Melbourne City opened the 2026/27 campaign in winning fashion on Sunday afternoon, overcoming a determined Weston Bears outfit 3-0 to book our place in the Australia Cup Round of 16.
Lawrence Wong fired us into an early lead before fellow Academy graduates Besian Kutleshi and Medin Memeti put the result beyond doubt late in the contest, sealing a deserved victory in the Hunter region.
While Weston made us work hard throughout the afternoon, Aurelio Vidmar’s side remained composed at both ends of the pitch to ensure our Australia Cup campaign got off to the perfect start.
Team News
Vidmar named a strong starting XI for City’s first competitive fixture of the new season.
Ten of the 11 starters were graduates of the City Academy, with Nathaniel Atkinson captaining the side in the absence of Club skipper Aziz Behich, who remains on leave following the FIFA World Cup.
Starting XI: 40. James NIEUWENHUIZEN (GK), 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON (C), 4. Liam BONETIG, 2. Harrison DELBRIDGE, 22. Peter ANTONIOU, 24. Kavian RAHMANI, 14. Besian KUTLESHI, 41. Lawrence WONG, 35. Medin MEMETI, 38. Beckham BAKER, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 42. Lachie CHARLES (GK), 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 34. Jayden NECOVSKI, 37. Akeem GERALD, 39. Roland BALLAH, 43. Angus MACKINTOSH, 44. Isiah BOSTON.
What happened?
We needed little time to settle into the contest and almost found the breakthrough inside the opening minutes when Max Caputo forced a smart save after a well-worked move down the left.
The opener wasn’t far away, though.
Just six minutes were on the clock when Lawrence Wong tried his luck from range, with his strike finding the back of the net to reward our bright start and hand us an early advantage.
Comfortable in possession and well organised defensively, we controlled much of the opening half hour. Harrison Delbridge marshalled the backline impressively, while Peter Antoniou also produced a composed display as Weston struggled to create meaningful opportunities.
The hosts gradually worked their way back into the contest as the half wore on and were denied their best chance in the 35th minute when James Nieuwenhuizen got down well to his right to save from a tight angle.
We continued to defend resolutely through the closing stages of the half, taking a deserved one-goal lead into the break.
The second half proved a much more even affair, with both sides enjoying periods of possession but neither able to create many clear-cut chances.
Looking to inject fresh energy into the contest, Vidmar turned to his bench in the 68th minute, introducing Andrew Nabbout, Angus Mackintosh and Roland Ballah. The latter’s introduction marked a memorable moment for the exciting 18-year-old, who made his senior debut after an outstanding 2026 campaign with City’s NPL side.
The breakthrough moment of the second half finally arrived with 10 minutes remaining.
Receiving the ball outside the penalty area, Besian Kutleshi took aim from distance and found the bottom corner with a superb low strike, capping another impressive Academy graduate performance with his first senior goal in City colours.
Moments later, Isiah Boston became the second City Academy player of the afternoon to make his senior debut, before we put the result beyond doubt five minutes from time.
Starting with Nieuwenhuizen, the move swept from one end of the pitch to the other. Liam Bonetig’s pinpoint ball into midfield was helped on by Nabbout into the path of Memeti, who calmly lifted his finish over the advancing goalkeeper to complete an excellent team move and seal a 3-0 victory.
What’s next?
We’ll discover our Australia Cup Round of 16 opponents following the completion of the Round of 32 later this week, with the draw set to take place on Thursday night.
Before then, attention turns back to pre-season preparations as we travel to Perth to take on Palermo FC in a friendly on Friday 7 August.
