 78? minute.
Tigers Coach John Turner was over the moon with the result over the moon with the result over APIA?s  rivals:
?We changed a few things round tonight after we handed South Coast the game over the weekend,?? he said.
?We took our chances today. We changed the formation. We had lots of speed out wide.
?Marconi have showed in the past that they?re shaky at the back and I tried to expose that and it worked in our favour.
?It was great to see us score off the set-pieces because we?ve been working hard on them over the last few weeks.??
Turner said the club?s trophy cabinet could do with a new addition.
?It?s been a while since we?ve won some trophies. There?s a bit of dust gathering in that cabinet.
?It would be nice to give something back to the people who have showed faith in the club like Tony Raciti. Because without him there wouldn?t be an APIA.??
Match Stats
Marconi Stallions 0
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 5 (Gailbraith 26?, 73?, El Jamal13?, 78?, Gil 49?)
Marconi Stallions: 21.Andrew Mercuri; 2.Andrew Mailer, 3.Ali Haydar (13.Simon Valastro 78?), 7.Sean O?Connell (37.Frank Martey 78?), 10.Joey Gibbs (6.Shane Webb  57?), 11.Nathan Elasi (18.Jamie McMaster 57?), 12.Robert Tribbia, 16.Daniel Severino, 19.Damian Travis, 26.Nahuel Arrarte, 42.Brendan Cholakian
Substitutes Not Used: 22.Jamie Chronopolous
Yellow Cards:  Haydar 42?, Mailer 76?, Arrarte 85?
Red Cards: Nil
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 3.Adel El Jamal (18.Brendan Reilly 79?), 6.Danial Cummins, 5.Michael West, 12.Andrew Bevin, 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Adam D?Apuzzo, 9.Ethan Gailbraith (20.Wandi Jajaw 75?), 4.Mun-Soo Gil, 17.Sam Salameh, 14.Adam Casey
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Stefan Giglio, 15.Bradley Bartels, 10.Franco Parisi
Yellow Cards: El Jamal 29?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Alex Zerafa