Swibel’s late spark helps create Aus Cup history

Substitute Jordi Swibel was the last player South Melbourne FC sent onto the field in the Australia Cup final last Saturday night, yet the Jewish 27-year-old ended up playing a key role in the most remarkable night in the club’s history.

The NPL Victoria side, known by its passionate army of fans as “Hellas”, defeated A-League Men powerhouse club Melbourne Victory on penalties inside a pulsating AAMI Park stadium, becoming the first member federation team to win the Australia Cup.

A record AAMI Park crowd across all sports of 29,911 created an electric atmosphere.

Victory looked set to prevail after Denis Genreau broke the deadlock in the first five minutes of extra-time.

But Swibel, who replaced Sebastian Pasquali in the 110th minute, immediately added fresh energy and a new element to South’s attack, getting several early touches.

In the 117th minute, deep on the right flank, he latched onto a long looping pass before delivering a great cross to striker Bul Juach at the back post, whose shot was deflected by a Victory defender straight to Max Mikkola, who pounced to score at close range.

In the resulting, tense penalty shootout, won 4-3 by Hellas, their goalkeeper Javier Lopez – named the Mark Viduka Medallist – made multiple saves, while South Melbourne’s penalty kickers, including Swibel, made no mistake with their attempts.

Suddenly it was all over, the underdog team had won, and South Melbourne’s fans sent the decibel level inside AAMI Park into unprecedented territory.

Still catching his breath in an on-field post-match interview on Channel 10 and Paramount Plus’s live broadcast, Swibel was understandably swept by raw emotion.

“Words can’t describe this feeling,” he said. “I mean, just look around you – it’s unbelievable!

“All these people came out … they waited so long for this. I think everyone needs to really open their eyes and see how special this is.”

Asked how he had prepared mentally after having limited time in recent games, Swibel said, “Oh man, it’s a long story. It’s been a crazy year for me, and the people closest to me know that – it’s been an unbelievable journey.

“And it’s a credit to the entire team. These boys are unbelievable … they put their full confidence in me, and there’s nothing I can do with that [other than play well].

“At the end of the day, we’re the first ever NPL team to win the Australia Cup, and I don’t think we’re going to be an NPL team for much longer.”

The former Hakoah youth player – who went on to play 11 A-League games for Sydney FC, before joining the Wanderers, Canadian Premier League club Valour FC and NSW NPL club Marconi Stallions – moved to Melbourne at the start of this year to join South Melbourne, while also coaching Maccabi FC Caulfield’s women’s Queen Bees team.

He scored 10 goals in the inaugural Oceania Pro League for finalists South Melbourne, then played in the NPL, and off the bench in several Australia Cup wins, including against Adelaide United and Fremantle City.

A throng of Queen Bees players went to watch him play in several Australia Cup matches played at Lakeside Stadium, despite rainy winter weather, cheering him on with pride.

And Hakoah FC – for whom he played his debut Australia Cup game when he was still a teenager in 2017 – in a social media post on Monday wrote, “Huge congratulations to our former youth player Jordi.

“It [winning the Australia Cup] is a massive milestone for the NPL right around Australia, and Jordi played a crucial role.”

South Melbourne, who have ambitions to join the A-League soon, will now commence their second six-round Australian Championship season this Saturday afternoon at 3pm when they travel to Sydney to face the Sutherland Sharks. That match will be broadcast live on SBS.